National Fish & Chip Day
Today it is National Fish and Chip Day. We celebrate by having a quick look back into the history of one of our favourite dishes.
In the East End of London, Joseph Malin decided to open what is widely accepted to be the world’s first Fish and Chip shop. It was within reach of the Bow Bells, feeding Cockneys in 1860.
| During the Second World War, fish and chips were one of the few foods not subject to wartime rationing. |
However, in 1838, the novel ‘Oliver Twist’ made mention of a ‘fried fish warehouse’. Perhaps it was the great Charles Dickens who first had the vision of this future mainstay of British life. Mr Dickens may have enjoyed a visit to his local ‘chippy’ before his death in 1870.
Alfred Hitchcock, another British great, actually lived above a chippy as a boy. It could be argued that some of his early ideas were fuelled by fish and chips.
The Industrial Revolution and the advent of the steam railways meant that fish could be quickly moved around the country. And so, by the late 19th Century fish and chips had become very popular across the whole country.
During the Second World War, fish and chips were one of the few foods not subject to wartime rationing.
By the close of the 20th Century, according to the National Federation of Fish Friers, almost 300 million servings of fish and chips were being consumed and for every single McDonald’s outlet, there were eight fish and chip shops.
Chippy owners have become experts in the use of witty puns as you cod notice from the following list of fish and chip shops:-
A Fish Called Rhondda – Ton Pentre, Rhondda Valley
Rock & Roe – Harold Wood, Romford
New Cod on the Block – Sheffield
The Codfather – Sudbury
Wherever you are eating your fish and chips today……enjoy!
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Published: 6 June 2025
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