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THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE NATION’S FAVOURITE FAMILY CHIPPY
Ben Shaws soft drinks and Holland’s Pies could be looking for you….
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Are you a family that runs a fish and chip shop? If the answer is yes, have you applied for the Ben Shaws Favourite Family Chippy Award 2010?
All family-run fish and chip shop businesses in the UK can enter the competition which has been launched by the soft drinks brand Ben Shaws and co-sponsored by Holland’s Pies, in association with the NFFF, V A Whitely, Friar’s Pride and Henry Colbeck.
To download a simple entry form, visit favouritefamilychippy.co.uk
The deadline for entries is Friday 27th August 2010.
Three regional finalists will be selected in September. The public will then be able to vote for their favourite and once all the votes have been counted, Britain’s Favourite Family Chippy will be announced in October.
The winning family business will be treated to a family meal for four at J Sheekey, the exclusive |
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Covent Garden fish restaurant in London as well as receiving a year’s supply of Ben Shaw’s soft drinks and Holland’s Pies.
Full terms and conditions are available on favouritefamilychippy.co.uk. Please contact infor@benshawsdrinks.co.uk with any queries.
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North Sea cod returning to the menu as stocks rise
NORTH Sea Cod, the once-prolific tea-time staple that has been reduced to the brink of extinction by decades of overfishing, has now recovered to such an extent that diners should enjoy it again, according to one of the world's leading conservation charities.
In an endorsement of fishing methods by Scottish trawlers, among other vessels, the charity WWF said the fish was sustainable again in the shallow, cold waters off the north and east coasts of Britain.
 from Scottsman.com. |
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A plaice for us: Weymouth fish and chip shop hosts couple's wedding reception
A BRIDE and groom found the perfect plaice for a wedding.
Shereene and Roger Harvey were married in the sight of cod at The Guildhall in Weymouth yesterday afternoon.
Their love did not to flounder as they crossed the River Wey to their reception in Bennetts Waterfront fish and chip shop on Trinity Road.
The couple joined 18 family and friends for their celebratory meal of fish, chips and champagne. from Dorset Echo. |
Southend Adventure Island boss takes over chip shop
A FISH and chip shop has been taken over by Adventure Island boss Philip Miller, who liked it so much he bought the business.
Rose and Trevor Neville owned the Pavilion chippy, next to the theme park, and when they wanted to retire, Mr Miller made an offer.
The shop has been refurbished and reopened as the Fish and Chip Emporium.
from Essex Echo. |
Five Star Fish deal will save 300 jobs
GRIMSBY'S Five Star Fish operation – plunged into administration after owner British Seafood Group hit the rocks – has been bought out in a multi-million-pound deal securing more than 300 jobs.West Midlands-based Boparan Group, the owner of 2 Sisters Food Group and recent acquirers of the Harry Ramsden and FishWorks restaurant chains, has swooped for the business.
from Grimsby Telegraph. |
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Worthing fish fryers call it a day after 50 years
A town's most famous fish frying couple have retired after almost 50 years' serving up cod and chips.
Robin and Liz Silverthorne were the fifth generation of the family to run the business in Montague Street, Worthing.
But now they've called it a day and sold the business to James “Jimmy” Brown, who worked at Chipwick, Brighton Road, Worthing, for 17 years.
from The Argos
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Fights French Fries
"Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" on ABC has declared war against French fries in our school lunch programs. He has literally banned them from the local high school in Huntington, W.V.
from the That's Fit
Californian restaurant - super sized OMG Burger
A Californian restaurant has developed the super sized OMG Burger for people with a big appetite.
The burger features a 1.8kg beef patty, 12 slices of cheese and some mayo, all packed onto a 30cm brioche.
It's served with two kilos of french fries for those brave enough to buy it.
Priced at US$35 from The Catch restaurant in Anaheim, California, the burger is said to feed eight to ten people.
from big pond news
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| February 15-21 marks National Chip Week and ‘Healthy’ chips help to feed hospital patients’ appetite for comfort food. |
Hospital patients are choosing one of the country’s favourite foods to feature more regularly on their menus.
FRIDAY teatime, Saturday afternoon before the football match, a treat after the weekly shop or mum’s night off from cooking - When is your fish and chip time?
The humble chip is being celebrated in National Chip Week (February 15-21), with hospital patients now among the growing army of fans of one of Britain’s favourite foods.
NHS caterers Lifespan Catering Services are responding to the demands of hospitals and their patients to produce chips on a daily basis – totaling 3,560 portions each week.
The chips arrive at the Cambridge-based caterers already peeled and cut from local suppliers Cambridge Produce.
Around 1,200 kilos of chips are ordered by |
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Lifespan Catering Services every fortnight, and are cooked within strict nutritional guidelines before making their way to patients in Cambridge, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and London.
The chips are steamed and then lightly fried to add a little colour, boxed, chilled and sent out to their destination ready to be regenerated and served on the wards.
Vanessa Whitmore, customer support supervisor for Lifespan Catering Services, said: “We have found that fish and chips on the ward menus are becoming more popular.
“An increasing number of wards have changed their menus to have fish and chips every week rather than just once throughout the two-week cycle. This means that patients continue to receive their favourite food in a nutritional and healthy way to help them on the road to recovery.” |
The unlikely origin of fish and chips
Winston Churchill called them "the good companions". John Lennon smothered his in tomato ketchup. Michael Jackson liked them with mushy peas.
They sustained morale through two world wars and helped fuel Britain's industrial prime.
from the BBC Magazine |
"Your My Favourite"
Seafish, the authority on seafood, has unveiled a new People’s Choice award category in the National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition. Run exclusively with The Sun online and Suntalk, the Favourite Frier award will give customers the opportunity to vote for the staff in their local chippy.
