The Michelin-starred restaurant’s chef Dominic Chapman has sparked a backlash in Britain by calling fish and chips “overrated”.
Chapman, whose signature dishes at the Oxfordshire restaurant include rabbit lasagna, was keen to criticize the chippies in a new interview.
Yet fish and chip shop owners have dismissed the mockery as ‘total nonsense’ – while one industry boss told MailOnline the general British public would be on their side.
Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said takeaway fish and chip shops were “entrenched in our culture” and needed to be “protected”.
The latest controversy comes amid rising costs that are putting traditional crisps at risk – with the number of takeaway shops having fallen from a peak of 35,000 in the 1930s to just 10,500 today.
Michelin-starred chef Dominic Chapman (pictured) singled out fish and chips when asked to identify the ‘most overrated food’
National Fish Fryers Federation president Andrew Crook (pictured) hit back at critics, insisting fish and chips were “entrenched” in British culture.
Fried cod, chips, lemon slices, tartar sauce and peas remain a popular combination
Chapman criticized them during an interview with Restaurant magazine, which asked him to name “the most overrated food.”
His simple response was: “Fish and chips from a fish and chip shop.” »
But Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers and owner of Skippers of Euxton restaurant in Chorley, Lancashire, hit back.
He told MailOnline today: ‘Fish and chip shops have been here for 160 years so we must be doing something right.
“It’s simple ingredients that go well together: fish, potatoes, flour and water, fried. It’s simple but people love it.
“It’s a fun thing to try. Fish and chips as a meal is ingrained here: when Brits go abroad, it’s fish and chips they welcome back rather than a Michelin-starred restaurant.
“I’m sure this chef cooks fantastic food, but people find fish and chips so satisfying. It is part of our culture and something that must be protected.
“I compare our takeaway meals to bakeries in France: people prefer to go to the bakery rather than get the equivalent in a supermarket.”
And Chris Kanizi, owner of the Golden Chippy in Greenwich, south London, told the Telegraph that Chapman’s opinion was “complete nonsense”.
Dominic Chapman achieved a Michelin star in his previous role at the Royal Oak in Berkshire before opening Dominic Chapman Restaurant in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
The restaurant was launched earlier this year in the city’s Relais hotel.
Chapman told Restaurant magazine he enjoyed a “dirty burger” as well as a Greek kebab
National Federation of Fish Friers president Andrew Crook said fish and chips were “a fun thing to try” after Chapman’s comment that they were “the most overrated”.
Mr Kanizi, 65, said: “I cook with fresh fish, traditional fresh fish, fresh potatoes, fresh oil, cooked with great tenderness and care.
“I think it’s completely absurd. I think if everyone cooked fish and chips like him the whole tradition of fish and chips would die.”
Mr Kanizi’s award-winning fish and chip shop hit the headlines last month when council officials ordered a Union flag mural removed, saying it was “inappropriate for the area”.
Greenwich Council said it had received a “number of complaints” about the mural, which features the phrase “A Great British Meal”, saying it was “unauthorized advertising”.
Chapman also revealed in his restaurant interview his fondness for other fast foods, recounting how he enjoyed a “dirty burger” and a Greek kebab and wished he had invented the McDonald’s Big Mac.
His restaurant Dominic Chapman in Henley-on-Thames offers an a la carte menu including an £85 sharing dish of Hereford beef, creamed spinach, tomatoes, wild mushrooms, bone marrow sauce and triple cooked fries.
Other more expensive options include peppered venison leg, cavolo nero, celeriac puree and pepper sauce for £32 – while the same price would also get you steamed Scottish halibut, sambol with coconut, glass noodles and Thai green sauce.
Meanwhile, a study has suggested that eating an extra portion of cod every week could save the NHS £600 million a year by preventing thousands of cases of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Businesses could also save up to £360 million a year in reduced sick leave, according to analysis carried out last month by the University of East Anglia.
A lean source of protein, diets rich in seafood are recommended to help maintain a healthy weight, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.
NHS guidelines recommend people eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish, such as salmon or tuna.
Pictured: Golden Chippy owner Chris Kanizi standing next to the Union Flag mural painted on the side of his restaurant in Greenwich, south London.
The Golden Chippy was voted the best restaurant in London in 2016 by TripAdvisor
Chris Kanizi, 65, holds up fish at his award-winning restaurant in south-east London
Partners Ryan and Kimberly Hughes opened Ship Deck in South Wales four years ago – and in February this year their outlet was named Britain’s best fish and chip shop takeaway.
Reviewers praise Ship Deck for its “excellent service and exceptionally good food,” as well as its “plentiful” portions and good value.
But current estimates suggest that English people generally eat only half the recommended levels.
If increased to two, scientists estimate it could prevent up to 4,900 cases of type 2 diabetes and 18,000 cases of cancer per year, including almost 9,000 bowel cancers.
People could reduce their risks of type 2 diabetes by 15 percent and bowel cancer by up to 42 percent, according to health and economic modeling.
This year’s final Fish And Chip Shop Awards, revealed at a ceremony in London in February, awarded the top takeaway prize to Ship Deck, in Caerphilly, South Wales, led by partners Ryan and Kimberly Hughes.
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