Fish and chips is a British family favourite equally enjoyed around the table on a Friday night or out of the paper on an often overcast beach.
But the deep fried delicacy has seen the biggest price increase of some of the UK’s most popular takeaways, according to new figures.
The average price for a portion of fish and chips rose more than 50% to nearly £10 in the five years to July – while the cost of a kebab went up 44% and pizza 30%.
Chip shop owners cite a “perfect storm” of costs in recent years, including soaring energy bills, tariffs on seafood imports and extreme weather hammering potato harvests.
This all means a family of four won’t get much change out of a £50 note once they’ve forked out for their tea and added some mushy peas and cans of pop.
And yet, here am I, contemplating a 280 mile round trip tomorrow to initiate my daughter into the utter delight that is a Sheffield fishcake butty. If you know, you know. Sheffield fishcakes make other fishcake weep at their inadequacy.
You know that old saying “if a fish cries in the ocean, does it make a sound?”
It does if it’s going to end up in any other kind of fishcake!
Gonna have to make a trip down to try them!
We just got back home. We set off a bit after 09:00, got to Sheffield just after 12:00, had our fishcake butties, drove around some of my old student haunts, drove out to Ladybower Reservoir so my daughter could see a little of how beautiful the peak district is, then bombed home.
Her verdict on a 6 hour round trip to eat a fishcake butty: “Worth it.”
My advice: go lots of salt and vinegar. Then add some more vinegar.