Where are all the good chippies? How London ruined fish and chips

Going Out | Restaurants Where are all the good chippies? How London ruined fish and chips The capital excels at every other cuisine and yet it’s the worst place to eat our the national dish. Why can’t you find good fish and chips in London, asks Ben McCormack Ben McCormack2 minutes ago COMMENTS London leads the way in so many culinary fields. It can’t be beaten for fine dining. We have a sandwich game second to none. And the sushi is so good people have been known to travel from Japan for it. But Achilles had his heel, and we have fish and chips. The truth of it is, the capital is the worst place in the country to eat our national dish. I should know: I wrote The Standard’s best fish and chip guide. The best in London, sure. But if anyone told me that these were the best fish and chips in Britain, I’d feel as if I’d been slapped round the face with a wet haddock. Fish and chips at Golden Union Caitlin Caprio Two of my picks for best London chippies, Golden Union in Soho and Seashell of Lisson Grove in Marylebone, were nominated for this year’s National Fish and Chip Awards. Neither were eventual winners though as York’s The Scrap Box was named best takeaway and Trenchers of Whitby won best restaurant. Why are fish and chips in London such a damp squib when the capital excels at every style of cooking under the sun? The UK’s first fish and chip shop was opened in Bow around 1860. But familiarity has fed contempt. Travel websites throw up fish and chips as the British dish tourists are keenest to try in London. Luckily for them, they will find it everywhere from Wetherspoons to Harrods. But it doesn’t mean they’re getting the real deal. Fish and chips conjures images of the seaside, not a London Wetherspoon Getty I must admit to some regional bias; I grew up in Lancashire, where a Northern chippy tea is a full spread of mushy peas, scraps and bread and butter, with a pot of gravy for dunking the battered haddock. Southern softies, alas, have poshed up fish and chips, starting with swapping flavourful haddock for blander cod. Several of the restaurants on The Standard’s list sell deep-fried lobster and Dover sole, too.