The popularity of fish and chips was
powered by the arrival of railway steam engines, which in turn, helped to fuel
the nation. This meant that fish being caught in the North Sea could be
distributed from ports such as Grimsby around the country the same day,
revolutionising the quality and freshness of the fish, making it even more
delicious!
The places that serve these tasty
treats may have changed, but the fundamental components of the dish certainly
haven’t. Although in the 1980s the government banned chip shops from wrapping
their wares in newspaper without greaseproof paper between the food and the
newspaper, for fears that the ink may run onto the food. This meant that most
chippies ditched the traditional newspaper wrapping due to cost and time
issues.
There has been a noticeable revival in the trendiness of this humble dish in recent years, with celebrity chefs like Rick Stein and Gordan Ramsey opening restaurants specialising in ‘gourmet versions’ of the product, celebrities such as Steven Gerrard, Kate Winslet and Mylene Klass serving up fish and chips at their weddings, and countless new restaurants serving up their own edgy takes on the dish, in turn making phrases like ‘hand-cut chunky chips’, ‘line-caught’ and ‘freshly battered’ the norm.
But whatever combination you choose to have, scampi bits with a small chips, tomato sauce on the side, or dousing everything in gravy and cheese, there’s no doubt that Fish and Chips is a dish that is here to stay. Now, is it Friday night yet? I’m starving!