By Austen Dack
Recently I was invited over to Hoxne in Suffolk to see firsthand how a local village playing field & social club and a mobile chip van owner have teamed up to help each other out. Ed’s Plaice is ran by Ed Davies. Ed started Ed’s Plaice in 2011 after completing a course at the National Federation of Fish Friers in Leeds. He decided to do Fish and chips as he thought it was a brilliant option to offer this staple British takeaway to his local villages.
One prominent Hoxne resident is Stuart Jarrold. Stuart is best known for his forty years as a sports reporter first locally for Anglia TV, then latterly as a roving reporter on the hugely popular Gillette Soccer Saturday. He is a very active member of the village including spells as a parish councillor. One of his passions locally is the active use of the playing fields and its social club and space. With lots of events, activities and groups happening and planned, the future of the site looks promising.
It was Stuart’s idea last summer to invite Ed’s Plaice on a weekly basis to the playing fields. With plenty of parking and an indoor space for people to use to eat in case of inclement weather it looked like a good idea. Stuart said, “We are gradually increasing the repertoire here at the playing fields. Fish & Chips appeals to everyone, and it gives us a chance to open the bar for a few hours and take some money every Thursday. Ed’s fish and chips are very good, and we are pleased to see him every week.”
Ed previously parked at a local housing
estate in the village, and whilst busy there were massive benefits of moving to the playing fields. “The obvious appeal is the amount of space we have. We can now serve many more people with plenty of room for everyone to park. Plus, the indoor space of the playing fields clubhouse is a real bonus too, so even when it is raining, we have a queue.”
On our arrival there was already a queue for Ed’s fish & chips. The phone was ringing on numerous occasions with incoming orders too. Ed was accompanied by his Hoxne colleague Sarah Driver and it quickly became obvious that this was going to be a busy shift for them both. We placed our order of cod and chips twice, and retired to the clubhouse for a quick drink before it was ready. Ed was still charging £8 for cod and chips despite the recent price rises particularly potatoes. He wanted to keep it at a price point that would still attract customers particularly at his mid – week pitches.
On arrival we could see just why Ed is busy. The FAS cod batter (from Friars Pride) held a great colour, was crisp to taste and the cod itself was flaky, white and tender. The chips (made from a great Fen variety via his merchant Pope’s) were excellent too. Hot, crisp to touch whilst fluffy on the inside. Ed’s experience and NFFF training shone through we both loved his offering.
If you have a mobile chip van, why not check out your local social clubs. They could also house you for an evening providing benefits for both you and them. Email austen@chippychat.co.uk if you are doing a similar thing.
Austen Dack
Publishing Editor
Thismonth’s main feature is from the world of fish. Whether it be trawler owner, fish merchant or training we hope you will find this very interesting.
I’ve just come back from Norway to see first-hand just how their FAS fish is caught, packaged, and frozen all in just a few hours. We were joined by the award winners from the National Fish & Chip Awards held in February of this year. The three-day trip was a prize for all winners, with those attending thrilled by the itinerary including a glorious fishing trip in the Fjords, and the hospitality offered. My thanks to Victoria Braathen from Seafood from Norway for her organisation skills & company, the owners of Atlantic including Kjell Gunnar Hoddevik (the vessel we travelled on) for an unforgettable voyage, Kjetil Sperre for our visit to one of Norway’s largest producers of wildcaught fish, Brødrene Sperre and the many other
Norwegians we met on the trip.
There are now only a few weeks before the Isle of Ely/Chippy Chat Open Day. Held on Sunday 10th September, the day is FREE to chip shop owners and managers and will give you the first insight into the 2023/24 potato crop. We also have speakers presenting on our main stage including Sarah Heward, Calum Richardson, Andrew Crook and 2023
Takeaway of the Year Award winner Geoff Whitehead, see pages 41-42 for full details.
The Fish & Chip Awards for 2024 are now open.
Visit www.thefishandchipawards.com for entry details.
To submit a press release and/or advert please email me austen@chippychat.co.uk for information
Chippy Chat Ltd Oak Lane Littleport Ely
Cambridgeshire
CB6 1RS
www.chippy-chat.co.uk info@chippychat.co.uk
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TEL 01353 658216
FAX 01353 863 444
Managing Director John Boutwood
Publisher Oliver Boutwood oliver@chippychat.co.uk
Publishing Editor Austen Dack
austen@chippychat.co.uk
07863123929
Design/Editorial
Accounts
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Advertising Sales and Promotions austen@chippychat.co.uk
For PR and Editorial editorial@chippychat.co.uk
It’s been a great four years for Jonathan France owner of The Fish Bank in Sherburn in Elmet (just outside Leeds).
A former NatWest Bank turned fish & chip takeaway unfortunately stood closed within 18 months and two ownerships prior to Jonathan purchasing the shop, “I’d no experience of operating a fish & chip shop, but always believed if you can produce good fish & chips, you will get the customers” he said.
Almost a year to the day of opening, was the evening of Monday 23rd March when the Prime Minister recommended all businesses to close. Like most other operators, Jonathan initially closed the doors to safeguard his colleagues and customers: “It was a scary time and the thought of someone catching Covid due to us was unthinkable”. After three weeks the staff were eager to re-open, so with a review of how the major retailers operated, a Covid risk assessment was produced. “Thankfully we have a large customer area, so we created a social distance plan and got some great floor stickers made, one of which was of Captain Tom”.
Covid was not a situation that anyone wants to experience again, it did however bring people back to fish & chips and increased the turnover of The Fish Bank. Just over a year later Jonathan took all of the increased revenue accumulation and invested it back into the business and closed the doors for two weeks for a mini refurb and new Kiremko frying range. It’s a move most people wouldn’t have done at this point but as Jonathan says, “I want to work in the nicest environment I can, with the best ingredients and the
best equipment. We can spot a new customer straight away as you can hear them comment how spotless and modern the shop is”.
Not only did the shop get invested in, so too have Jonathan and his team. They have undertaken several NFFF training courses; “I’m a massive advocate for getting properly trained and I’m the first to tell everyone that I should have undertaken it before I opened the doors! The trainers are all fellow operators who have fantastic businesses and will guide and help you during and after the course”.
It’s been a great first three years for the Fish Bank but the past 12 months have been really special. The National Fish & Chip Awards were back and Jonathan couldn’t wait to apply. However they were too long in business for the Best Newcomer category. So, they applied for the Best Fish & Chip Takeaway and Field to Frier categories. “It was such an exciting journey; I remember I’d just got back from a run and the phone blew up with friends in the industry congratulating us of making the Top 40! I’d seen great shops have a Top 40 poster and I was thrilled we’d now got one. It was the same when the Field to Fryer Top 20 and 10 got announced”.
