LovEly Chips Frying Babylon a mile from where they grow

LovEly

We fry Babylon a mile from where they were grown

By Austen Dack

Isle of Ely Produce have been promoting a Chip Ambassador role to promote the great British Chip in association with Agrico.

The Chip Ambassadors are part of an UK wide group of shop owners and fryers who will promote best practice for potato buying, storing, and of course frying. The chain will also include key growers too like PJ Lee & Sons, and A. L. Lee Farming Company, as IOE looks to nurture the relationships they have grown across the whole supply chain during the last twenty years.

Agrico have partnered with Isle of Ely Produce to bring new varieties into the trade initially via our Chip Ambassadors. The first one Babylon has been sampled at some of these ambassadors to back up the results of the early trial successes.

We have travelled (keeping to covid restrictions) to many great shops in the last few months with Babylon. The overwhelming result of all of this testing is Babylon as a variety is looking like a star of the future.

This month we went to my local shop The Fish House in Ely. The shop has been situated in the heart of the city since 1923 and ran by Ian Kilby for the last ten years! Ian said “I am proud to be the custodian of the shop at this time. We have customers coming into the shop who have been using it for decades. Their children and grandchildren now come in.”

The shop is a busy city centre site which has two other operators within a small radius of it. Ran with a combination of staff and Ian the site is well respected in the area and well known for fish and chips cooked well. The pandemic has bought some problems to the business as of course have rising prices.

“The uncertainty over Christmas about what restrictions were going to be in place

Chips!

was difficult to juggle. Prices rising and shortage of key ingredients have also been a challenge too”. Ian added

The shop uses locally grown potatoes in the main season and sources much of the rest of it’s supplies from Friar’s Pride.

The moment of truth arrived. The Babylon were expertly fried (in beef dripping) and dispatched for us to try. Ian’s knowledge of varieties was very good and he knows exactly what his customers like. He was very happy with the appearance of the Babylon and even happier with the taste. “Babylon fried well, they hold well in the box, plus have a good crisp outer and lovely soft middle.”

It was good to spend time with Ian and his team, and for me not to have a long journey home too!

Oliver Boutwood Isle of Ely Produce Director says. “It’s good to hear shops like the all-round good characteristics of Babylon. We are pleased with this partnership between Agrico IOE and chip shop owners.”

Alex Moore, Agrico UK Sales Manager said: “We are thrilled to be working closely with Isle of Ely Produce & the Chip Ambassadors to launch two exciting new varieties. As a business we are always trying to breed better tasting and more sustainable potato varieties.”

We will be featuring more reviews in the coming months, and at the Isle of Ely Open Day, where you can try them for yourselves. Email austen@ chippychat.co.uk if you would like to try them and/or become one of our ambassadors.