UK’s Fave Dish ~ Fish & Chips
Ah am missing England. Sunday drives in the country side, pub meals, Sunday roasts… Yorkshire pudding, sticky pudding and drive to the seaside for Fish & Chips.
Yes I do miss Fish and Chips.. quintessentially a British dish.
I went to the farmers market yesterday and there is always a mobile fish monger that comes every week.
If I would find WHITE BAIT (maridakia in Greek) I would do Fish & Chips. Peeling, slicing and frying my own chips… frying my flour coated fish. But alas no white bait. I came home with some squids instead. I was even planning to make newspaper cones (forget the hygiene) just to make it so authentic.
Then last night Jayred in Switzerland wrote on her X Files Journal, that she bought fish & chips at Zurich Banhoff.
What the Swiss know about fish & chips?
Jayred by the way is using her sense of humour to “survive†the Swiss way of life and she reads my food blog hoping she can learn something about cooking. .. While I read hers because I am a Swiss by nationality and her observations of Swiss life sends me howling with laughter.
Well at least when I go to Zurich I would just ring her up and say “meet me at the Banhoff for fish & chips“…
Her post , my craving for fish and chips ,my missing UK feeling took me back on a cold wintry day last November 24th, 2004.
We drove to Scarborough, North East Yorkshire. We were idling around in York when my sister said why not go to Scarborough to sniff sea air and heard they sell amazing fish and chips there!
I am not very fond of pre cooked fish and chips, those who have been fried hours ahead and been kept warm inside those glass box with red lights. But give me real fish and chips where its freshly cooked and you actually have to wait for a while then I would go for it.
We walked along the beach towards the port to whet our appetite. We had no particular place in mind but this Winky Willy happened to be in front of us when we all felt our tummy need nourishment.
We had different orders. I had plaice, Swiss Cheese had a mix fish and Tara had haddock. Each plate had fresh chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce.
If you don’t want to sit down you can always order outside.
Traditionally fish and chips were served up wrapped in old newspaper. Nowadays (thanks to hygiene laws) they are wrapped in greaseproof paper and sometimes paper that has been specially printed to look like newspaper. You often get a small wooden or plastic fork to eat them with too, although it is quite ok to use your fingers.
Yes it came with tea, bread and butter. Nothing fancy but it was so fresh.
That’s how I want my fish and chips. It was a long drive but it was worth it.
Soon after we went again for a walk, struggling with the wind. Scarborough was quite that time.
Scarborough by the way is the oldest sea side spa town in the British Isles.
The Victorian Esplanade looked so pretty and still, above the hill we looked at the North Sea and thank for her bounty we had decent fish and chips!
that looked so delicious sha! my kids love fish and chips but only #1son had the authentic one wrapped in newspapers in the shadow of Winchester Cathedral eaten on the curb pa hehehe.
i feel the cold though…we are in the 20F’s today but we are determined to go out.
so did you make calamari fry instead? 🙂 cheers!
when i was in the UK, some stores still wrapped fish & chips in newspaper. it’s one british dish i don’t mind having..the others i think are crap, lol. regards sha:)
The best fish & chips I had was accidental as well. We were famished and found this hole in the wall fish & chip shop in Caernafon, Wales. It was the freshest and the best we’ve had plus the ambiance of eating it al fresco at the sea promenade added to the deliciousness of the experience. Yum!
Ano ba yan kung kelan nasa diet ako saka ka nagpo-post ng ganito! 🙂
Hi Sha,
sarap naman! It sounds like we are all in a diet even Tita Celia well can you remove the fries for me please.
I am a fish chips “no fries” lovers – take me out there!
Tin
kalimera shaluv, i had fish n’ chips with sachiko the other day in a british pub called ‘hub’ here in Tokyo (the 2 of us eb-ed). not really authentic but what the hey! fish is fish and chips is chips hehehe… we drowned our sorrows and lamentations in glass after glass of cocktails that were too sweet and colorful. sayang walang ouzo sa menu nila; we were too chicken to order anything hard kasi pareho kaming innocent-looking mwihihihi…
YASAS!
Ah nice. Fish and Chips. They were a classic for us while I lived in New Zealand. Quite something!
hi sha, i adore fish&chips too! thank you so much for a really wonderful post, although it’s made me seriously crave some of that divine deep-fried goodness!
hei sha! I miss England too and eating fish and chips. Hmmm, the last time I ate it was in Bergen. I probably have to visit Charles to get hold of a divine fish and chips without leaving norway. Hehe
Sha, you can definitely come to visit Jersey! There’s a lovely ‘Fish ‘n’ Chips’ shop in Gorey. We can buy some and eat it on a bench on the grass area where we can see a view of France with Gorey castle behind us.
Har, har, Sha. I don’t know if I still have enough supply of humor to “survive the Swiss way of life.” 🙂 The Swiss German language is sucking me dry. But hey, there’s (Swiss) fish and chips now to see me through.
The fish and chips you presented in this blog post is the real thing!
You look pensive in your banner photo (by the train window). Warum?
I wana go to the UK to taste some authentic fish and chips!!
TONI: we shall wait for you we can do a coastal trip for fish and chips like Celia sa Wales sila naka tikim ng masarap si Mae sa Jersey
JAYRED: I do not like the fresh water fish in CH I eat yes it can be very expensive as well. We had good fish meal outside St Gallen near Lake Constanz.
PENSIVE? Warum?? oh when I travel I absorb as much as I can, that picture was my first TRAIN RIDE OUTSIDE OSLO.
I love looking out… that time too slow was slowly melting
I can see how beautiful Norway is.
MAE: I nearly went to Jersey when I was based in UK.. nag Isle of Wight ang abot tuloy.
Great idea eating fish and chips w a great view.
We used to stand outside Southampton and see Isle of Wight from a distance.
AL: I know where is that fish and chips in Bergen right by the port at the market. I was in Bergen I was nearly tempted to eat that but few days later we were back in UK we went for fish and chips!
J do you have this in Singapore? Good chippy home made cut into chunks ahh sea salt, malt vinegar.
BEA: If you had it in NZ then I should not be surprised.
ATHINNA: My love to Sachi pls… and Brit Pub in Tokyo whoa…
XTINE: I dont eat a lot of fries but give me a decent fries I will gorge on them
we had once fry hopping at different 5 star hotels in London
Dorchester, Ritz etc just for fries and champagne
CELIA: I hav not been to wales!!!! NO diet w fish and chips
I know the feeling when you eat right there with the sea in front of u!
AJAY: What about Sunday roast??? hmm Well pubs are changing now you can now dine at Gastro pubs in UK good food!!!
STEL: My work in UK was half an drive from Winchester. I love going to that Cathedral and shopping is excellent in Winchester.
When will Dashie taste his authentic fish and chips dear?
i can still remember my first fish and chips at swensen’s, brunei..yes..i was with colleagues mike and iska and some new-found friends..they were bringing us around this Brit-influenced-Bornean country and after along day..settled in the restaurant and this dish instantly was a new-found fave! memories..memories..
HI All,yes scarborough is great for fish and chips,but if you travel just 3 miles out going to crossgates you will come across a fish and chip takeaway called silks on the roundabout (crossgates shopping centre),the best in scarborough as voted by the local papper.everything is cooked to order and you can sit outside(very nice).give it a try open every day from easter.