The Fish Bank went on to make Top 10 in the Fish & Chip take away category and went to the prestigious award ceremony. “I can honestly say that to get to the Top 10 and go to London to the awards was an absolute career highlight. The support from our customers, friends and family was amazing. To have made Top10 where some of the very best shops in the industry have been, is fantastic.”
During this magical journey of taking the shop to new heights Jonathan decided to his personal fitness to the same heights and sign up for the Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon!
“Rob Burrow is also from my hometown of Castleford, and I’d met him with my two girls when I attended his charity auction to help him raise money for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease and we bought his Challenge Cup winners shirt. So, when his marathon was announced I signed straight up after getting over the initial I could never do that thoughts. Marathons are such a big thing for very good reason, you must commit yourself to it for at least
six months. I partnered with Robs chosen charity MND earlier this year charged customer 20p for a paper bag and each click & collect order has a 20p surcharge automatically added. I buy the bags so the full 20p goes to the MND charity. We’re just trying to do our bit for this much needed cause that helps individuals and families dealing with the disease. Our fantastic customers have supported us all the way”.
www.fishbank.co.uk
WE HAVE SUPPLIED INBUILT SUPERPAD SYSTEMS (TRIPLE FILTRATION) FOR FACTORY FITTING TO:
MARTYN EDWARDS
FRANK FORD
KIREMKO (KFE)
HENRY NUTTALL SCOTRANGE
EDEN RANGE
WE HAVE ALSO RETRO-FITTED BASKET FILTRATION AND SUPER PAD UNITS TO SHOP INSTALLED RANGES. PLEASE CALL FOR ADVICE ON YOUR RANGE
July 7th
World Chocolate Day
The event is dedicated to all things cocoa-based, and it’s certainly not time to discriminate. Indulge yourself or share with others, time to batter those twixes or mars bars
July 16th
National Ice Cream Day
This most special of days takes place annually on the third Sunday in July and it’s a magical summer celebration that gives everyone an excuse to grab a cone, tub or bowl of their favourite ice cream. So stock up and increase your ice cream sales
September 10th
Isle of Ely/Chippy Chat Open Day
Join us on the farm for a day of networking and discovering all things potato! Free tickets contact austen@chippychat.co.uk
October 16th – 22nd
UK Coffee Week
The nation’s biggest celebration of coffee that helps change lives in coffee growing communities
December 10th
The Chippy Chat Ball
The Chippy Chat Ball is booked in, fingers crossed, pandemics allowing we will be back this year.
At Collins Seafoods, we are industry leaders in providing the finest Frozen at Sea Fish. We have been supplying fish and chip shops, pubs and restaurants across the UK and Ireland since 1980, and our knowledgeable sales team consistently deliver exceptional service to our valued customers.
Our sales and general manager Toni Pagnanelli has been with us since March 2022, after working in the seafood industry for 26 years prior, predominantly within the fresh fish sector. Toni shared his thoughts on the Frozen at Sea fish industry:
Q. How is working in the Frozen at Sea fish industry different to the fresh fish industry?
A. Both industries face different challenges - fresh fish can be around a week old before it gets to your local fish and chip shop, whereas Frozen at Sea fish is caught, filleted, processed and frozen within around six hours, giving the fish its amazing taste. Fresh fish vessels also suffer if there is adverse weather, which can severely impact availability. With Frozen at Sea fish, availability is rarely an issue.
Q. From your experience in the seafood industry, what are the benefits of Frozen at Sea fish compared to fresh fish?
A. In my opinion, Frozen at Sea fish is a far better product. I find the fillets firmer in texture and longer lasting than fresh fish. In addition, with new onboard technology, such as computerised grading, our customers tell us that Frozen at Sea fish is a far more consistent product than fresh fish. And because availability is far better with Frozen at Sea fish, prices are not as volatile.
Toni’s previous experience of working with fresh fish has helped further our understanding of the seafood industry’s
overall working practices and enforced our knowledge that Frozen at Sea fish is more nutritious and high quality than fresh fish.
Our aim is to provide people with the tastiest, most sustainable fish that the ocean has to offer and over our 40+ years of experience we have helped thousands of businesses thrive and grow.
In our 2022 survey, our clients described us as reliable, professional and helpful, and we asked Bill Jefferson, the owner of Howe’s Traditional Fish & Chips why he chooses to work with us:
“I’ve used Collins for many years, and I wouldn’t buy fish from anywhere else. The team are all great, and very easy to deal with. My valued customers love the food I serve, and we always get fantastic reviews, so I am very pleased!”
Call our sales team today to learn more about our fantastic products and find out how we can help your business.
COLLINS SEAFOODS NORTH EAST:
Unit 2, Park 2000, Heighington Lane Business Park, Newton Aycliffe, County
Durham DL5 6AR
Tel: 01325 315544
Web: www.collinsseafoods.co.uk
Email: sales@necollinsseafoods.co.uk
COLLINS SEAFOODS YORKSHIRE:
Unit 2, Felnex Crescent, Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 0SN
Tel: 0113 2498832
Email: salesyorkshire@collinsseafoods.co.uk
Unique Seafood Group is one of the UK’s main players in the seafood industry, supplying dependable, consistent quality and quantity fish at great value direct from our partner vessels at sea, without any middlemen. They are Unique; a professional and trustworthy supplier, building long-term relationships in the wholesale, industrial, retail and food service sectors in the UK, Europe and further afield - and supplying direct to Britain’s Fish & Chip Shops, Takeaways and Restaurants.
As well as superb seafood they stock a vast choice of leading quality chicken, sausages, burgers, pies, pasties, pancake rolls, buns, baps, breaded and battered foods, plus halal and vegetarian foods.
Recently the best fish and chip shops in the UK visited Norway to take a trip onboard Atlantic, a vessel Unique have a great relationship with and supply chip shops across the UK from. Seafood from Norway organised this visit which was attended by the winning shops from the recent 2023 National Fish & Chip Awards.
Invited to the trip and onboard Atlantic, was Bob Leahy manager of Fish City, Belfast who’s shop won both Restaurant of the Year and the Environment and Sustainability Award at the NFFF ran event. Some of his account onboard the Atlantic is documented below.
We were welcomed by owner Kjell Gunnar Hoddevik, his family and the crew, and shown around the spacious and wellappointed vessel. Unlike coastal fishing boats that set out to sea for up to 24 hours at a time, the Atlantic goes out to sea for a month at a time; and, to keep the workers well fed they maintain a large galley, mess (dining room) and scullery, which surprised me given how tight space can be even in a restaurant (on
land!) for all these functions.