Whether it’s for charity fundraising, overcoming an illness or defying the odds to keep on frying, fish and chip fans across the country are being urged to promote the unsung heroes of the trade and nominate their local fish frier at on the Sun's website.
from the SEAFISH from the Sun |
| Calgary Canada - Propper British Fish and Chips... eventually. |
| Take That's Gary Barlow plans fish 'n' chips party for 10th wedding anniversary |
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How did O157 get into a "Chippy Bar?"
The Wrexham County Borough Council is apparently going to get to the bottom of a troubling question.
How did a "chippy bar," which sells fish and chips boiled in oil and then served up with salt and vinegar come to infect four of its customers with E. coli O157:H7, a bacteria usually associated with ground beef? |
Take That frontman Gary Barlow invited 100 pals to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with dancing, bingo and a slap-up meal... of fish and chips.
Guests, who are thought to include Gary's bandmates Mark, Howard and Jason and old pal Robbie Williams, have been told the dress code is "glamorous". |
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Could tomato ketchup help cut breast cancer risk?
You can't yet get it on prescription, but researchers are again proclaiming the unlikely health benefits of a dietary favourite.
Both breast cancer and the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis could be prevented by eating tomato ketchup, they suggest. |
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Zilli to host Chip Shop of the Year contest |
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Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli has been revealed as the face of the National Fish and Chip Shop of the Year competition.
Zilli is the latest TV star to lend his support to the competition and get behind the challenge.
He will host the grand final of the competition on 21 Jan 2010 at the Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel in London. |
EU fishing rules 'utter disgrace'
Fish just caught
Mr Lochhead says discarding fish is a 'horrendous waste'
The Common Fisheries Policy, (CFP) is "the most ill thought out European policy affecting Scotland", Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead has said.
Mr Lochhead also targeted rules which force fishermen to discard fish, as wasteful and unnecessary.
Fish and chips
enriched a nation
SHANE HEGARTY charts the arrival of Ireland’s first Italian migrants and how by reinventing themselves they also reinvented eating habits.
Another Deep fried delight
Sweet Creole fritters with Old World roots
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Tommy Cooper found on meat pie - just like that!
A fish shop owner, Crad Jones, found a vision of comic legend Tommy Cooper in the pastry of a meat pie.
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| Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No... It's Super Spud! |
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A global team of researchers has mapped the genetic code of the world's most popular vegetable — the potato.
The draft of the potato genome released last week represents the work of more than 50 scientists from 16 institutions and will provide a starting point for other |
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researchers to develop sturdier, more nutritious potatoes. That's important because the potato is widely grown and plays a central role in feeding the world's 6.3 billion people, said Robin Buell, a Michigan State University plant biologist who worked on the project.
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Chippy Supplier Boosts Turnover |
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Has salt had its chips in Ballymoney?
A Country Antrim council is causing the shakes among customers at fish and chip shops in its area.
Ballymoney Borough Council wants takeaways to introduce salt cellars with just five holes, compared to the 17-hole models they use now. Fish and chips on a shop counter.
The council is concerned about the amount of salt residents use on chips.
It's all part of a new health initiative - so, does that mean salt has had its chips?
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BRITAIN'S continued taste for fish and chips has helped a Tyneside company boost its turnover by £3m and resulted in a rise in profits of more than £56,000 despite the recession.
Henry Colbeck, which supplies 1,500 products to the trade ranging from cooking oil to bespoke packaging, says fish and chips’ image as a value for money meal helped it to increase turnover to £39.5m from £36.5m in the year to the end of March. |
Marketing director Duncan McLean said: “Fish and chip shops are not at all recession-proof but there is an element of insulation. People will trade down because it is still regarded as an excellent value for money meal.
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Fish shop owner spared ban over dead mice
The owner of a fish and chip shop, where dead mice were found at the premises used to prepare food, has escaped a ban which would have seen him lose his livelihood. |
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Pollocks! |
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EU fish quotas |
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Fewer fin whales? |
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Figures released by Seafish, set up by the Government to promote the fishing industry, show it is now the eighth most popular fish to eat. |
 The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has welcomed EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg's suggestion that annual fish quotas be scrapped. |
Fin whales have not returned to the Bay of Biscay in their usual high numbers this year, raising fears over the state of the fish stocks they feed on. |
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World History and Potatoes |
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Puffins at the Chippy |
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A new study says that 22% of the increase in population growth in the Old World -- Europe, Asia, Africa -- and Australia between 1700 and 1900 is because of the introduction of the potato.
Click for |
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They've a reputation for loving fish, but usually prefer it uncooked and without chips. So passers-by were more than a little surprised to discover four baby puffins loitering outside a fish and chip shop on a busy North Berwick street. |
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If you can eat it, someone somewhere is deep frying it!
Deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - a hit in Milwaukee Wisconsin - Click for
Deep-fried Buffalo bacon cheeseballs - American football fans fare. - Click For
Scientists say deep-fried Mars bars are ‘nutritious’ - Click For |
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Monday night is gluten free night at The Fairway Fish Bar |
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Martyn Elsmore of Fairway Fish Bar serves up a
dream come true for Ian O’Connell of brandbury.
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18 months ago Ian O’Connell of Brandbury was diagnosed with coeliac disease — an intolerance to gluten which effects about one in 100 people in
the UK.
A big fan of fish and chips, Ian was told by his doctor that his local chippy was out of bounds due to the wheat and gluten content of batter. After walking past chippies teased by the alluring aroma for a year and a half, the chip ban was to much to swallow for Ian, so he went inside to have a chat with Martyn Elsmore, owner of the Fairway Fish Bar. He suggested that finding a solution to this problem for sufferers of coeliac disease could be good for business, and Mr Elsmore responded.
The Fairway Fish Bar sourced a special gluten and wheat-free batter and set up a separate fryer to cater for coeliacs every Monday night between
5pm and 9pm.”
