Fish and chips have always been a favourite dish at the seaside. The famous comedian, Les Dawson, once stated that he lived in St Annes which was so posh, they ate cod and chips while wearing yachting caps. As national fish and chips day kicks off, the rest of the country will now be joining those by the sea in enjoying one of the most popular dishes around. All across the UK, owners of chip shops are hoping that the day will also bring a great amount of business their way. The Granada Fish Bar’s Steve Lynton stated that the day has been celebrated for a number of years now as they try to create greater awareness of the dish which he believed was part of the culture since before the war.
The manager of Ansdell Fisheries which is located on Woodlands Road in Ansdell, J.K. Wan, stated that although he’s always worked in the food industry, there was no fast food quite like fish and chips. This is because the fish usually has to be fresh i.e. it has to be delivered every day and this makes it a much healthier option compared to other fast foods.
On average, a portion of this British staple will have 998.8 calories. On the other hand, a takeaway of rice, curry and naan bread from an Indian restaurant will have 1,338 calories while as much as 1835 calories could be in a single 12-inch pizza.
Speaking about the coming day, the manager of The Fish House in Fleetwood, Rob Taylor, was looking forward to it since this will be their first National Fish and Chips Day at The Fish House since they only just took it over in January. He believes that the day is a particularly good idea since the fish trade has been struggling in recent times and this type of awareness can help to bring more people to fish and chips shops. He also added that marking occasions such as these also helps to make people more aware of the work that is involved in the industry.
Steve Lynton also pointed out the fact that fish and chips isn’t as heavy on calories compared to other popular takeaway options and that fish and chips also comes with less fat than burgers, pizza and Indian curries. He gave an example of their shop where they now prepare the fish without batter and also with salad.