Atlantic’s merging of longline fishing with green technologies makes it an innovative, climatefriendly producer of cod and haddock fillets for the UK market, as well as fillets of tusk, ling and saithe for the local Norwegian market and for export.
The Atlantic is by all assessments a floating factory, with many processes across the operation entirely automated, including the sorting, weighting, heading and cleaning of the fish, as well as the packing and processing of the fillets. Its baited 8,000-metre longline consists of 60,000 hooks, of which about 10 percent are serviced by hand each day. Along those thousands of hooks is placed a patent-pending bait product made with locally sourced mackerel.
We learned that when caught, the fish are anaesthetised before being cut and bled by hand, with the recognition that fish are living creatures and should be handled gently and properly. As we took the sea route inland through jaw-droppingly beautiful landscapes in the Fjords, I could not help but appreciate how much work, investment, and ingenuity goes into sourcing the fish we in the UK enjoy at our local chippies and restaurants.
Norway has very strict catch limits, or quotas, that are enforced by the Norwegian Coast Guard. Nearly 70 percent of the Coast Guard’s resources go in to ensuring that fishing activities are in line with Norwegian regulations. Fishing vessels are boarded as often as daily to monitor that their quotas are not exceeded.
Quotas are the subject of continuous research and assessment by regulators, industry representatives and scientists, all with the long-term viability of
fish stocks in mind. To minimise the risk of catching younger fish that have not yet reproduced, fish stocks are constantly monitored for where they are in the ocean at any given moment. Rules are in place that also ban destructive fishing practices and equipment in order to minimise the catch of undersized fish and non-target species, as well as to preserve the quality of the final product. Fisheries in Norway cannot start fishing in a new vessel unless they have a quota allocated specifically to that vessel from a set national quota. The amount of research put into Norway’s stock management and the teeth they put into implementing responsible fishing practices is nothing short of exemplary.
I was blown away at the commitment of the Norwegians to their fishing industry and thankful that I had the opportunity to learn more about it.
The next day we took a visit to Ellingsøy and one of Norway’s largest producers of wild caught fish, Brødrene Sperre for a tour of their processing facility. Their Commercial Director Kjetil Sperre took time out to show us around. With the world’s best fishing grounds right outside their factories, the fishermen are able to bring raw material of the highest quality. Brødrene Sperre dedicates every available resource in preserving this quality and freshness in every step of production.
Martin Brown Sales Director from Unique Seafood said: “It was brilliant to see the UK’s best shops onboard Atlantic and at Brødrene Sperre. We are proud to supply both cod and haddock from the vessel and processing facility and know firsthand just how good they both are.”
Contact Unique Seafood today on 0203 260 3580, to find out how they can help you with your fish supply. www.uniqueseafood.co.uk
At Norfisk we procure only the highest quality long-line Norwegian Cod and Haddock. All fish is responsibly sourced and ‘Frozen at Sea’ on board select vessels resulting in a premium fillet of optimal standards.
“Our brand of longline fillets is fast becoming a game changer for interleaved boneless fillet supply into the Fish & Chip sector” says Commercial Director Matthew.
“We launched our trawled version of the brand into Ireland in 2018 and have had huge success there. Continuity of product and supply all year round at stable prices is clearly a big plus for friers.
The industry is undoubtably short of longline fillets that are pan ready, so we saw a gap in the market. In the current climate it’s all about food safety and consumers are fully conscious of the long-term planet gains as a reflection of what they consume and thrive on knowing this before they eat. More selective fishing, intact seabeds, lower greenhouse emissions and unwanted bycatch are just a few of the benefits of long-lining and consumers love to see and hear these facts.”
Matthew goes on to say “more recently we have progressed the brand with long-line fillets into our range. Our processing partners have decades of experience in buying only the best quality fish and we felt obligated to offer a higher volume of premium boneless fillets to the fish frying trade. Our state-of-the-art facilities take the headed and gutted fish down to temperature that barely allows them to fillet the fish then within minutes it’s interleaved and plate frozen.”
Research company Nofima have analysed and compared fish caught by long-lining and fish from trawler catches. This has shown that line-caught fish has a whiter flesh and gives a firmer fillet. The most important reasons for the better flesh quality of line-caught fish are better bleeding out and less compression damage,” says researcher Bjørn Tore Rotabakk. Both the compression damage and the poor bleeding out are caused because trawling brings up from five to twenty tons of fish onto the deck each time, while with long-lining the fish are brought on board one by one. Researchers have carried out chemical, technical and sensory analyses in order to assess fish quality. Taste assessors have judged the fish on colour, texture, smell, splitting and surface, while chefs at the Gastronomic Institute have assessed the flavour. The conclusion of both groups is that line-caught fish has a much higher quality.
So, whilst Norfisk is relatively new to the market it’s not aiming to revolutionise the industry – only to offer the more conscious buyer a convenient alternative to trawled and to compliment the Fish and Chip sector, one that they know prides itself on very high standards!
All JFK processing factories and trawlers produce in accordance with HACCP principles
We have done it for over 100 years, and we intend to do it for the foreseeable future: We deliver high quality fish products to our British customers.
Steps are taken at every juncture of the fishing process to ensure that JFK’s frozen-at-sea products are as fresh as possible. Frozen-at-sea has been called “fresher than fresh,” because within four hours from leaving the sea the fish is processed and frozen.
From the Autumn 2023 we catch the fish with our brand-new fishing vessel Gadus. The vessel has been constructed with great care to ensure high quality products based on the positive feed-back from our British customers about our fish products produced onboard our former Gadus.
Gadus is proud to deliver fresh fish frozen at sea. Caught with a low CO2 emission and complete use of the entire fish. We deliver headed and gutted fish as well as shatter packed fillets.
The JFK business culture is centred around responsible fisheries. The company’s purpose is to work in harmony with the environment and to promote sustainable utilization of the fish stocks.
We continue to deliver high quality fish based on our 100 years legacy. ASK YOUR FISH SUPPLIER FOR FAS GADUS TODAY
The Norwegian Seafood Council, proudly representing Seafood from Norway, has welcomed the UK’s leading fish and chip shops to the western shores of Norway as part of an educational study trip to showcase cod and haddock – two of the most popular species used by British fish and chip shops – and demonstrate why Norway is credited as a leading whitefish nation.
Dedicated to supporting the UK fish and chip industry, and in continuation of sponsoring the 2023 National Fish & Chip Awards, each category winner was invited to Norway, Ålesund, on a threeday seafood study trip.
