National Fish and Chips Day today

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

If I've got any batter left I may make some onion bhaji style batter 'scraps' (plain batter scraps are a Yorkshire tradition) to sprinkle over the salad, provided I don't burn them!

[Binky Profile]

I can remember queuing at the local chip shop for 'a bag o' chips wi' scraps on, and some salt and vinegar please' when I was about 8-9 years old.

You always groaned if you spotted a mill girl in the queue as she was most likely getting fish and chips 20 times for her workmates. They used to take them away in a cardboard box....and added about 20 minutes or more to the queuing time for the rest of us!

[karadekoolaid Profile]

One of the things which always amuses me is that fish & chips " are served in newspaper",
Mine were always "wrapped" in newspaper, but served in a greasproof paper bag!

[Renee Profile]

Yes, they used to be wrapped in newspaper, but this stopped many years ago. It might have been a hygiene issue!

[Pampy Profile]

It was - it was said that the printing ink would come into contact with the food (remember the days when you'd finished reading a newspaper and your hands were black with ink?).

[Renee Profile]

I didn't know that Pampy, but I do remember those days when the ink came off!

I thought that it might have something to do with hygiene because people donated newspapers, which might have been read by someone sitting on the toilet!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Yes, although I got fish and chips in an outer wrapping of newspaper to keep them warm the food was always wrapped in grease proof inside it, the idea that one ate directly from the Daily Mirror is not I think realistic. Not in my experience anyway.

My dad disliked fish and chips, having grown up as far from the sea as possible he reckoned the local offering ca 1930 was inedible. So when he was away I’d be sent on my bike to get 2 plaice and chips for mum and me. The plaice was local, and the chips twice cooked and well tanned. Yum.

Here I’m torn. One fish shop does the better chips, the other the better fish.

[jeral Profile]

Yes, one here has great fish lousy chips, another vice versa.

I seem to recall there was a more recent fad or trend to bring back newspaper as a traditional sales gimmick, but that was especially made and presumably coated rather than everyone's pre-loved donated newspapers.

A chippy here re-opened under new management, so I had some, although I didn't know it was the national day until afterwards.

I wish they'd sell half the chips for half the price as no individual even hollow legged I know can eat all the chips. I suppose that's where the profit is though as I doubt there's much from the fish.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

These days I can't eat a massive portion of fish and chips. I think our local chippy serves big portions, although we don't go there very often. Next time we go in, we will probably order one large portion of fish & chips and share it between us

[Amyw Profile]

I’ve noticed in pubs now the portion sizes for fish and chips are ridiculous. I was working the other day with a lady who ordered fish and chips and her portion of fish was bigger than my two hands together .
I understand it must be hard to gauge an average portion size as there’s such a variation in appetites, but all the fish I see served now seems to be for 6ft plus rugby players . Whether it’s a selling point of certain places now , to get as much cheap food as possible on a plate , maybe

[Sakkarin Profile]

I think my local chippie must have heard you! I just got some fish and chips, and as he was close to winding up, he gave me a large piece he didn't think he'd sell, for the price of a regular piece. It's one of the most enormous pieces of fish I've had! The plate it's on is a full-sized large plate (11.5").

That's my fish and chips ration for the month.

[Renee Profile]

Fabulous! I could only eat half of those chips though!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Oooooph.
I can just imagine how delicious that plate is, Sakkers. Luverly.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Yes I only managed half the chips, and theres a chunk of cod left in the fridge...

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Hi Sakkarin

Well that photo proves the point I made in my last post on this thread!

[jeral Profile]

Sakkarin, may I ask how much that Moby Cod costs normally, and a regular sized one? Ta. It'd be interesting to see how consistent the price is in different parts of the UK.

What do you/others do with leftover chippie fish? I tend to put it into soup last minute.

[Sakkarin Profile]

It was £5 for the cod and £1.80 for the chips. £6.80 total.

I think it was £5.80 for a large cod.

However at the posh end of Bushey there are more expensive places...

Godfreys, opened fairly recently, used to be a Thai restaurant.
http://godfreyschips.com/takeawaymenu.html
£5.80 + £2.10 = £7.90

Even more expensive - the original Sea Pebbles in Hatch End won many awards, their second branch opened in Bushey a couple of years back...
https://seapebbles.co.uk/takeawaybushey/
£7.30 + £2.20 = £9.50

[jeral Profile]

Sakkarin, many thanks for the info and links.

Prices here (once you'd have paid the Ferryman his 2p to get to the Other Side) is £4.70 regular cod; large is £6.75; chips £2.10. They used to do a £5 "Senior's" being for those 60-ish - or just "look old" (Ouch). Personally I'd rather just pay for a decent fish and skip the chips.

What about others please either coastal or landlocked?

[Luca Profile]

Sakkarin, many thanks for the info and links.

Prices here (once you'd have paid the Ferryman his 2p to get to the Other Side) is £4.70 regular cod; large is £6.75; chips £2.10. They used to do a £5 "Senior's" being for those 60-ish - or just "look old" (Ouch). Personally I'd rather just pay for a decent fish and skip the chips.

What about others please either coastal or landlocked?

Hi Jeral,
Best fish and chips nearish to me is Fishers in Putney, London. It is delicious but quite expensive. Large servings so I usually share as I have a small appetite. Approx £11+ cod with chips.

http://www.fishersfishandchips.co.uk/take-away-menu/

[Stokey Sue Profile]

This is my local, posh chippy, Sutton and Sons

Cod to go, £6.95 to £8.50plus chips

They also have a vegan menu

https://www.suttonandsons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sutton-and-sons-takeaway-menu-2.pdf

I’m more inclined to eat in, with a glass of house white

There’s a slightly cheaper but also good one, huge haddock and chips about £8.50