The first night saw people travel from Bicester,
and with inquiries about fish and chips from
Witney and Stratford. from banburycake.co.uk |
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Fishermen cheer as stocks of North Sea cod increase 5% |
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Stocks of cod in the North Sea have increased by 5 per cent from last year according to scientists, prompting elation in the fishing industry but further warnings from conservationists.
Annual stock assessments released today by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) show that the number of spawning cod has risen slightly but the number of fish discarded at sea is still equal to the amount that reaches the shore. from timesonline. |
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2010 – celebration support for operators well under way |
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Work is well under way with the preparations to make next year a time to celebrate and promote Fish and Chips. Chippychat is pleased to be the first to share with Friers the ambitious plans and support packages that will be available by the end of 2009 so that everyone can be ready for 2010.
The NFFF have assembled a committee comprising of many of the industries major players to stage national events, create promotional point of sale packs, brand new 2010 packaging and give marketing support for shops that want to do their own local promoting.
Representatives from T.Quality, the Q partnership, Seafish, Frymax and Kerry Ingredients to name a few are on board and working with some high profile fish friers. The objectives have been defined. Raising awareness of the brand, quality, value and history of fish and chips is very important along with all the correct messages about low fat content and sustainability. But the priority for all parties involved, is working towards converting this effort into extra sales.
Richard Ord, this Years runner up in the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Competition (Colemans of South Shields) Instructed his Marketing people to design a Logo for all 2010 packaging and posters. After several proposals, the final approved logo is here for all Chippychatters to download and use for free. In very high resolution format, it was chosen by everyone for its clarity, ability to be reproduced large or small and in either black and white or two colour format. Richard absorbed the cost of this important contribution and the logo will be appearing on carrier bags, posters, balloons, bunting and boxes soon.
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Click here to download EPS
The National events are almost definitely going to include a National Fish and Chip day in late June when all shops will be encouraged to promote the event, Highjack local media sources with free food to promote the day and do a one day special on price - up and down the country.
To tease you further, Chippychat can also reveal two other events including a world record attempt based around fish and chips plus a fish and chip nic promotion in schools. That’s not all, A Promotional pack to decorate your shop with balloons etc. will be available for about £40.00 and Seafish will be producing a media pack to assist friers on how to get the attention and most from their local press. For further details, look out for official statements in the trade press from about August onwards… |
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Change your tuna to something more in harmony with nature |
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Following the release this week of the hard-hitting film End Of The Line, which highlights the way in which our oceans have been plundered, we're faced with a moral and health dilemma.
So shocked was the founder of the sandwich chain Pret a Manger, Julian Metcalfe, he has already pledged to remove most of its tuna sandwiches from its shops.
According to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), 69 types of seafood available in the UK are being fished in an unsustainable way, meaning that if we don't change our eating habits they could soon be extinct.
But the Government still advises we should eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily - such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout and fresh tuna - because these contain the most omega-3 fatty acids as well as Vitamins A, B2 and D.
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New Chippy offers Fish and Chips at 1950 prices |
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SUPPER will be as cheap as chips when a new restaurant opens its doors this week.
Owners Mark and Lesley White plan to offer a portion of fish and chips at 50-year-old prices — 1s 11d or just 10p in today’s money — to the first 20 customers to celebrate the opening of their new chip shop in Bath Street, off St George’s Road.
The couple, who already run the nearby Superior Sandwich Company, wanted to make the price as traditional as the food when they bought the former Chinese chippy.
So they stepped back in time, with a financial nod to the 1950s, when Winston Churchill was Prime Minister and Britain got its first sight of a Frisbee.
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Michelle Obama treated her daughters Malia and Sasha to fish and chips in a London pub during a low-key visit to the British capital. |
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The US First Lady was in London with Malia, 10, and Sasha, 8, for a short private holiday after joining President Barack Obama at the end of his trip to the Middle East and Europe.
On Monday they reportedly visited Big Ben and then in the evening visited a pub near the US embassy, where staff said they had been unaware who was coming when a booking for 25 people was made.
"We were all speechless when they walked in. I couldn't believe it. But they were all very friendly. Smiling and laughing," said Cintia Pinto, 24, who served Mrs. Obama at the Audley pub in Mayfair.
"The girls were so sweet and polite. They thanked us every time we brought them something. It was a real honour," she said. The Obama daughters had fish suppers, while Michelle Obama had a sirloin steak, said the pub.
Manager John Gohery said: "It was a real surprise and a pleasure. We've had other famous people coming in, but nothing on this scale." |
WHAT better way to celebrate St Georges Day than tucking
into a plate of fish and chips, and a pint of fine British ale.
An article on the Sun's website today. (23rd April 09) Points out that Traditional English fare can be good for your health. A fish supper provides you with a good amount of protein and fibre, and there's more vitamin C in a portion of chips than in an apple.
If you go for cod, you'll get a good dose of phosphorous, an important mineral for bone health. Haddock, meanwhile, provides you with plenty of vitamin B12, vital for a health nervous system.
Click the fish for more From the Sun.
Fatty Fish May Cut Heart Failure Risk in Men
A study has found men who ate fatty fish -- such as salmon, mackerel, herring, whitefish and char -- once a week were 12 percent less likely to develop heart failure than men who never ate fatty fish. The study also found that men who consumed a moderate amount (about 0.3 grams a day) of omega-3 fatty acids -- found in cod liver oil and other fish oils
-- were less likely to develop heart failure than those who consumed little or no omega-3 fatty acids.
usnews.com.
Holland's Pies seek advice from fish and chip shops
Holland’s Pies, one of the UK’s leading producers of fresh pies and puddings, is seeking the ‘best possible advice’ to improve service quality - by creating a team of advisers made up of fish and chip shop proprietors.