The winners’ time in Ålesund provided valuable insight into how Norwegian cod and haddock that fills UK fryers, is responsibly harvested from Norway’s cold, clear waters. Not only did the winners learn about the vital supply chain of sustainable cod and haddock from Norway to the UK, they also had the opportunity to meet with the Norwegian fishing industry and study the science behind the country’s successful fishery management programme. In collaboration with the Norwegian FrozenAt-Sea (NFAS), UK guests were joined by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, the Norwegian Fishing Vessel Owners Association, Sunnmøre and Romsdal Fisheries Sales Organisation, and media representatives.
The action-packed study trip included a voyage onboard Atlantic, one of Norway’s frozen-at-sea vessels, where the award
winners experienced first-hand the Norwegian fleet’s world-class sustainable fishing and processing facilities. And a visit to Ellingsøy, the northernmost island in Ålesund, gave guests an opportunity to meet with Brødrene Sperre, one of Norway’s largest producers of wild caught fish, to explore their modern production facilities.
Said Victoria: “It’s important to us to support the industry and help celebrate the successes within, making it a pleasure to host the winners of the 2023 National Fish and Chip Awards on this educational study trip to Norway for knowledge sharing and networking among key industry stakeholders.”
This trip proved an important opportunity for the top ambassadors of the fish frying industry to witness firsthand why origin matters when it comes to sustainable seafood. As a fellow ocean nation, Norway is a proud supplier of seafood to British consumers, with a long-standing relationship providing a bounty of sustainable cod and haddock for the national dish.
Speaking on the value of sustainable seafood, Frank Bakke-Jensen, the Norwegian Director of Fisheries told the group: “Knowledge for how to sustainably manage marine resources is one of our biggest and most important contributions to a growing world population.”
To learn more about Norway’s unique location, diverse seafood, generations of experience, and industry-leading sustainable fishing techniques, go to www.seafoodfromnorway.co.uk
The 2023 National Fish and Chip Award winners who went on this trip included:
• Harlees Fish & Chips, Wimborne Best Multiple Operator of the Year Award Richard Long, Director
• Fish City, Belfast, Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year John Lavery, Owner
• Fish City, Belfast, Environment and Sustainability Award, Robert Leahy
• The Real Food Café, Tyndrum, From Field to Frier Award Sarah Heward, Founder and Coowner
• Whitehead’s Fish & Chips, Hornsea, Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year, Geoff Whitehead, Director
• Lighthouse Fisheries of Flamborough, Flamborough, Best Newcomer Award, Gary Sharples, General Manager
• The Chesterford Group, Bishop’s Stortford, Staff Training and Development Award, Hugh Lipscombe, Chairman
• The Fish Works, Largs, NFFF Quality Accreditation Champion, Tiffany Irvin, Owner
• Henry Colbeck, Supplier of the Year, Callum Bellshaw, Buyer and FAS Fish Category Specialist
Winners were also joined by The National Federation of Fish Friers president Andrew Crook. The NFFF recently organised the National Fish & Chip Awards, he commented:
“The National Fish and Chip Awards are the biggest driver of standards in the fish and chip industry, we also take pride that they have built a strong network for fish and chips across the UK.
“The trip to Norway, bringing together the winners of the 2023 awards, was fantastic. Seeing firsthand the catch methods and processing out at sea – within hours of being caught to lock in that freshness – simply explains why the quality is so good when the fish reaches our shops!”
Austen Dack Chippy Chat Publishing Editor was also included on the trip to capture the experience over the three days, alongside Reece Head from Fry.
Continued on page 20
Perched at the top of Norway’s Western Fjord country, picture-perfect Alesund is spread over several islands stretching into the Atlantic, with the spectacular Sunnmøre Mountains as a backdrop. On arrival we made our way to the impressive Alnes Lighthouse with its fantastic ocean views, where we enjoyed a delicious welcome dinner with local seafood including the biggest Langoustines I have ever seen, and a fish broth previously enjoyed by the Queen of Norway the highlights. It was a chance for the winners to get to know each other and for us to be joined by industry representatives from the Norwegian Frozen at Sea group and invited guests.
The next day it was time to board the towering Norwegian frozen-at-sea vessel Atlantic and depart for a memorable daytrip in the Fjords. With waterfalls tumbling down cliffs, snow topped peaks, and the (unusual so I’m told) warmth of the sun and the light dazzling, it created a beautiful and uplifting experience that brought a sense of joy and positivity.
On board we experienced first-hand the state-of-the-art longliner to see for ourselves Norway’s sustainable fisheries practices. Atlantic built in 2020 is around 64 metres in length (around the width of Wembley Stadium). It is one of the longliners producing fillets onboard,
mainly of cod and haddock for the UK market. They also produce fillets of tusk, ling and saithe for the Norwegian market and for export. It has 11 fishing trips yearly with a crew of 18 mainly from Norway. On hand to oversee our trip was KjellGunnar Hoddevik co-owner and captain of Atlantic.
Below deck we visited the crew quarters, kitchen, rest room areas, cinema room and much more. We also saw the catching and manufacturing areas too. Atlantic was designed with the very best equipment and technology to ensure that the fish is treated in the best possible way from catch until it’s frozen on board literally within hours. The well being of the crew is paramount too.
On day three we took a visit to Ellingsøy and one of Norway’s largest producers of wild caught fish, Brødrene Sperre for an introduction and tour of their processing facility. Their Commercial Director Kjetil Sperre took time out to show us around. With the world’s best fishing grounds right outside their factories, the fishermen are able to bring raw material of the highest quality. Brødrene Sperre dedicates every available resource in preserving this quality and freshness in every step of production.
This trip was simply fantastic for all concerned. It was a delight to be part of this award-winning group which created friends for life. My thanks to everyone who participated from Norway especially Victoria Braathen SFN UK Director and trip organiser, and the Captain and Crew of Atlantic.
As publishing editor of Chippy Chat, I am asked to cover many events during the year and to get a call to visit Ålesund once again was one that was hard to turn down
87% of diners agree sustainable fish is important to them, but only one quarter know what to look for when visiting their local fish & chip shop.
Serve cod and haddock from Norway to give your customers confidence that they are choosing delicious protein from a country that takes great pride in its fishing methods and rich heritage delivering superior quality and sustainability credentials.
Cold Clear Waters
World’s Largest Cod Stocks
Pioneering Stock Management
Origin Matters.
seafoodfromnorway.co.uk
PROUD SPONSORS OF
at Friars Pride, we have always prided ourselves on our service to you – and one of our specialist areas is Frozen at Sea fish fillets.
We keep direct relationships with some fantastic vessels and fishing companies. This allows us to offer you a constant supply of numerous quality brands and sizes of frozen at Sea Cod and Haddock. Rammi, Royal Greenland, Sjurdarberg, Enniberg, Gadus, Leinebris, Glacialis plus many others– are supplied to us direct from the vessel, so we can supply you with some of the top fish available.
