Have fish and chips had their day

A.� Fish and chips still claim their place as the UK's national dish, according to the Sea Fish Industry Authority. Last year, more than 272 million meals were sold, with at least one in 10 of the population visiting a shop at least once a week. The authority says its figures show the most frequent visitors were 16-to-24-year olds.

Fish and chips, which over the years has been threatened by chicken tikka masala as the nation's favourite, is enjoying success in New Yrok now. An authentic fish and chip shop was recently opened called Salt and Battery, using British equipment and traditional cooking methods, which has attracted huge interest.

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Q.� When did the tradition start

A.� The fish and chip shop is a 20th-century British phenomenon. Charles Dickens mentioned fried fish in Oliver Twist in 1837 and the "oldest chip restaurant in the world" is claimed to date from 1863 in Oldham, but it was not until the turn of the century that there were reports of the two being joined in boiling fat. The author Gerald Priestland in his book Frying Tonight, which details the entire frying ranges and equipment available, wrote: "I have little doubt that it was the area between Oldham and Bradofrd that gave rise to the fish and chip industry."

Certainly the greatest density of chip shops was in the industrial districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire - partly because of the cheapness of the dish. In Manchester in 1913, the year the National Association of Fish Fryers was founded, there were more than 1,200 shops listed in the directory, excluding suburbs.

The industry gradually became regionalised in terms of dishes. The most popular fish overall has always been cod, but in Yorkshire, they prefer haddock, and in Lancashire, hake. In Tonbridge in Kent, fryers insist on dripping, but in Dumfries in Scotland, it is said to be groundnut oil.

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Q.� What's the best way to prepare fish and chips

A.� The fat is said to be all important. You can tell where your takeaway comes from by the fat. In Lancashire, the fryers use 90 per cent palm oil and three per cent dripping, whereas at the other end of the country, in Devon, the ratio is 48 per cent palm oil to 10 per cent dripping. The potoatoes are a bone of contention too. Some prefer King Edwards, others Maris Piper, and many fryers claim to have a secret batter recipe.

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Q.� What are the fish and chip awards

A.� The 2001 Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Awards take place at the end of November. The event takes place at the Cafe Royal in London with celebrity Tara Palmer-Tompkinson. The finalists are:

1. Allports Fish & Chip Shop, Y Maes, Pwllhelli

2. Anstruther Fish Bar, Shore Street, Anstruther, Fife

3. Brownsover Fish Bar, 124 Hollowell Way, Brownsover estate, Rugby

4. Cemetery Chippie, Keighley Road, Colne, Pendle

5. Fish N Fritz, 9 Market Street, Weymouth

6. Fryers Plaice, Priestpopple, Hexham, Northumberland

7. Raffos, 174 Anderstown, Belfast

8. Seafare, 206 London Road, Guildford

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By Katharine MacColl