The move, which follows the recent investment of £1 million in a 20-strong fleet to improve its daily delivery service and the unveiling of a new range of point of sale materials, is seen as the latest attempt to develop closer ties with fast food retailers. “We’re a company steeped in tradition that enjoys a long standing relationship with our traditional fish and chip retailers. So, who better to give us first-hand knowledge of our service?” “We want to open up communication between Holland’s and our customers to better understand the changing needs of the modern-day chip shop and how we can meet them. We want them to know that we are listening and that our door is open for advice. This really is an open book; there may be ideas on delivery times, customer support, ordering methods, minimum order sizes, anything which can make our service better for them.”
“Right now, there’s a real desire for good quality, traditional British fayre and, as a company that makes over 52 million pies, puddings and pasties each year, we feel that listening to retailers in this way will benefit everyone.”
17 million Holland’s pies are purchased in traditional fish and chip shops annually, and the unique taste of Holland’s secretly guarded recipes has made them particularly well-known in the North West of England, where 92 per cent of people have heard of Holland’s Pies. hollandspies.co.uk Holland’s Pies Managing Director, Neil Court-Johnston, believes regular feedback from fish and chip shop retailers will ensure that improvements to
its service will continueFish and chip shop retailers with any suggestions on service improvement should email: Leanne.Holcroft@NorthernFoods.com
Take the Fisherman's Mission' challenge and climb Britain's highest mountain.
Want to get fit and healthy this year? Then why not get a team together and take part in the Fishermen's Mission's Ben Nevis Team Challenge, 4-6 June 2009. You'll not only be doing yourselves some good but you'll also be helping the only national charity that provides fishermen and their families with emergency and welfare support whenever and wherever it is needed across the UK.
And to cap it all you'll be spending a weekend in the beautiful Scottish Highlands and be able to brag about climbing Britain's highest mountain!
Last year nineteen intrepid walkers from the fish and chip trade conquered Ben Nevis in the first of the Fishermen's Mission great Challenges. They had the time of their lives and raised over £19,000 for the charity. And one lucky team will be receiving the Ben Nevis Challenge Trophy for having raised the most money at the Mission's annual award ceremony at Trinity House, London in April.
Bill Colbeck, one of the Team Leaders says "It was a wonderful and memorable weekend. The Mission put us in the hands of extremely efficient organisers who managed every aspect of the event, looking after us from our arrival in Fort William on Friday until our departure on Sunday morning. We received fantastic care from our guides who checked the suitability of our the participants had a safe and most enjoyable day.
The event was a great success and created a remarkable Team Spirit and a feeling of great satisfaction from overcoming the not inconsiderable challenge of climbing Ben Nevis. We are delighted that we raised so much money for the Fishermen's Mission.
I would be thrilled to see the Ben Nevis Challenge become a well supported annual NEODA event."
Elaine Campbell, Mission Director of Fundraising, agrees, " Last year's event was brilliant. There was incredible camaraderie. Everyone came away with a huge sense of achievement. And the money raised has helped our port staff support many hundreds of injured and retired fishermen and their families facing hardship, debt and misery".
To get your information pack on how to take part in Ben Nevis Challenge 2 and help support the Fishermen's Mission go to www.fishermensmission.org.uk or contact Janice Smith, Appeals and Fundraising Manager, on 01489 566923 or via email on Janice@rnmdsf.org.uk.
Chippy Saves Wedding Day
STAFF at a Weymouth chip shop came to the rescue when a catering no-show threatened to ruin a happy couple's wedding day.
James and Hannah Kirkby were left high and dry when caterers failed to show up for their reception in Portesham.
Hannah's mum Katy Phillips leapt into action and went about arranging some replacement food for 52 hungry guests.
Luckily Marlboro restaurant co-owner Mike Johnson came up trumps and dished up fish and chips for everyone.
Mrs Phillips, 44, said: "It could've been disastrous but the Marlboro really saved the day.
"The fish and chips were with us within the hour. They thought of everything, they even sent big bottles of ketchup and vinegar and pots of salt."
Click the fish for more information From the Dorset Echo.Frying Sector Conquers Ben Nevis!
On Saturday 7th June nineteen souls drawn from the frying trade, its related industries and the Fishermen’s Mission dusted off their walking boots and prayed for good weather. Why? Because they were all taking part in the Fishermen’s Mission Ben Nevis Challenge! All of them climbing the UK’s highest mountain to raise sponsorship for the charity.
Mission Fundraising Director, Elaine Campbell, who was there to congratulate the walkers, said,
“Everyone who took part has had a great time and their efforts have raised over £15 000 for the Fishermen’s Mission.
This will be used to provide emergency and welfare support to fishermen and their families.
We are absolutely delighted with how well this first event has gone, the 2008 Ben Nevis FM Challenge was definitely the ‘Year of the Friers’ and a big thanks go to the teams from Henry Colbecks, Kerry Foods and AAK.”
The Mission hopes the event will grow from strength to strength and is keen to see more teams from the frying industry entering in 2009. If you’d like to register your interest for next year, please contact fundraising@rnmdsf.org.uk or phone FREEPHONE 0800 634 1020.
For further information of the Ben Nevis Team Challenge, contact Elaine Campbell on 07884 188323 or email elaine@rnmdsf.org.uk
Fishing for UK's next top shop
No sooner has the dust settled after the celebrations from last year’s Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, than it’s time to get the search for the 2008 victors underway. Seafish is calling for entries from the thousands of shops across the UK looking to be crowned this year’s champions, in this, the 21st year of the competition.
Once again, the competition will be seeking out the best performing Fish and Chip shops in the UK – those reaching the highest standards of quality, customer service, innovation and food hygiene.
Being crowned the UK’s top chippy is regarded as the industry’s highest honour and the regional winning shops can expect to see an increase of up to 40 per cent in business. But it’s not just the winners who benefit. The great thing about entering the competition is that all shops taking part benefit from the PR created – getting their customers enthused and their staff excited about the prospect of getting to the next stage.