From Iceland to Greenland, Faroe Islands to Norway and even further…
As fish specialists, we can cater for your fish and chip shops’, or catering businesses’ needs and preferences. With frozen at sea fillets available from Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway, and other countries, we have got the perfect fish for your business.
Here’s a look at just some of the options we have for your fish and chip shop.
This Icelandic fishing company has been catching and supplying finest quality Rammi Cod for Friars Pride for close to twenty years. Just like us, they are a family business dedicated to continually innovating and investing to ensure you can provide your customers the quality of fish and chips they have come to love you for. Using the latest stateof-the-art technology aboard The Solberg, Rammi can fish for the finest quality Cod that is Frozen at Sea within 2 hours. This locks in the flavour and goodness for us to bring you a natural sweet tasting cod fillet ready for you to fry. Frozen at Sea Rammi Cod fillets are available in easy-to-use tighter graded skinless boneless sizes, as well as traditional sizes of skinless and skin on pin bone in fillets.
Royal Greenland’s Atlantic Frozen at Sea Cod is appreciated for its great flavour, firm meat, and intense umami flavour. The meat from the Atlantic Cod around Greenland has the time to fully develop an intense and slightly sweet flavour; the cold and clean surroundings make the cod grow slower than elsewhere. As one of our direct partner suppliers, Royal Greenland supplies Frozen at Sea Cod in skin on and skinless pin bone fillets in all the traditional sizes.
Glacialis has a philosophy regarding sealing in freshness - the quicker you can freeze in the goodness of freshly caught cod, the superior the product. All fillets are frozen onboard their fleet of vessels to achieve a high quality and to prevent drip loss, loss of weight and quality in the fish. Friars Pride can provide you with tighter graded skinless boneless fillets of Glacialis Cod and Haddock as well as traditional sizes of skin on and skinless pin bone in fillets. Back due to popular demand are tighter graded frozen at sea fillets of skin on boneless Glacialis Haddock.
Leinebris owns and operates one of the world’s most modern longliners. The vessel catches quality wild Norwegian cod and haddock with a modern line catching technique to produce premium fillets in a top modern factory. As fifth generation fishermen they are passionate about longline fishery and the fresh Frozen at Sea concept that ensures a quality and consistency of the absolute highest standard. From the most recent landing we are delighted to be able to you offer you Leinebris line caught skin on Haddock fillets again.
JFK holds a cornerstone position in the history of the development of the Faroese fishing industry over the past 100 years and have become an important part of the UK fish and chip market.
Our direct partnership with JFK Gadus for over 20 years means we can supply you with a range of frozen at sea cod fillets, including in skin on and skinless traditional sizes.
Friars Pride is a family business that cares about your business, we understand that frozen at sea fish is an important part of your fish and chips. We invest in our infrastructure within our depots and on our vehicles to make sure we can store and deliver fish in top quality condition. Combine this with our large stock holding of quality frozen at sea fish brands, and we can give you a continuous supply of frozen at sea fillets all year round.
www.friarspride.com
Industry consultations inform new strategic roadmap for Seafish!
Seafish, the public body supporting the UK seafood industry, has launched its Corporate Plan 20232028. This strategic roadmap reflects the organisation’s vision for a thriving seafood sector and its ambition to drive the industry forward and foster sustainability, resilience, and prosperity.
The 2023-2028 Corporate Plan was developed following a Strategic Review of Seafish that involved extensive consultation and collaboration with government and stakeholders from the seafood industry across the UK. That process has shaped the priorities outlined in Seafish’s new 5-year plan, ensuring it directly addresses the needs of industry.
“Our new Corporate Plan demonstrates our ongoing commitment to support the UK seafood industry,” said Marcus Coleman, CEO at Seafish. “Consultation with industry and government stakeholders has been instrumental in shaping our new priorities. By working together, we can ensure that our initiatives are directly informed by the aspirations of the seafood industry.”
The new strategy aims to provide the support industry needs to address current challenges, such as labour shortages, the climate emergency, post Brexit trade as well as reputational challenges the sector faces.
The Seafish Corporate Plan 20232028 details seven key priorities. These priorities are:
1. Ensuring a safe and skilled workforce. Seafish wants the UK seafood sector recognised as a dynamic, safe, and attractive sector to work.
2. Facilitating and promoting international trade. Seafish wants to support businesses to achieve frictionless seafood trade with suppliers and markets across the world.
3. Responding to the climate change emergency. Seafish will work to firmly place the seafood sector on a clear path to achieve its emissions targets.
4. Improving fisheries management. Seafish’s ambition is that over the next ten years all commercial fisheries will be managed via Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs).
5. Enabling supply chain resilience. Seafish aims to equip businesses to respond and adapt when issues emerge.
6. Improving data, insight, and innovation . Seafish’s ambition is to become the centre for analysis and insight on the operation and performance of the seafood supply chain.
1. Championing Industry Reputation. Seafish aims to support the industry to tell a positive story about seafood. “Our non-competitive position working across the supply chain and the UK is a fundamental strength that enables us to provide the support industry needs,” Coleman continued. “It helps us to work in close partnership with all parts of the sector, ensuring we are ready to address the challenges and opportunities an increasingly volatile and evolving landscape create.”
The Seafish Corporate Plan 20232028 has been turned into an interactive video allowing viewers to create playlists based on the information they are most interested in. Visit the interactive video at www.seafish.org/corporate-plan Visit our website www.seafish.org
When the seafood sector thrives, the whole nation thrives. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to support it.
Find out more in our new five-year plan.
Demand is on the rise for drinks that incorporate natural ingredients, provenance and nutritional benefits , as consumers continue to look for added health benefits from the products they choose. This is exemplified by the fact that Rio, with its blend of five fruit flavours and sources of vitamin C, is a top 5 ranked SKU in Fruit Carbonates based on unit rate of sale and is the fastest growing Carbonate brand, increasing +34% YoY . This shift in consumer appetite is only set to grow, so it’s vital for retailers to take
this into account with a range that meets consumer demands.
Insight illustrates that Flavoured Carbonates is the 3rd largest category in Soft Drinks, now being worth over £291m and growing +8% YOY . Tropical fruit is the fasted growing flavour in the category, growing +50% and adding +£3 million RSV in two years. Rio, which contains exotic guava, passion fruit, orange, apricot and mango is the fastest growing brand in value, and has the highest unit ROS amongst all fruit carbonates.
This in turn exemplifies that Rio offers huge growth opportunities for retailers; and with a range of price-marked and non-price-marked products such as cans, 500ml bottles and, new for 2023, 1.5L bottles, there’s a selection of products on offer to suit varying consumer needs. Armed with the knowledge that Rio Tropical Fruit is currently the fastest growing flavour in the Flavoured Carbonates category, the soft drinks brand has taken the opportunity to add a new 1.5L version of its classic beverage to its range – so that its customers can enjoy the great taste of Rio in a take home drink format.
