Fish & Chips Annual Round-up: What a Year for the UK’s Favourite Dish
“National Fish & Chips Day grows bigger every year. With so much passion for the nation’s favourite dish, our mission to reassure the general public that they can continue to enjoy it with a clear conscience has never been more important.”
As we approach the end of 2019, I wanted to take the time to celebrate some of the key moments and highlights we have seen as an industry this year, as well as reflect on some of the challenges we have faced.
This year has not been an easy one; the uncertainty surrounding Brexit coupled with the rising costs of fish and potatoes and cautious spending from consumers combined to create challenging trading conditions. Despite this, the industry has continued to innovate and thrive in the face of these challenges and the public’s love of our iconic dish cannot be understated.
Last year was kicked off with a bang as Krispies Fish & Chips in Exmouth was crowned the UK’s Best Fish & Chip Shop. The shop’s owners, Tim and Kelly Barnes, have been fantastic ambassadors for the industry throughout 2019 and we’re delighted to hear that their success as our champions led to them opening a new ‘click and collect’ store, creating ten new jobs in the process. Great news that the high quality FAS fillets they use from the Barents Sea will be reaching even more people!
In the Spring, I was delighted to attend the official naming ceremony of one of the UK’s biggest fishing trawlers, the Kirkella. Responsible for catching 12% of the fish that ends up in UK fish & chip shops, the trawler can catch up to 2.3 million fish per trip and weighs nearly 4000 tonnes. Over 3000 members of the public who were lucky enough to be in Greenwich at the time were given free portions of fish & chips and it really was a day to remember.
In June, people from all over the world came together once again to celebrate fish & chips as part of NEODA’s annual Fish & Chip Day which is supported by FASFA, ranging from UK MPs to prominent chefs such as Gordon Ramsay. Hundreds of fish & chip shops offered half-price fish & chips and alongside national coverage on programmes such as The One Show, it was amazing to see everyone sharing their love for fish & chips as one very loud, unified voice.
National Fish & Chips Day grows bigger every year. With so much passion for the nation’s favourite dish, our mission to reassure the general public that they can continue to enjoy it with a clear conscience has never been more important.
It was disappointing to see that, once again, some key media outlets published misleading headlines claiming that fish & chips were under threat due to Brexit and declining stock levels in the North Sea. In the light of these headlines, we, along with many others, worked hard to dispel the myths and report the facts.
As this article from the BBC explains, fish & chip fans have nothing to worry about. Much of the fish we eat in UK fish & chip shops is sourced from the North Atlantic and frozen at sea – a fact that many consumers remain unaware of. One of our key priorities in 2020 will be continuing our work in refuting misleading claims and headlines to ensure that we play our part in safeguarding and enhancing the reputation of the industry.
It’s great to see the rest of the world getting excited about fish & chips, too. Scotts Fish & Chips in York has become an established destination for Chinese tourists ever since Chinese President Xi Jinping visited with David Cameron back in 2015. Its growing popularity within this market has led to the opening of a new shop in Chengdu, China. We’d like to extend our congratulations to Tony Webster and his team and it’s great to see the flag being flown for great quality fish & chips all the way over in China.
In January, the National Fish & Chip Awards which FASFA are always proud to support will take place once again, a real highlight of the calendar as we celebrate our successes as an industry, catch up with old friends and cheer on the finalists. As always, the Awards are an opportunity for those working throughout the supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to excellence in service and standards. Finalists and winners can make the journey to the awards safe in the knowledge that they will enjoy increased footfall to their shops, a significant commercial uplift and a really great day! As always, we would strongly encourage shops to find out what it’s all about and get involved.
The uncertainty surrounding trading and wider economic conditions may well follow us into the next decade and fish & chip shops may need to adapt in order to continue to thrive – whether that’s by offering click and collect or alternative delivery options.