Shops have until the 4th of July to register their interest in entering the 2008 Competition. A simple case of shops contacting Seafish by either writing/faxing/e-mailing/telephoning to say they would like to register for this year’s Competition.
The competition involves a variety of judging rounds, that appraise a shop’s practices and techniques, and also the all important product. Andy Gray, competition judge and project manager at Seafish said: “We have strict judging criteria and it’s important that fish and chip shops are aware of the issues facing the industry. Last year we added in some questioning on sustainability and awareness of how important sourcing has become to consumers”.
Despite the rising costs of food, fish and chips continues to maintain its popularity as the nation’s favourite takeaway, And, if you’re planning to treat yourself to a takeaway, with less than 10g of fat per 100g, fish and chips remains one of the healthier options available.
Look out for the flyers giving more information on entering this year's competition, or contact Andy Gray on 0131 524 8642, or a_gray@seafish.co.uk
Mystery Celebrity Dad to Launch First Daddies Day!
While mums are showered with attention on Mother's Day, with flowers, chocolates or spa days, doting dads are generally happy to take a back seat when it comes to their official day of celebration. Not any more. Daddies, the everyday fast food family condiments brand, is taking charge of Father's Day with the help of a mystery celebrity dad in a bid to give its unsung heroes a well-deserved, long overdue dose of recognition. So, it's a big goodbye to Father's Day and an official hello to Daddies Day!!
Originating in the USA in the early 20 th century, Father's Day only made it to UK shores in the mid-70s and has since been considered the day to celebrate fatherhood. But let's face it, dad's get a raw deal, often missing out on the affection lavished on mums on Mother's Day.
To put this right, Daddies is officially launching Daddies Day this June 15 th , complete with a nationwide campaign to encourage families to embrace Father's Day for all its worth. By renaming the day, Daddies aims to bring Father's Day bang up to date, making it more modern and relevant to 21 st century life.
To kick-start the campaign, a celebrity model dad will be unveiled as the face of Daddies Day and presented with a trophy at an awards ceremony on June 15th.
The Fishermen's Mission say 'Give it some WELLY!'
Models making the Mission Possible
Which one will you support? Seven of Scotland's top models will be running the Glasgow Resolution Asset Management 10K race on May 18 2008.
Included in the line up is the current Miss UK & Miss Scotland, Neive Jennings. more
Want to raise some money for the Mission? Then “do it in your wellies” on 11 July 2008.
If you want to get involved, the simplest, easiest way to raise funds to help provide emergency and welfare support to fishermen and their families is to ask your customers to “wang” their change in the wellie. All you have to do is find an old wellie, decorate it if you’ve got the time, stick on the SM's “Wang Your Change In The Wellie” sign, put up some posters or display leaflets and then send the SM the money you’ve kindly collected?
The shops/retail outlets raising the most money from the major UK Regions will be invited to the Fundraising Awards at the prestigious Trinity House, London in spring 2009. There will also be awards for the individual and group raising the most money “doing it in their wellies”. And what could be simpler than getting your friends, colleagues, club, group or even your village to dance, walk, eat or just “be” in their wellies at work, school or college and pay a £1 or 50p in sponsorship? And what about a decorate your wellies competition? Or a guess how many Smarties there are in the wellie competition? The possibilities are endless.
Have fun, increase sales, get some good publicity & help support our brave fishermen and their families by taking part in 'Do It In Your Wellies 2008'.
The winners of the 2007 Fish & Chip Shop of the Year prove
The Townhead Café, in the Scottish Borders town of Biggar, has been crowned the UK’s best fish and chip shop at the finals of the national Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition.
- Gordon and Sandra Hillan, owners of the chippy, received the gong from celebrity chef, Ainsley Harriott, at the Royal Garden Hotel in London.
- The last time a Scottish champion achieved the national accolade was in 1998.
- Andy’s Fish Bar in Swadlincote, Derbyshire came second in the competition with Seniors in Thornton Cleveleys following closely in third.
Gordon Hillan has worked in the fish and chips industry for nearly 30 years, learning the ropes from his dad, a cook in the merchant navy, from the tender age of 16.
- Gordon and his wife Sandra embrace the issue of sustainable sourcing, prominently displaying the source of the seafood they serve throughout the shop.
- To attend the ceremony, the couple had to turn
- Gordon and Sandra battered off stiff competition from the nine other UK finalists. After several rounds of judging, including a mystery shopper visit, the outcome was finally decided after a round of presentations to a panel of industry experts.
A case of sausages FREE to shops that haven't tried them!
McWhinney's are so confident that when you and your customers sample their Traditional Irish Pork Sausage you will want to put them on your menu. They are offering a no strings attached introductory offer to shops who have not yet tried a McWhinney sausage.
All you have to do is make your request during the month of April 2008 and you can have a case of Bigfoot or Premium 70% Meat Content, or the popular Gold 42% Meat Content.
Simply call Wendy or Jan on 0161 765 3300 and agree to accept delivery of your chosen case through one of McWhinney's designated stockists"
Raise a Glass with Easybags Ltd
To Celebrate Signing a Distribution Agreement with a Major Spanish Wholesaler, EasyBags Ltd are offering a FREE Bottle of Wine to any Fish Friers who would like to try EasyBags Ltd Potliners for themselves. Telephone 01623 423 423 NOW for your FREE sample - and while EasyBags Ltd Potliners are making your life easier - sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of wine compliments of EasyBags. The concept of the
easybags Ltd. potliner
is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
1. you place the Bag in the Pot,
2. you place the Food in the Bag and, at the end of the day's trading,
3. you place the Bag in the Bin - it's as easy as that. The easybags Ltd. potliner keeps the food moist and prevents the food from drying onto the side of the Pot and, because there isn't any waste - each and every food serving can be used and sold - the easybags Ltd. potliners pay for themselves many times over. Before easybags Ltd. potliners; scrubbing out the Dirty Bain Marie Pots would cost time, money, hot water, electricity, gas, detergents etc, but with easybags Ltd. potliners, simply Cash Up and Go. To Celebrate Signing a Distribution Agreement with a Major Spanish Wholesaler, EasyBags Ltd are offering a FREE Bottle of Wine to any Fish Friers who would like to try EasyBags Ltd Potliners for themselves.
