Fish and chips is perhaps the nation’s favourite dish! Who can resist that delicious, flaky battered fish, with lashings of salt and vinegar, accompanied by delicious, thick-cut chips…
Now, as we celebrate National Fish and Chip day , we’ve run down some of the most fascinating facts about fish and chips – and there are some awesome facts here that you’ll rellish in telling guests at your next dinner party.
Sykes Seafood and fish and chips? We’ve actually got lots in common…
Born in Manchester in the 1860s..? That sounds familiar! Yep, just like Sykes Seafood, fish and chips was first introduced to British menus in Manchester in 1860 (two years before our company was formed in the same city).
The oldest chippy in the world is in Leeds
‘The Oldest Fish & Chip Shop in the World’ as it’s known is located in Leeds, a place which has served the dish up since 1865. The shop currently holding the title of the UK’s ‘best fish and chip shop’ however is The Bay Fish & Chips, in Stonehaven, Scotland.
We’re a greedy nation
Did you know that on average in the UK, over 250 million fish and chip meals are sold each year – that’s an annual spend of £1.2 billion.
A literary lesson
Fish and chips was also a favourite of Dickens, with the famous author writing about ‘Husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil’ in the novel A Tale of Two Cities. Other cultural icons citing the food include In George Orwell’ – who talks about fish and chips as a ‘home comfort’ in the book The Road to Wigan Pier.
Famous fish and chips
Perhaps the industry’s most famed fish and chip purveyor, Harry Ramsden opened his first shop in 1929 in Guiseley, West Yorkshire. On a single day in 1952, the shop served 10,000 portions of fish and chips, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Wartime wants
While much of the country was subject to food rations during the second world war, the government did everything it could to ensure that fish and chips were widely available. The country’s favourite dish was one of the few foods that was never rationed – and some historians suggested that keeping the nation satisfied in this way helped win the war!
International takes
Gravy, salt and vinegar may be the staple accompaniments on these shores, but how are fish and chips served abroad? Well, much to the UK’s chagrin, our friends in the USA serve them with thin, French Fries, the Belgians eat them with mayonnaise, but it’s the Chinese who perhaps have the strangest seasoning – sugar!
Fast food
Henley’s Fish & Chip Shop in Wivenhoe, Colchester, holds the record for the fastest portion of chips served from scratch. The team here took a raw potato, peeled it, chipped it, cooked to perfection and served up in an awesome 222 seconds.
Got any more fish and chip facts? We’d love to hear them over on our social channels – just follow us @seafoodbysykes. And if you want to stock up on some delicious fish to celebrate this Friday, we’re offering our battered cod at an incredible two packs for £10. Click here to buy.
