Food is a powerful thing. It is so much more than just a combination of ingredients, flavours, aromas, calories and techniques. The food we eat is literally an inseparable part of us. Food is so important to who we are, our culture, and is integral to our concept of home. It can give us a sense of belonging or adventure, it can even be iconic.
The latter can definitely be said of one of my all time favourite things to eat, fish and chips. A much-loved British tradition for Friday nights which I try not to succumb to too regularly. According to a couple of my favourite TV foodies, the Hairy Bikers, an early English cookbook seems to suggest that my favourite deep fried goodness has early influences from the Jewish community of Whitechapel in East London. Lovely stuff.
A delectable feast from my local chippy never fails to cheer me up. The one near me serves generous pieces of fish in a delightfully light and crisp batter. Finding a good local fish and chip shop is a real exercise in trial and error, but once you have one, it’s like a good doctor – you want it to stay in very good health. When I lived in Hamburg, one of my favourite treats was a North German version from Daniel Wischer consisting of fish goujons served with a lovely dollop of Remoulade sauce. A taste of home, with a delicious twist I’d say. Eaten under familiarly grey skies, it went a long way to easing any homesickness.
These days, I’ve taken to eating fish and chips with English mustard alongside some good old malt vinegar. I’m addicted to the bright yellow stuff. I must have good chunky chips, nice and soft on the inside but crispy-ish on the outside. And, why not throw in a battered sausage from time to time too…
A note for any visitors to our shores wanting to sample this wonderful meal, beware, a higher priced fish and chips does not indicate superior quality!
this is lemonade 
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1 August 2012 at 15:10
Just adding a link to a Guardian food post, an intellectual take on the topic of fish and chips lol 😉
23 June 2012 at 09:19
Very good.
It was my favorite dish when I went out to the pub, but I have celiac disease and can no longer eat it. (The fish is breaded)
23 June 2012 at 12:10
Oh, that’s a pity. Fish and chips from a chippy is not breaded here, but I’m not sure whether the flour used to make the batter is likely always wheat. I believe Japanese tempura using rice flour might work for you – your comment gave me some research ideas! 😉
23 June 2012 at 12:23
I have tried to test me out with muffins and gluten-free bread. But not always, I have succeeded. It’s hard to bake with rice flour.
22 June 2012 at 20:05
You are so right about finding a good chippy. When I was a kid my friend’s parents ran the local fish and chip shop, which just happened to be right across the road from my house. I used to help peel the potatoes and stick them in huge barrels of water. I’d get paid, not in fish and chips, but cod roe and chips, my favourite. You don’t see that nowadays.
23 June 2012 at 12:05
A friend of mine who unfortunately passed away too soon, owned the best chippy ever. His chips and batter were the best I remember tasting (and improve every time I reminisce 😉 )
I remember well how he had a big bathtub in the back for the potatoes 😀