According to new research, 40% of fruit carbonated shoppers buy a 1.5Ltr/2Ltr drink once a week or more , showing that now more than ever, consumers are opting for drinks in take home formats that can easily be enjoyed and shared amongst family and friends. With this increasing consumer appetite only set to grow stronger, Rio has jumped at the opportunity to launch a pack-size that meets these consumer demands and provides the perfect option for those looking to make more conscious choices regarding the sugar content of the products they consume without compromising on flavour.
www.drinkrio.com
Starting this May and continuing all year, Sarson’s will be rallying the nation to support their local chippies as part of a UK-wide campaign which will see the UK’s number one malt vinegar brand reimburse 50 chippy meals every Friday, with one chippy scooping £1,000 cash.
Chippies getting involved with Sarson’s’ Fryday campaign can visit www.switchtosarsons.co.uk to request a free full size (20ltr) sample OR a free 12 x 300ml case of Sarson’s craft-brewed malt vinegar, alongside Sarson’s Fryday POS kits, which will help explain to customers how they can get one of 50 weekly chippy teas absolutely free! The promotion also applies to pubs and restaurants serving fish and chips.
Customers simply need to purchase their meals on a Friday, sloshing generously with Sarson’s, before uploading both a picture of their receipt and of their chippy meal next to a bottle of Sarson’s or any Sarson’s Fryday promotional material to www.sarsonsfryday.co.uk. From there, they will find out if they are one of 50 lucky people to get their meal on Sarson’s. At the end of the campaign, the chippy with the most customer entries will win a whopping £1,000! (see full Ts and Cs at www.switchtosarsons.co.uk)
Vanni Cataldi, Marketing Director at Sarson’s’ Brand Owner, Mizkan Euro, comments: “Fish and chips have been at the heart of our communities for generations, yet rising costs for both operators and consumers are beginning to bite. Put simply, we need to save our beloved chippies! If everyone in the UK visited their local just twice more per year, it could be enough to solve this issue; that’s why we’ve created the Fryday campaign. As a brand that passionately bangs the
drum for the quality fish and chip shops of Great Britain, we’re urging customers to increase their visits and operators to get involved by requesting the free POS kits to help make this happen. Together we can help turn profitable Fridays into sensational Sarson’s Frydays!”
The National Federation of Fish Friers have also thrown their support behind Sarson’s’ Fryday campaign, with President Andrew Crook saying: “Fish & Chip shops are so deeply entrenched in British culture and history, the thought of them disappearing from our high-streets and seaside towns all together is unimaginable, but given the increasing threat of closure, could soon become a bleak reality.
“From the rising cost of ingredients to the operational challenges that chippie’s face, our national dish is in danger.
“As a sector, we’re proud to see Sarson’s taking action to preserve our beloved chippies. By participating in this campaign, operators can drive footfall and profits while offering their customers free fish & chips!
“Together we can all contribute to the preservation of an industry that is an essential part of our heritage and a much-loved part of our local communities.”
Sarson’s’ Fryday campaign is underpinned by a programme of foodservice and wholesaler media activation.
Range supplier KFE has won the Sustainable Catering Equipment Manufacturer Award at the prestigious Footprint Awards 2023.
The event, which took place recently at The Royal Institute of British Architects in London, is the leading awards scheme for environmental sustainability and responsible business practice in the out of home sector.
As well as the energy efficiency and performance of its Kiremko frying ranges, judges were impressed with the innovative ways in which the design and use of the equipment reduce its negative impact on the environment.
On KFE winning the award, one judge said: “This is easily the best application I’ve ever judged in this category, and the applicant clearly demonstrates how sustainability is considered in every aspect of their business. A strong submission from a company that is committed to
reducing energy and lengthening oil life through its fryers - traditionally very energy intensive equipment! Good case studies provided with demonstrated savings.”
The award comes less than two months after KFE achieved its goal of becoming carbon neutral following an ambitious two-year programme of reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions.
Paul Williams, Managing Director at KFE, comments: “Sustainability has always been at the heart of our frying ranges, even before it became a buzzword, so to have our efforts recognised at such a high level and alongside global brands such as Coca-Cola, KFC and Quorn is an absolute privilege.
“We’re just one company in a very big industry wanting to make a difference. We hope by taking the lead, customers will come to look for sustainability as standard across whatever it is they are purchasing, creating a better industry and planet for everyone.”
www.kfeltd.co.uk
MAKE A DIFFERENCE. CHOOSE GUARANTEED SUSTAINABLE FISH.
A PROTEIN PACKED NUTRITIOUS MEAL r/
Please contact your local distributor/ supplier for further information.
The National Federation of Fish Friers and Chippy Chat have teamed up with Bruno Peek CVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster for the D-Day 80th Anniversary on June 6th 2024 to mark the important role the fish and chip industry, our farmers and fishermen played in feeding the nation throughout the war.
We are asking fish and chip shops to register so we can keep you up to date with how you can get involved in this special day which is likely to create a lot of publicity for the industry.
To register an interest please email austen@chippychat.co.uk or www.fishfriersreview.co.uk/d-day-80
It was with great delight that Chippy Chat have been asked to be part of the D-DAY 80 Anniversary on June 6, 2024. We will join forces with our friends and colleagues at the National Federation of Fish Friers and NEODA to encourage as many people as possible to eat fish and chips on the day and for our shops to donate a percentage per portion to raise as much money as possible for the four charities.
My name is Austen Dack and I am the Publishing Editor of Chippy Chat. Our fish and chip platform is read by over 50,000 people a month both online, in print and across numerous social network sites. I’m proud to work with Bruno Peek CVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster back in 2000 when he championed the mighty fine beacon campaign. He has lost little of his enthusiasm in the ensuing 20 years and very few would turn down a phone call of help once again from such a legend.
The owners of Chippy Chat are Isle of Ely Produce. They grow and sell over 2000 tonnes of chipping potatoes every year for fish and chip shops and food service. That’s 80m portions of chips. Chippy Chat is used by IOE to nurture and grow partnerships across the industry. We are very passionate about the journey of a potato, all the way from seed to the frier. So much so we have sponsored an award at the NFFF National Fish & Chip Awards for the chip shop who has the best all round knowledge of potato varieties, storage, prepping and of course frying. We are joined in this sponsorship by chip variety Babylon from Agrico.
