A former fish and chip shop employee who worked in the industry for five years has revealed the one dish he will never order.
Jordan Luxford, now owner of A-Star Waste Management in Sussex, has worked at several fish and chip restaurants on the south coast and was even a chef, specialising in the British dish, at the 2019 Wimbledon tennis championships.
Fish and chips is considered the national dish by millions of Britons in the UK, but Mr Luxford explained that all dishes are often fried in the same amount of vegetable oil – from fish, chips and sausages to Mars bars.
He said, “Most people don’t know that after we fry breaded products in our oil, we put a load of chips on top.
A former fish and chip shop employee who worked in the sector for five years has revealed the one dish he would never order at a chippy (File photo)
“The chips help clean the oil of the smaller batter particles that are not removed by straining the oil,” according to an interview with The Express.
Since many dishes are cooked in the same oil, Jordan wouldn’t order a hamburger from the local chip shop.
The former chip shop employee remarked, “I would never order a fried beef burger! If you want a decent burger, buy it from a store that has a hot plate to cook it on.
“If you want to cook something fresh, choose something that is not in the glass baking dish under the lights. But we cook everything fresh if a customer asks for it.”
‘Fried chocolate bars have always been popular too. We would usually cook them for free with an order and because we didn’t have the chocolate bars in stock, the customer would be asked to bring them home and we would cook them at the same time as the rest of their order.’
Jordan also noted another aspect of the fish and chip trade that might surprise many people: the amount of preparation required for a busy day of service.
He added: ‘TThe amount of prep time it took to get everything ready for the opening was a huge surprise!
“It takes hours to cut up fish on a Friday night and even more hours to peel, inspect and cut up 20 bags of potatoes. Preparations for a Friday night, opening at 5:30, would start at 10:00.”
It follows new figures showing the average portion of fish and chips has risen to almost £10 after the price of the classic British dish increased by 50%.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the cost of some of the country’s most popular takeaway meals has risen dramatically.
Data shows that the price of one of the country’s most popular takeaway meals has risen alarmingly.
Whether you’re enjoying a cup of tea wrapped in newspaper overlooking the sea on a sunny summer evening or a cuppa at home on a cold winter’s night, the average price of a chippy tea has risen to over £10, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
According to the ONS, the estimated average price of a portion of fish and chips in July this year was £9.88. That’s a 52% increase compared to £6.48 in July 2019.
This means that the cost of a fish meal has risen more in percentage terms than other popular options for Brits, such as a takeaway pizza, combined with an Indian or Chinese main course.
