fish and chips

Though quite greasy it is filling and provides a good balance of fat, carbohydrate and protein. It is of course immensely tasty.

This dish marches ahead of the pack of other, lesser known, English culinary feasts such as Curry, Yorkshire Pudding, Apple Crumble, Custard, Christmas pudding and Spotted Dick.

The fish is usually cod, but in a more up-market `chippie' can be anything from Plaice to Salmon. It is coated with a thick floury batter that often contains beer for additional flavour.

The chips are coarsely cut rectangles of potato - much fatter than a french-fry. They are normally deep-fried twice. The first time they are cooked through, and then left to drain and cool. The second fry is done quicker and at a higher temperature. This creates a crispy outer texture, but seals the moisture within.

The food is traditionally fried in a large steel vat containing boiling-hot beef dripping. Recently many chip-shops have changed this for a vegetable based oil. This is supposedly to make the product healthier, but it could also be to make the chips more appealing to vegetarians. Most Fish and Chip shops sell other foods including but not limited to: Sausages, Battered Sausages, Pukka Pies, Kebabs, Cans of Fizzy drinks and the infamous Battered Deep-Fried Mars-Bar.