Telephone 01623 423 423 NOW for your FREE sample - and while EasyBags Ltd Potliners are making your life easier - sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of wine compliments of EasyBags.
Antony using EasyBags Ltd Potliners at his shop, The High Street Chippy, Wath-Upon-Dearne
Telephone 01623 423 423 NOW for your FREE samples of EasyBags Ltd Potliners and your complimentary Bottle of Wine. Callers must be over 21 years of Age.
Chippy Chat goes to the top of the google charts.
Never let it be said that it's hard to find a Chippy on the web.
Chippy Chat is not only on the first page of a google search for the word "Chippy", it's third from the top on that very first page.
A world wide search for the word 'Chippy' places the fryer's favourite web community third in a list of close to a million other search instances.
This can only be good news for the progress our forums. The more the merrier! Chippy smells of Fish and Chips. Complaint!?
The BBC have reported that a West Yorkshire chip shop owner is being investigated after a complaint that his shop smells of fish and chips. Visit the BBC site for more.
Heinz - a sauce of great music!
Heinz SqueezMe! has taken the market by storm since its launch in 2004 1 . To further boost sales, Heinz Foodservice is giving a share of £237,000 2 of free music downloads to consumers purchasing the innovative pods in a new promotion - The sauce of great music!
1900 promotional kits, each containing 78 entry forms, will be made available to fish and chip shop outlets to enable the creation of eye-catching displays in-store to drive sales of Heinz SqueezMe!
Not only can outlets claim a free kit, available on a first come first serve
From the middle of July through to December, the promotion will offer consumers purchasing Heinz SqueezMe! pods free music downloads. To claim their free download, consumers simply collect three snap off tabs from any Heinz SqueezMe! pod 3 and send them off with a completed claim form. The download vouchers will then be emailed to them for redemption at www.wippit.co.uk . For a chance to increase your Heinz SqueezMe! sales and to receive your free kit simply call the Heinz Foodservice helpline on 0800 57 57 55 - remember they are available on a fist come first serve basis.
Chipping in on the action
With Fish and Chips featuring in the top 5 meals for every out of home eating occasion and with them still being the number 1 meal for a Friday evening with more than a 20% share of all meals consumed - can you afford not to be offering the best 1 ?
Heinz as a trusted brand by consumers 2 is once again sponsoring the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Competition, now in its 20th year, with its infamous SqueezMe! brand.
The Heinz SqueezMe! pod, available in Tomato Ketchup, HP Brown Sauce, Mayonnaise, Tartare Sauce, Salad Cream and Barbecue, has taken the fast food sector by storm by selling over 15 million pods since its launch!
The competition, organised by industry body Seafish, rewards the best performing fish and chip shops in the UK - those reaching the highest standards of quality, customer service, innovation and food hygiene. For the first time in the competition's history, this year entrants will also be judged on their commitment to building a sustainable future.
"We are keen to support excellence in the industry by encouraging small business owners to innovate through quality, so we are delighted to be a part of The Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition again this year. Winners of last year's competition, Mark and Pete Petrou, are a shining example of innovation and high quality in the industry and we can't wait to see the entries this year" comments s enior brand manager for Heinz Foodservice Condiments, Claire Vaughan.
"With sauces being a fundamental part of the fish and chip meal it is essential to get it right. By including Heinz sauces, as a trusted brand in the UK, you will give your consumers assurance that they are buying a quality brand whilst improving the perception of your outlet and food offering. Look out for the launch of a bespoke Heinz SqueezMe! Award later this year."
To find out more about Heinz Foodservice sauce range log onto www.heinzfoodservice.co.uk or call the Customer Care line for free on 0800 57 57 55.
Climate change could be bad news for chippys.
A study claims that the combination of warmer seas and over-fishing makes a collapse of endangered north Atlantic cod stocks 'extremely likely'.
More from The Observer
When the chips are
down... under that is.
New Zealand as a nation, love their fish 'n' chips and have a few imaginative variations on the theme. Click the blue fish to visit The New Zealand Herald, for more.
Please, don't read this
while your eating!
USA. Rescuers cut through a filtration tank of dense fish feces to reach four workers who fell into the sludgy dung while cleaning the 18-foot tank at a western Massachusetts farm. More from seMissourian.com
Brain food the elderly.
Two studies in this month's "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" confirm what chippies suspected already. find fish oil may preserve thinking ability in the elderly. Macavity is one hep British cat who likes his fish and chips so much that he takes a British bus three times a week to his favorite local bistro.
British newspapers report that the white tomcat, who has one blue eye and one green, boards the busy 331 bus at the same stop in Wolverhampton, 130 miles north of London, and then jumps off at the next one near a fish and chip eatery.
Fish and chips help end strike at Wissington
AN offer of on-site fish and chips and cold drinking water prevented a workers dispute from escalating at the new £20m biofuel plant being built at Wissington.
Contractors downed tools at 10am on Monday after complaining about the lack of drinking water, canteen services and eye wash bottles available to them.
Scaffolders, welders, pipe fitters, crane drivers and electricians were among those to go on strike, with around 200 workers walking off site.
The dispute was resolved on Wednesday when workers returned to the British Sugar plant, near Stoke Ferry, following successful talks between representatives from the manufacturing union, Amicus, and site managers.
Petrou Brothers -
UK Chippy Champions 2006
On Wednesday 24 January, Petrou Brothers from Chatteris Including Chippy Chat's very own "Big Spud", (that's Mark on the right) has been revealed as the UK’s best chippy at the National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition at a London ceremony.
