Beer and food matching: Mitch Tonks' menu

Restaurateur and food writer Mitch Tonks founded the FishWorks chain of seafood-inspired ventures, and now runs the acclaimed Seahorse in Dartmouth, Devon. He is also working with seafood specialist Young's Foodservice to develop products and recipes which will allow pubs to use seafood on menus profitably and imaginatively.

Mitch came up with an appropriate menu, matched to some great beers - and cider.

Starter: Oyster rarebit on thick toast with a pint of Guinness

"I'm an avid oyster lover and when it's still a bit nippy, there is nothing like oysters cooked in a thick creamy sauce, spiked with a bit of mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and a sprinkling of cheese.

"Cut through that lot, chew on it until the wonderful flavours come racing through and wash down with a smooth, creamy Guinness.

"Not only is the flavour of Guinness perfect with oysters - as are most porters and stouts - but texturally, the creaminess of this wonderful drink combined with the creaminess of the oysters, accompanied by soft, doughy bread, is sublime."Main course: Fried fish, peas and tartare sauce with Meantime Pale Ale

"When I look at all the ways I cook fish, I have to be honest and say that it is hard to beat a really nice, chunky piece of white fish, fried crisp in hot oil with a good homemade tartare sauce, whisked up from mayonnaise, gherkins, olives, onions and capers.

"When I was developing Young's new Chip Shop for Chefs range, I had this dish firmly in my mind. Cooked properly with a generous scoop of peas, this has to be the perfect pub lunch.

"I'd have this classic dish with Meantime Pale Ale as it is a perfect strength beer, nice and strong, with a good balance of bitterness that works really well with fried fish."

Dessert: Slab of Montgomery or Quick's Cheddar with Weston's organic cider

"My favourite dessert is easy - a large piece of chunky bread with a slab of Montgomery or Quick's Cheddar and a few pickled onions. I don't have a particularly sweet tooth and love cheese, so this, in my opinion, is the ultimate way to finish a meal.

"I would have this with a grand glass of ice-cold Weston's organic cider.

"The cheese has got that lovely, hard earthiness to it with a flavour intense enough to make your teeth itch, and washing it all down with a nice, cold sweet cider is spot-on." n

• Mitch Tonks' new book Fish has just been published. For his recipes developed for Young's Foodservice visit www.youngscaterer.co.uk