Birds Eye is set to replace its famous bearded Captain mascot with a photo of a child for the first time in the brand’s 50-year-plus history.
Tadhg King, a seven-year-old from Manchester, will appear as a ‘mini-captain’ on the front of thousands of limited-edition packs of fish fingers sold through Iceland stores from February 2022 after winning a contest, run by the brand and frozen food retailer.
The budding chef triumphed in the competition, with a Mexican-themed fish finger taco recipe, which Birds Eye said displayed the versatility of the product.
The competition, held earlier this year, was aimed at youngsters between the ages of six and 12 to inspire and encourage them to get creative with a mealtime staple, while showing them how easy it can be to include more fish in their diets.
“I’m so excited to be Birds Eye’s new mini captain – I can’t wait to go in store and see my face on packs of fish fingers,” said King.
“They are my favourite on our ‘Taco Tuesday’ family nights. We change up the flavours and ingredients each week, although I love cheese as much as fish fingers so will always add that too! I really hope other people try my recipe and see how yummy it is.”
Sarah Stebbings, senior brand manager for fish fingers at Birds Eye, described the fish fingers as an “iconic” product and said consumer passion for thinking of new recipes to include them hadn’t slowed down over the years.
“For many, they bring back memories of their childhood, so it’s lovely to be able to get the next generation excited about them in such a creative way too,” she said.
“Especially as we know that 42% of children’s first taste of fish comes in the form of fish fingers. Knowing the numerous benefits that fish offers, we’re always looking for new ways of encouraging families to eat more fish – as the NHS advises two portions of fish per week.”
Andrew Staniland, trading director at Iceland Foods, added: “Birds Eye and Iceland are two iconic family brands and we’re proud to have worked with Birds Eye on this competition to find the first-ever mini Captain Birdseye.
“It is really important to us that children eat a healthy and balanced diet and it’s fantastic to see kids getting involved in cooking – Tadhg’s recipe is a brilliant way to get more children into the kitchen, helping parents prep for dinner and we can’t wait to see Birds Eye and Iceland customers’ versions of the winning recipe.”
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