Who Serves the UK's Best Fish and Chips?
by Zoe Strimpel
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 at 1:54 PM
Drumroll, please. Nominations have been announced for one of Britain's most important prizes: best fish and chips shop in the land. The winner will be decided by the industry body Seafish, and announced Wednesday at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, in a ceremony hosted by the celebrity chef, Ainsley Harriott.
It may seem strange that in 2008, with omnipresent fears over obesity and the rule of nutritional fads all but outlawing carbs and fat, the British should still love their fish and chips so much. But they do. As Seafish writes on its Web site, "fish and chips is still the UK's favourite takeaway with more than 260 million meals eaten every year."
It's not a socioeconomic thing, either. At the ritziest of drinks parties, fish and chips in cones are to be found, catered by famous chefs. For example, at last year's summer party for the nation's most highbrow food magazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated, nobody could get enough of the Michelin-starred chef Tom Aiken's slabs of battered cod and fatty potatoes. On the high road in East Dulwich, now one of London's hippest areas for young, successful families, stands Sea Cow, an elegant, stainless steel canteen and shrine to the finest fried fish and chips. Locals often bring their own booze from the bijou little wine bar and shop, Green and Blue, across the road.
Yet none of the 10 regional contenders to win hails from London, and all seem humble as such shops should. Among them are the Townhead Café in Biggar, Scotland (with an endearingly homely Web site), Tommy's Fish & Chips in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, and Taylors in Tonypandy, Wales.
As well as serving up top fish and chips, Seafish is making a big song and dance this year about attitudes toward sustainability. Eco-faddery is one thing. But if nearly 300 million fishies (mostly cod) are served up per year, that's a pretty good reason to reward care for the preservation of marine stocks, and with it, this most important of industries.
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