Mark and Pete, owners of Petrou Brothers, were presented with the award by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, at the grand final of the competition organised by industry body Seafish.
Mark Petrou is in for a double celebration as his wife, Claire, is due to have a baby any day now.
For more on the National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year award visit:
Sea Fish Which? Cambridge Evening News
Cambridge Times
News round up by Catfish, who would also like to bring to chippy chat members attention a post thread of congratulations started by new member "Battered_Sausage".
It's National ChipWeek 12th-18th February
Organised by the British Potato Council, this year's 16 th National Chip Week will be held from the 12 th -18 th February. This year's theme is Chips - Treasure the Moment. The series of events planned for the week include:
5 Guiness Book of Record attempts! New receipes from celebrity chefs. Lots of press coverage in the newspapers, magazines and TV. So far 800 chip shops are participating - are you? There are plenty of benefits to being a part of this campaign. " Shops will be supplied with a point-of -sale kits and scratch cards. Last year 60% of shops reported a significant sales increase during National Chip Week and 45% saw a sales uplift in the weeks following "
Make sure your chippy is involved in this national event. For more information, call 020 7351 4900. Or visit:
potato.org.uk viewlondon.co.uk stackyard.com
£5 fish and chips
now a reality?
It’s been a bad year for fish and chip shops, it seems. Spiralling costs right across the boardeld of some 20% - has driven prices up by around 12%. Hundreds of fish and chip shops have been forced to increase their prices for the traditional fish supper as higher charges for gas, electricity and cooking oil add to the increased cost of fish and potatoes and put pressure on small outlets.
GMTV delves into
the nation's favourite food
In a recent survey over half those polled named fish and chips as their favourite food.
Fabulous Fishy Fact from Saga
We all know that fish is good for us, especially with the recent surge in scientific interest in Omega 3 fatty acids. Just so you can have a few useful facts at your fingertips to share with customers, here are a few of the best and a link to the rest. Did you know that the polyunsaturated fats from some fish may prevent damage to brain cells as well as keeping your heart healthy?
Eating fish can lower your blood pressure
All the guys out there better check this out - a Swedish study showed a link between eating fish regularly and a reduction in the rate of prostrate cancer.
Did you know
...that it was during World War II that fish and chips took their place in the nation's heart and stomachs all thanks to the Minister of Food declaring them as the only food not to be rationed?
Is it all a bit too much? Relax with these chippy games, at
Scraps
Cod is Britain's favourite fish, accounting for up 61.5 per cent of sales.
The number of chippies has soared by a third from 8600 to 11,500 over the last five years, with a turnover of £650million.
Fish and chips have a Victorian history - Charles Dickens mentions a fried fish shop in Oliver Twist - but the trade was not established until the 1860s.
Every Sunday for eight years, one dedicated fish and chips fan made the 400-mile round trip from London to Harry Ramsden's first shop in Guisely near Leeds.
The British love of fish and chips has seen the culinary delight extend its influence across the globe. Fish and chips shops have been spotted in as far flung places as a cliff top in South Africa and the desert in Oman, however unless you have a sweet tooth avoid visiting fish and chip shops in China... they serve it with sugar!
Fish and chips comes top of Yellow Pages poll
Fish and chips has been officially recognised as the number one British treasure, according to a poll conducted by the Yellow Pages.
Food and drink came up trumps in the poll, with the treasured British pint of beer and cream tea also making the top 10.
The survey asked 1,000 people what items of national importance they would insure. Routemaster buses, deck chairs and red telephone boxes also all featured.
98 year old Chip shop woman awarded MBE
Constance Brown arrives in work at 0900BST every morning
A 98-year-old woman who still works at the chip shop she opened with her late husband in the 1920s has been made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.Constance Brown has been recognised for services to business and the community of Pembroke in west Wales. And what does she put her active long life down to? A:Eating fish and chips of course.
News from the BBC
Stand Out & Increase Your Profit!
The corrugated packaging available now can help improve the image of your shop as well as providing you an excellent means of portion control to protect not only your product but also your profit!
Fish & chip shops produce a fantastic product, but often the problem is that the packaging traditionally used in the industry doesn’t protect fish & chips from deteriorating during the customer’s drive from the fish & chip shop to their home.
An excellent solution to this “journey home problem” comes with corrugated boxes, which also give you the added benefit of offering you the ability to manage your portion control, which directly affects your profits.
So what’s in a box? 4 top tips!
1 Excellent presentation of both your shop and your product, with batter and chips staying crisp!
2 Perfect Portion control to help you make a profit!
3 Repeat Business from customers happy at getting home with a perfect product, prompting them to choose to return to your shop over your competitors
4 The opportunity to have your own design and name on your box, giving you a chance to stand out from your competition and lets your customers take your name home with them! How do you get going? 2 simple steps to start!
1 Talk to your Friars Pride sales representative or telesales contact.
2 Decide whether you would like to have pre-printed or your own design
There are many sizes available so why not consider giving it a go! Friars Pride stock codes for the pre-printed corrugated boxes.
Chip box - FTFCBC Small box - FTFCBS Medium box - FTFCBM Large box - FTFCBL
Frozen at Sea Fillets - What is happening to the prices?
We know this is a question you are all asking, so Friars Pride has asked Derek Collinson of Polarfrost what his opinion is the frozen at sea fillets market.
Generally worldwide demand for whitefish is rising due to peoples changing eating habits. This is not surprising as fish is increasingly perceived as low in fat, high in protein and good for you. Many white fish species are far less plentiful due to significant reductions in fishing quotas, for example the New Zealand Hoki quota has been cut by 50% in the past 2 years to safeguard the fish stocks for the future.
