The new food fad: fish and chips

Updated
Fish and chips at the seaside on the pier Cleethorpes Grimsby Humberside Lincolnshire noth south east &
Fish and chips at the seaside on the pier Cleethorpes Grimsby Humberside Lincolnshire noth south east &



Brits are turning their back on new food fads, and returning to a great traditional dish: fish and chips. The fish and chip industry has had a tough few years, but new figures show that business is booming again. Back in 2003 there were just 8,600 fish and chip shops in the UK, but figures from the National Federation of Fish Friers have revealed that number has now risen to 10,500.

In fact, we spend an annual £1.2 billion on fish and chips, some 80% of us visit a chip shop at least once a year, and more than fifth of people visit at least once a week. The booming business means it's the most popular form of take-away in the UK - with over eight times more fish and chip shops on British high streets than branches of McDonald's.
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Celebrity chefs have been cashing in on the trend. Rick Stein was early to take advantage - with traditional fish and chip takeaway joints in Padstow and Falmouth in Cornwall.

Earlier this year, Gordon Ramsay took the concept to the US, where he opened a fish and chip restaurant in Las Vegas, and on 1st August even trendy Notting Hill gets its own pop-up celebrity fish and chip restaurant, The Notting Gill. In this case chef Tim Peirson will serve some less common options alongside standard fish and chips - including 'lobster thermi-buns' and 'bitter and twisted scampi'.

Why?

The phenomenon we have to thank for this trend is the financial crisis. Back at the beginning of the century, we had plenty of cash for posh dinners, and our main concern was healthy-eating, so deep fried food was out of fashion.

Fast forward a few years, and our disposable cash has dwindled dramatically. In this environment, our concerns for healthy eating have taken a back seat, in favour of comfort eating and affordable food. At an average of less than £4 per portion, fish and chips is firmly back in fashion for the budget-conscious as well as the Notting Hill fashionistas.

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Best Fish and Chip Shop 2015: Frankie's Batters Competition
Best Fish and Chip Shop 2015: Frankie's Batters Competition


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