We deal with over 300 merchants and farmers. We will be asking them all to help us raise awareness of this important day and in turn encourage the UK’s 10,000 fish and chip shops to take part. As we speak the 2024 crop is now being planted. A big percentage of the chipping potatoes needed to feed the UK are grown in the East of England. We are based in Ely, Cambridgeshire where some of the best varieties are grown in the region’s dark peaty soils.
AJ Dack Austen Dack Publishing Editor Chippy Chat
Lady
From humble beginnings in 1871, Ben Shaws has stood the test of time with timeless fizzy soft drinks that pair perfectly with the classic taste of Fish & Chips. Nothing beats digging into piping hot fish and chips, fresh out of
the fryer and doused in salt and vinegar, accompanied with a can of your favourite Ben Shaws flavour.
There are many things that divide the nation on Fish & Chips; Curry sauce or Gravy? Tomato Ketchup or Brown Sauce? Cod or Haddock? Scraps or No Scraps? Or it might be Dandelion & Burdock or Bitter Shandy, but rest assured it is always Ben Shaws.
Whilst some flavours come and go –the classic British flavours of Dandelion & Burdock, Bitter Shandy, Cloudy Lemonade and Cream Soda remain the most refreshing flavours to serve with your Fish & Chips.
Ben Shaws drinks are the choice of many leading fish and chip shops including Towngate Fisheries, Fish & Chips at 149 and Captain Cod in Boston.
FIZZY POP
Embrace the magic, mayhem and madness and join us on a crazy journey of flubbles to discover our whizzy fizzers of nostalgic niceness. Stock up now, as the weather gets better more of your customers will ask for the great taste of Ben Shaws
To find your local stockist visit www. benshawsdrinks.com
Instagram - @benshawsdrinks
Twitter - @benshaws_drinks
Facebook - @benshawsdrinks
Fush is a unique restaurant in Christchurch specialising in classic Kiwi fish and chips with a twist.
Brother and sister, Anton and Māia Matthews, along with Anton’s wife, Jess, have built the Fush brand around normalising te reo Māori in the community to protect its use for future generations.
What is your personal business journey and the inspiration behind Fush?
In one word, the inspiration has been Manaakitanga (care).
Manaakitanga being, as a host, your ability to take care of and serve other people. What I’ve been taught is that through Manaakitanga, that’s how you earn mana, and mana is this currency that we all want more of, we want to hold on to it. But like currency, you can lose it, if you fail to serve people.
Do you feel that you are fulfilling what you set out to achieve with your business? Has anything changed along the way?
For the last five years, it’s been about building the brand. It’s only now that we can start scaling up what we believe is a really special kaupapa. How can we employ, a management team rather than just me and my sister, and our finance manager? A specialist HR person, a specialist procurement manager, a specialist executive chef? How can we employ those people and build a business that has its own autonomy? Making sure we’re focusing on that future and making those opportunities for the next generation to come through.
How did you come up with the name for your company?
We wanted something that was quick, that was easy to say and that captured what it was. The new standard for the humble fish & chip shop. We thought, well, Fush is the perfect name for a New Zealand fish and chip brand. It has a real Kiwi flavour to it, and I also really love the
playfulness and the way we have been able to incorporate the phrase “fush shore bro” into our business too. It just screams “born in Aotearoa” to me.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
I think it was changing people’s perception around fish and chips. People think fish and chips is a cheap takeaway $1.50 scoop and a $2.00 fish. We couldn’t understand why a pub or restaurant could sell a $30 fish and chips meal and why we couldn’t? Especially since we were obsessed with creating the perfect plate of fish and chips.
It probably took four years for us to really change people’s minds and the way I think we did it in the end was, we’re not a fish and chip shop – well, we are, but we’re a new breed.
We didn’t want to compete on price, we wanted to separate ourselves from everyone else. It was about how we can provide value to our guests in other ways.
And that’s how the idea of sharing our culture, sharing our language, our stories.
to be because you can only go up from there.
How important are the people and relationships you build to running your business, including the one you have with BNZ?
The most important people in our company are our people, our staff. If they aren’t happy, if they’re not working at their peak performance, then it’s pretty hard to achieve anything great. So my focus has always been on them. I believe that if I do a good enough job as a leader, looking after my people, then they will turn around and they will look after all the guests that come through the doors.
And really looking after them making sure that we’re investing in them, making sure that we’re continuing to provide them with the challenges that they need to keep them excited and motivated. I want to create opportunities for my people to experience the sort of success
Let’s provide value to our community in other ways so that people know, when I buy Fush, yeah I’m getting amazing fish and chips but I’m getting a whole bunch of other stuff as well. I’m getting the language, the culture, I’m getting all the other things that are packaged together with Fush that I can’t get anywhere else. So, it’s an experience with the brand. It’s how they feel when they engage with us.
What advice would you give any person starting their first business?
Make sure you get good advice. Surround yourself with the people that you want to aspire to be like. Identify role models and mentors and then put yourself in their circles. Because those are the people that put pressure on you in the right way. When someone’s already doing a really good job, they’re not trying to take from you. They’re there to try and help you. They’re going to force you to become better. Challenge yourself to be the least experienced in the room, with the least knowledge – that’s a good place
that changes whanau for ever. I want my people to have limitless beliefs about what they can do. I want them to have an abundance mindset. I want them to become great role models for their friends and whanau, and to be proud of the legacy we are building, and the people they are becoming along the way. A big part of creating that level of success, is making sure that we surround ourselves with the right people and that includes our banking partners too.
What does the future hold for Fush?
The vision for Fush is creating more stores, to create more opportunities to share our kaupapa with more communities. We want to scale Fush and really show the world that we can become a great brand who showcases some of the very best that Aotearoa has to offer. We’re a young brand, and we’re ambitious, but we’ll always be guided by our core values of manaakitanga, aroha, kaitiakitanga, hūmārie and rangatiratanga, and we will never stop hustling.
www.fushshorebro.co.nz
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 trial successes.
2024 N
Isle of Ely Produce & Chippy Chat have been promoting a Chip Ambassador role to promote the great British Chip in association with Agrico. The aim will be to carry on the good work promoting chipping potatoes at their hugely successful open days, and through the ‘Field to Frier’ gong at the National Fish & Chip Awards, which this year was won by The Real Food Café, Tyndrum.
By Austen Dack
The Chip Ambassadors have become 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
The latest to try them was Carol Hulme at Finney’s at The Golden Fry, Benllech. Carol was delighted to try them having read our campaign. Carol said: ”Even near the end of the season Babylon were still frying well, holding up well and tasting great.”
We have been involved with many great shops in the last few months trialling Babylon. The overwhelming result of all of this testing is Babylon as a variety is looking like a star of the future. We have also done some shows & events too meaning the public trying Babylon on mass too. Again, the results were fantastic
Oliver Boutwood Isle of Ely Director says. “It’s good to hear so many 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.”