Cod, the UK`s favourite fish had been in increasing demand due to changes in the global markets. Many vessels that traditionally produce fillets for the UK market have been producing Headless and Gutted fish ( H+G ) for other markets who, have been willing to pay much higher prices for this raw material with the larger Cod going to Spain and Portugal for the Saltfish market and medium / smaller Cod to China and Asia for reprocessing and re-export. In addition prices for skin less and bone less FAS Cod fillets remain strong in the US market due to continued high demand.
Another major factor effecting market prices are the increased costs in catching fish due to rising oil prices. With this in mind vessels must keep fuel costs to a minimum by targeting areas where they know catch rates will be high. These changing fishing patterns will ultimately lead to changes in fish supplies at certain times of the year and increased market prices. What can we do about it?
In order to stimulate production of FAS fillets and maintain adequate supplies for the UK market in the future, it is essential that we are able to compete with these emerging markets for Cod.
These current higher price levels are here to stay for the foreseeable future and may have to increase further to attract more production, but the UK Fish and Chip market is generally in good shape.
Seafish have identified that there are 11,500 Fish and Chip shops in the UK with a turnover of £1.2 Billion per year. Last year they sold 255 million Fish and Chip meals, which represents an increase of 18 million more meals than the year before ( up 8% ).
Derek Collinson 3 Tips from Friars Pride to deal with the rising FAS Cod prices! 1. Be enthusiastic about alternative species of fish with your customers, encourage them to try something new like Hake for example. 2. Consider changing your portion sizes. Try adding a new smaller portion into your menu to help you introduce a means of control for your portion sizes. 3. Increase your prices. A difficult but necessary step that takes into consideration the current market for FAS Cod.
DON’T PEEL AWAY YOUR PROFITS It’s a receipt for disaster!
Have you ever put your potatoes in the peeler and gone away for a few minutes? Do you know how much you can lose by leaving a potato too long? Friars Pride representatives visited the NFFF and took a lesson in preparation from Drywite’s Phil Webster. Step 1
We started with 17lbs 14oz of Potatoes. They were taken straight from the sack and it equated to roughly 1/3 of a bag. Step 2
The potatoes were placed in the peeler and for this exercise we exactly timed them for 1 minute!
DON’T PEEL AWAY YOUR PROFITS. Step 3
It’s a receipt for disaster!
When the minute was up we removed the potatoes from the peeler and weighed them again. They now weighed 16lb 12oz. Step 4
We looked at our potatoes and at this point they could have been trimmed, but for the purpose of our experiment we put them in the peeler again for a further 30 seconds. We timed them exactly and again removed the potatoes and placed them on the scales. They had now been in the peeler for a total of 1min 30 seconds. The potatoes weight now was recorded as 15lb 7oz Step 5
Now we trimmed them to get rid of any remaining skin or blemishes when we had finished we placed the potatoes back on the scales. To our surprise they now weighed a mere 14lb 7oz. From start to finish at this point we had lost 14lb 13oz! 2lb 10oz from our potatoes. What would have happened if them if we hadn’t set the timer? Step 6
Now we put the potatoes through the chipper and Drywite showed us how to treat the chips in Drywite. You are supposed to soak the chips for 15minutes, however we had so few we only soaked them for 5 minutes. Again we weighed the chips and the final figure was 15lb 4oz.
The potatoes had gone up slightly as they had absorbed some water in process of coating the chips in the Drywite. FINISH
15lb 4oz If you image a whole bag of potatoes, how many portions of chips or rather how much of your profit do you think you might accidentally be peeling away? You might be advised to stand next to the peeler with a stopwatch in future – if you don’t already! Come on lads finish the job! Mr Phil Webster of Drywite hands out the potato peelers to Friars Pride sales representative at a training session held at the NFFF in January sponsored by Drywite.
Nigel and Linda Hodgson of Hodgsons Chippy are the proud winners of the Sea Fish, Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition 2005.
In true “fish & chip shop of the year” style as news spreads of Nigel and Linda’s success they can expect their shop to become a top destination for fish & chip connoisseurs as well as good old fish and chip lovers!
And congratulations to all the regional winners: • Andrew’s Fish Bar, Welshpool, Regional Winner - North Wales • Land & Sea Fish & Chips, Polmont Regional Winner – Scotland • Harlees Fish & Chips, Verwood Regional Winner – South West
England • Saxon Traditional Fish & Chips, Biggleswade, Hertfordshire Regional Winner – Central & Couth England • Beedles Chippy, Bishop Aukland Regional Winner – North East England • The Pit Stop, Kilkeel Regional Winner – Northern Ireland
Friars Pride would like to send out a note of special congratulations to Paul & Pat Linford of Linford’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Market Deeping. Linford’s secured the title of Regional Winner – Eastern England for a third year! Paul Linford has guided his team to regional success in the East of England category for 3 consecutive years!
This is an astounding achievement!
Fun Fishy Facts...
The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. The heart of a blue whale is as big as a car, and it's tongue is as long as an elephant. The Swell Shark, found in New Zealand, barks like a dog. Fishes cannot live in the Dead Sea because the water has too much salt in it? Did you know that there is a sort of crab, which can climb trees?
It is called the coconut crab, because it eats coconuts, which it finds by climbing the palm trees where the nuts grow. The heaviest fish ever caught was the OCEAN SUNFISH. It weighed 4,928 lbs. The swordtail is the fastest swimmer of all the fish. Cockle shells come in various sizes, but have you ever wondered how they grow? As it gets older the cockle just adds another layer to its outer shell. To work out their age you can count the rings on them just like a tree. The stickleback is one of the few fishes that builds a nest. The male, in his red breeding colors, makes a nest of weeds where the female lays her eggs. Then the male stays by the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch. Weird things have been found inside a shark, such as a nail, a bottle of wine, a treasure chest, coats, a suit of armor, a drum and a torpedo. Checkout this picture of a fish with two bodies and one head |
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