Fish and chip shop aficionados are often in the dark about what goes on behind the scenes of their favourite fry-ups. Jordan Luxford, a seasoned chippy worker with five years under his belt and now running A-Star Waste Management in Sussex, has lifted the lid on industry secrets many Brits wouldn't know.
Spilling the beans, Luxford highlighted a little-known trick: "Most people wouldn't know that after we cook battered products in our oil, we would follow it with a batch of chips." The Mirror shares his insights about this surprising method to remove lingering bits of batter post-sieving.
Luxford, once whipping up delectable dishes in Wimbledon, mused over the vast range of items that get dunked into the deep fryer-ranging from classic cod and haddock right through to chocolate bars masquerading as dessert. Despite having a wealth of hands-on experience, Luxford admits there's one item he gives a wide berth: "I would never order a fried beef burger! If you want a decent burger, get it from a shop with a hot plate to cook it on.", reports the .
Most of us nip down to our local chippy for some delightful fish and chips, but insiders have revealed there's a tasty twist beef burger fans might want to try next time. "If you want a freshly cooked item go for something that isn't in the glass top under the lights but we would cook anything fresh if a customer asked anyway."
Regulars at some chip shops are getting an unexpected treat, as Jordan disclosed: "Fried chocolate bars have always been popular too. We would usually cook them for free alongside an order and as we wouldn't have the chocolate bars in stock, the customer would be asked to bring them with them and we would cook them at the same time as the rest of their order."
Chip shops across Britain might seem straightforward, but take a peek behind the scenes and you'll discover the shockingly hard work put into preparing those beloved chips and fish, according to chip shop owner Jordan.
Releasing the scoop on what happens before service begins, Jordan says: "The amount of preparation time needed to get everything ready before opening was a huge surprise! It takes hours to cut a Friday night's fish and even more hours to peel, inspect and cut 20 bags of potatoes. Prep for a Friday night, opening at 5.30 pm would start at 10 am."
This eye-opening insight into the unseen labours behind a swift fish and chip meal could leave diners with a newfound appreciation for the diligence of our nation's chippy workers.