Neil Priestley had no doubts about wanting to step into the family business.

“From an early age I would help my grandad on the egg stall in James Street Fish Market. where we sold eggs alongside wet fish and frozen foods.”

Neil’s grandad Frank Priestley had followed his father Miles into the fishmonger business he set up in the early 1900s.

“My great-grandfather Miles started it all, and we have records dating back to 1911,” says Neil. “I am not sure exactly where the first shop was, although I know there was one on Duckworth Lane which operated as well as the market.

“There was a Priestley with a fish and chip shop in Whetley Hill many years ago, who was a relation.”

Neil’s dad Derek, who had Miles as his middle name, was next in line to run the shop that bears the family name and which is this week's Telegraph & Argus Trader of the Week.

Neil, who grew up in Harden, learned the ropes while helping out. As soon as he left Bingley Grammar School aged 16 he went to work at the market, alongside Derek, who sadly died in January aged 90.

“I was very keen - I liked meeting the customers and enjoyed the physical side of the job, being hands-on and active,” he says. “I also liked working with fish and was interested in fish, but really it was the contact with the public that I liked best.”

His love of helping people with their orders and offering advice and tips is as strong as ever.

“People ask about how certain fish should be cooked. If there is a fish dish on a cookery programme such as Masterchef we get quite a few extra enquiries about it.”

Now in Bradford’s Oastler Shopping Centre, where it has been since 2001, Priestley Fish has a stream of regular customers. “Some people have been coming for many years and some come every week for the same order, such as a pound of haddock,” says Neil. “But since people’s routines have been broken due to Covid that is getting less common. I also think people like to try different things.”

Fish comes from ports around the country including Fleetwood in Lancashire, Grimsby, Brixham in Devon, Looe in Cornwall, as well as the wholesale markets of Billingsgate in London and Birmingham’s fish market.

It is now common for fish to be sourced from overseas. “We are finding that the industry is becoming more and more a global commodity. Our bestsellers are king prawns, salmon, sea bass and haddock.

“We sell whole or peeled and de-veined king prawns which come by container ship from Equador, India and Vietnam.

“Twenty years ago we would never have sold king prawns. We would also never have sold sea bass, which now comes by lorry from Spain, Greece or Turkey,” says Neil. “We get salmon from the Faroe Islands - I think it is the best there is.

“Our haddock comes mainly from Iceland or the Faroe Islands, and sometimes from Scotland or Ireland. Cod is from Iceland.”

They also sell tilapia, a freshwater fish native to Africa and Middle East and farmed across the globe. It is one of the most internationally traded food fish in the world.

“Ours come from the Far East, and is really popular and a very reasonable price,” says Neil. “We would never have stocked it 20 years ago. When I first went into the business the fish was mostly from the UK.”

Fresh crab comes from closer to home. “They come from Bridlington, ever Thursday. Lobster - usually from Bridlington or the south coast - needs to be ordered. “Since lockdown people are asking for lobster a lot more - maybe because they are being more adventurous, or have more to spend.”

The shop has its own delivery service, which was invaluable to older people self-isolating during lockdown. Fish and other seafood can also be ordered online.

Neil must be alert to the frequent price fluctuations that typify the fish business. “If there is a good catch of one type of fish in a particular week the price drops, but if they don’t land many the price rises. It varies week to week and month to month.”

There are seasonal changes too, as fish move between different parts of the ocean and between shallower and deeper waters. “Halibut, for instance, is mainly available in autumn when there are plenty about, but for the rest of the year it could be double the price.”

Neil works alongside Philip, who has been there for 33 years, Jonathan who has been with the firm for 13 years, Nichola, who has spent five years at Priestley's and Ben, who joined two years ago. “We all get on well,” says Neil.

Filleting is not something you can master overnight. “It takes a while to learn the technique - where to insert the knife and how to move it.”

“I fillet the salmon myself - it gives it a firmer texture and better end product.”

At home, Neil does not eat fish as much as he would like. “My wife and daughter are vegetarian, and my son is away at university so it would be just for me.”

When he does, his favourite is halibut. “It is such a nice, rich flavour and good texture. It’s best baked with a bit of butter and pepper on top. It is so flavoursome you don’t want to ruin with a sauce.”

Neil is looking forward to moving to Darley Street, when the market relocates to its new home on the site of the former Marks & Spencer.

“I am looking forward to things being busier, and it will be a nicer environment,” he says.

*Priestley Fish, 216 Oastler Centre, John Street, Bradford BD1 3ST. Visit: priestleyfish.co.uk Tel: 724083