Chip shop owners already signed as Chip Ambassadors for Isle of Ely Produce include, Kerry Brennan – Golden Union, David Henley – Henley’s, Richard Ord Jr – Colmans, Eric Snaith – Eric’s, Kelly & Tim Barnes – Krispies, Lauren Kellaway – Kellaways, Fred Capel- Chez Fred, Malachy Mallon The Dolphin Takeaway, Emir Hikary – Hiks, Alan Shillingford –Shillingfords, Gregg Howard The Chip Shed, Ian Wallis Henry’s Hunstanton, John Hudgell Pimp my Fish, The Petrou Brothers, Marcus French, Millers, Haxby, Grosvenor Norwich and Sarah Heward –The Real Food Café and more.
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/and or become one of our chip ambassadors.
Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and Gary Neville paid a visit to Bury recently, stopping in at Stephen St Chippery, Whitehead Park and Neville’s old home as part of filming for the trio’s The Overlap on Tour.
The series was aired on Sky and following the legendary footballers on a tour across the UK and Ireland.
Neville took the two football pundits to the house he grew up in for 11 years of his life, adding that he wishes he could “go back in time for a day and experience it all again.”
In an Instagram post, he said: “So today I went back to my foots for the Overlap on Tour. This is the house I grew up in for the first 11 years of my life. To go inside it again was a great thing to do and meet Lorraine who lives there now. The fireplace in the front room is still the same. Oh if you could go back in time for a day to experience it again. My nan and Bill living over the road, playing football and cricket with Phillip, my cousin, and friends opposite in the park. It would be so good.”
The trio took photos with staff at Stephen Street Chippery before crossing onto the nearby Whitehead Park to enjoy their lunches.
Some locals were quick to spot the stars tucking into their chips on a park bench, however, a couple said they were gutted to have missed them with another adding they walked the dog right past where they were sat and didn’t even notice.
Who have you had famous in your chip shop? Email austen@chippychat.co.uk
Friday 2nd June saw people across the country once again celebrating their love of fish and chips on National Fish & Chip Day!
In Weymouth award winning Fish ’n’ Fritz in Market Street marked the day by donating £1.00 for every portion sold to Weymouth based charity ‘The Bus Shelter Dorset’.
Paul Hay, the owner of Fish ’n’ Fritz, expressed his enthusiasm after the day, stating, “We celebrate National Fish & Chip Day each year, and given the challenges faced by local organisations in raising funds, decided this year, for every portion of Fish & Chips sold on National Fish & Chip Day, Fish ’n’ Fritz would make a £1 donation to one of the charities we work with The Bus Shelter Dorset. We were thrilled to see many of our regular customers and lots of new customers too, coming in, and at one point, we even had a queue extending down Maiden Street.”
On the day Fish ’n’ Fritz customers helped raise £200 for the charity. After receiving the cheque from Paul Emily McCarron from The Bus Shelter Dorset expressed her gratitude, saying, “Over the years, Paul and the customers of Fish ’n’ Fritz have consistently shown immense generosity towards The Bus Shelter. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to Paul and the Fish ’n’ Fritz customers for their impactful donation.”
Established in 2016, The Bus Shelter Dorset initially operated from a doubledecker bus and has since evolved and grown into a static site on Mercery Road,
Weymouth. The facility now houses 12 self-contained accommodation units, which are complemented by a spacious communal kitchen, dining, and lounge area. Guests and volunteers gather here to prepare and enjoy meals, fostering a strong sense of community.
National Fish & Chip Day is about giving fish and chips the recognition it deserves and helping to secure its position as the nation’s favourite dish.
The national event was once again being championed by trade organisation, The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association, who represent packers and distributors of oils and fats in the UK.
NEODA President, Gary Lewis, comments, “National Fish & Chip Day has become more popular each year and in 2023 it was even bigger! It’s a celebration of the stars who work hard to bring Brits their favourite traditional takeaway. It’s a day that brings the whole industry together to celebrate and showcase the great British institution that is Fish and Chips.”
How do you help local charities? Email austen@chippychat.co.uk
By Austen Dack
Potato prices have been rising recently and leaving many chip shops facing even more unbudgeted rising costs. However, this seasons prices and indeed state of the crop were predicted by a leading merchant and producer Isle of Ely Produce in September 2022 at their annual FREE chip shop owners open day.
Isle of Ely Produce Director Oliver Boutwood said: “Last year we had a perfect storm during the growing season. First off, we had a near drought causing the potatoes to stop growing and therefore producing smaller potatoes not usually conducive for chipping potatoes, and also a smaller yield. Then we had a few weeks of heavy rain, which didn’t help. Similar conditions across Europe led to Europe wide potato shortages meant that other markets such as crisping would be stretched too, leading to an even bigger shortage.”
Oliver actually predicted at the chip shop owners open day that bags could reach £20 in the spring of 23, and to budget for these increases across the season. It is also worth noting that potatoes up to year end of 2022 were actually selling for less than the cost to plant, grow, harvest and transport, leading to some farmers changing crop.
Isle of Ely Produce are once again opening their doors to chip shop owners and managers on Sunday September 10th, 2023! It is one of the FREE industry events of the year. The event starts at 9.30 am at their farm in Ely, Cambridgeshire with a coffee
and a chance to talk to industry colleagues. It is invaluable, not only will chip shop owners and staff find out first-hand how the potato crop is faring for 2023/24, but they also get an idea about predicted cost and quality of the crop for the year ahead too. It also showcases the role they play in the National Fish & Chip Awards with their From Field to Frier category.
Add to that lots of key suppliers will be attending/ sponsoring on the day too. In 2022 they included Pukka Pies, Middleton Foods, Premier 1 Filtration, TQuality, Drywite, Friars Pride, Preoday (Qikserve), Agrico, McWhinney, Seafood from Norway, BD Signs, Meijer Potato UK, Panaepos, Smales, PJ Lee & Sons, HZPC, JFK, Farm Electronics, Blakemans, Frymax & more.
You will also watch presentations on their giant AV, with full staging, from award winning fish and chip shop owners, giving you valuable advice for your shop(s). Guest speakers for the 2023 event already include NFFF President Andrew Crook, Sarah Heward from the Real Food Café, Calum Richardson from the Bay Stonehaven plus National Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year winner Geoff Whitehead from Hornsea.
Please email austen@chippychat.co.uk if you would like to attend. Entrance is FREE
The event is suitable for all levels of management and also young friers too. Maximum of 3 tickets per shop. FREE refreshments will also be served. You can also order your tickets at www.eventbrite. co.uk, and search for Isle of Ely Produce
