Fish and chips used to be 'poor man's meal' – now 'extortionate' prices threaten future of chippy tea

Fish and chips used to be 'poor man's meal' – now 'extortionate' prices threaten future of chippy tea
30 Aug Fish and Chips
Tom Evans

By Tom Evans


Published: 30/08/2022

- 11:43

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:42

Fish and chips is arguably Britain's most famous dish – but it faces an uncertain future with prices going up "extortionately"

Fish and chips could soon be taken off the menu in the UK as a report from the WWF calls for Government action to help protect endangered species.

But in addition to these concerns, the sheer cost of the British culinary classic could also be what brings about its demise.


GB News' Jeff Moody has worked on a special report, after the National Federation of Fish Friers warned that fish and chip dinners could be a thing of the past as the price of cod, oil and energy soars.

He explains: "Our chippy teas are as British as Yorkshire Pudding."

Speaking to Brits outside a fish and chip shop in Swanage, GB News' Jeff was told: "When you go to the seaside you have your rock, your fish and chips, you can hear the seagulls.

GB News' Jeff Moody worked on a special fish and chips report
GB News' Jeff Moody worked on a special fish and chips report
GB News

Fish and chips is a dish that's been enjoyed by Brits for years
Fish and chips is a dish that's been enjoyed by Brits for years
GB News

"It was always better in newspaper.

"Years ago, when I was growing up, it was a poor man's meal.

"Now, we've just bought two lots of fish and chips for £23."

Investigating the rise in prices, Jeff spoke to Bally Singh – owner of Hooked Fish and Chips in West Drayton.

Mr Singh told him: "The fish prices have gone up extortionately.

"It's a struggle to keep our prices reasonable and competitive."

The struggle has not gone by unnoticed, as the National Federation of Fish Friers believes the industry could be on the verge of extinction.

But help does not appear to be on the way.

In a recent report titled 'Risky Seafood Business,' research found that a total of 887,000 tonnes of seafood was eaten by people in 2019 – the equivalent to 5.2 billion portions of fish and chips.

Among the most popular fish included haddock and cod, which accounted for 29 percent of the total.

Bally Singh of Hooked Fish and Chips talks to Jeff Moody
Bally Singh of Hooked Fish and Chips talks to Jeff Moody
GB News

While 81 percent of the seafood was fished or farmed outside UK waters.

WWF spokeswoman Kate Norgrove said: “The ocean is the blue heart of our planet.

“Protecting this precious resource should be the top priority of every single fishery around the world.

“Yet for too long unsustainable practices have gone unchecked, draining the ocean of life.”

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