The United Kingdom draws tourists from around the world, and for good reason. It is an ancient country with visible history everywhere. The landscape is rugged and beautiful. The cities are dynamic, sophisticated and benefit from a distinctive British vibe. The food...well the food isn’t usually the reason for the trip but traditional British cuisine is surprising good.
Over the past few years, much fuss has been made of the improvement in the UK culinary scene. Celebrity chefs have been trotted out of posh restaurants to avail the world of the scope and quality that has emerged from the ashes of the British kitchen.
The typical tourist, on a shoe-string budget, probably won’t have the opportunity to partake in this gastronomic revolution, but not to worry. Culinary tourism is accessible in Britain, at every price-point. No matter how high or low the budget is, the first stop on the tour should always be the chip shop.
Tourists Associate Great Britain With Fish and Chips
When one mentions British food, the first meal that comes to mind is probably fish and chips; followed directly by anything and everything else fried.
Boasting, “If you can’t beat it, fry it,” the local chippy is a treasure trove of oil bathed delicacies. Fillets of fresh cod, haddock and halibut are battered and fried, often with the skin on, and served alongside chunky chips, dowsed with malt vinegar and salt. British fish and chips, especially along the coast, are as fresh and mouth watering as any you'll find, the world over. After a hearty fish supper, you’re likely to be full until morning but there are some standard side dishes to sample, if you’ve managed to save room.
Mushy Peas
A staple side to fish and chips is a dish called ‘mushy peas’. It doesn’t have the most appetizing name, but people seem to like it.
Mushy peas are exactly what they claim to be. They are peas that have been simmered in water, until they acquire a mushy, lumpy, baby food consistency. Naturally a greyish green colour, the dish is often made more visually appealing with the help of some psychedelic green food colouring. Depending on the region, mushy peas may be served with either mint sauce or vinegar.
Scranchens
Behind the glass counter of a typical chip shop, collected neatly in the corner, are all the little bits of batter that fall off the fish. One could argue that those bits are the best part, and the British are inclined to agree.
These crunchy little morsels are called scranchens or scranchums and can actually be ordered, as a snack on their own, or as an aside to a plate of the fish they fell from. The very idea of scranchens is so wrong and yet so right...so deliciously right.
Curry Chips
The perennial partner to a battered fillet of fish is a heaping pile of thick cut, chips. When served on their own they provide the perfect opportunity to marry two British culinary obsessions, fried stuff, and curry.
Many North Americans don’t realise the British affinity for curry. Masala powder, or curry powder, as we know it, was born out of Britain’s colonial period in India and is a Britsh adaptation of a traditional Indian spice blend.
Any chip shop will be perfectly willing to serve up a generous portion of curry chips. It’s basically the usual pile of chips, smothered in a steamy, delicious curry sauce. Now, If they’d just add cheese curds, they’d really be on to something.
Travelling through Britain, one could survive, quite happily, on fish and chips alone, but don't miss out on the pubs or the fabulous Indian restaurants. The chippy is only the first stop on the tour.
