The history of fish and chips, a famous British dish, goes back to more than 150 years ago. James Alexander wrote for the BBC News that Charles Dickens refers to an early fish shop or fried fish warehouse in Oliver Twist (1839) where the fish generally came with bread or baked potatoes. Winston Churchill called them the good companions, John Lennon smothered his in tomato ketchup, and Michael Jackson liked them with mushy peas.

Fish, chips, and mushy peas

The dish consists of fish fillets coated with batter, deep-fried, and eaten with chips. A posting in wordreference.com mentions that linguistically, chips is the British  equivalent of the American french fries, explained as deep fried sticks of potato, eaten hot. American french fries are commonly thinner than British chips. Meanwhile, according to britishfood.about.com, traditional mushy peas recipe is made with dried marrowfat peas that require overnight soaking.

To try authentic fish and chips, visit Golden Hind a popular place located at Marylebone, an area famous for its bars and Michelin Star restaurants in the heart of London. The fish and chips shop (or chippy in British slang) began its business in 1914 and proudly showed the history of its ownership, managed by Italians for 80 years before Greek managers continued it.

The shop is always full during lunch and dinner.  Service is mostly good and the taste is the element attracting crowds who sometimes wait in line to get some seats.  A menu printed on a simple white paper categorized foods and drinks into fish (fried or steamed), side orders, salads, drinks and desserts.

Golden Hind only serves two types of fish, cod and haddock, for order of traditional fish and chips, with the chips and mushy peas placed as side orders.  The secret of delicious fish and chips is in the freshness of the fish, caught on the day and free from  freezer for Golden Hind.  The homemade batter and tartar sauce are also the essential reasons for regulars to visit the chippy. As in any food establishment, tomato sauce, pepper, salt and vinegar are available on the side.

Serve the chips warm

In writing about traditional English recipes for fish and chips, hiddenengland.com gave some tips on serving the chips. Some people cook the chips then keep them warm until the fish is ready. However, as chips can very easily get soggy when kept warm, it is better keep the fish warm and serve the chips as soon as they are cooked.

Although the Golden Hind is branded as a chippy, it serves a variety of seafood dishes on the menu with fish such as rock salmon, plaice, skate, whole tail scampi and halibut. Listed on the side orders are chips, garden peas, mushy peas, feta cheese fritters, pickled onions, gherkin, Greek mixed pickles, and bread and butter.

Feeding memories

The fish and chips portion at Golden Hind is huge, making this particular chippy a popular spot for hungry tourists and students, especially since the price is reasonable for the food choices. A recent menu listed small cod as £4.90, chips £1.70 and mushy peas £1.00. Drinks range from £1.00 for tea and £1.40 for cappuccino while desserts start from £3.20 for ice cream to £3.40 for bread and butter pudding with custard.

The Golden Hind is recommended by travel and restaurant guides, and as James Alexander of BBC News wrote, fish and chips have fed millions of memories for generations; few can resist the mouth­watering combination ­- moist white fish in crisp golden batter, served with a generous portion of hot, fluffy chips.

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Photo by Terzi Niode.

To try Jamie Oliver’s recipe of fish, chips and mushy peas, click: bit.ly/dP6I1L