A TEST VALLEY gourmet fish farm praised by celebrity chefs including Jamie Oliver has been ‘transformed’ from a posh restaurant supplier to a home delivery service because of the coronavirus pandemic.

ChalkStream produce fresh and smoked fish grown in the world famous waters of the River Test in Hampshire and boast a list of upmarket customers including The Ritz hotel.

Household name chefs such as Yottam Ottolenghi and Mark Hix are among the famous names who have endorsed the quality of their products.

The company sold its award-winning trout to renowned hotels, restaurants and cruise liners - but the coronavirus outbreak has caused it to have an ‘extraordinary turnaround’.

Now the fish farm has transformed into a ‘very busy’ home delivery service, covering hundreds of miles across the country every day to provide isolated customers with fresh fish after being flooded with orders.

ChalkStream did not previously do home deliveries and the transformation is a stark example of how the crisis is impacting British businesses.

Owner and founder Hugo Hardman said as a result of the pandemic ChalkStream lost all its business in two days.

Mr Hardman said: “The last few years have been very kind to us and we have built up a great business serving well-known restaurants, hotels and cruise liners.

“Everything was perfect up until about 10 days ago. Within two days we had no customers - which has sadly been the case for many businesses in the UK.”

Mr Hardman put out an email and before he knew it the demand for home delivery grew.

He said: “Since it just has not stopped... We’re doing between 50 and 100 home deliveries a day. I’ve done about 300 miles a day in the van, I’ve been in it non-stop but I’m really enjoying it.

“All of our customers are really grateful for it, they tend to be elderly people who are stuck at home so it’s nice to be able to help out.

“A lot of what people are buying at supermarkets is staple, core foods like pasta and rice... People need a source of fresh and healthy protein which you get from our trout.

“We always delivered to restaurants and hotels but never to homes - life changes fast and it’s just about adapting quickly.”

Chalkstream has also offered NHS workers half price fine food delivered straight to their doorstep to help them cope during the coronavirus crisis.

The business, based in Awbridge in the Test Valley, are offering deliveries of fresh fillets, smoked trout and pate within 24 hours.

Mr Hardman added: “At a time when so many supermarket home delivery services are being stretched and overwhelmed, we can fill crucial gaps by delivering enough of Hampshire’s freshest, finest fish - rich in all those crucial vitamins and omega 3 - directly to their homes.”

ChalkStream has been praised on BBC Saturday Kitchen and also counts the posh Pig Hotel chain as a customer.

Chalkstream can be contacted via their website or on 01794 330000.