Shortlisted for Debut Food Book of the Year at the Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards 2024

Guild of Food Writers 2024 Finalist, Food Book of the Year

‘A lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what may be our greatest achievement: the chippy.’ Stuart Maconie

Step inside and unwrap this deliciously entertaining look at Britain’s national dish.

There is a corner of every town and city in Britain where the air is tangy with vinegar and the scent of frying. Following the irresistible lure, Daniel Gray ponders the magic of chippies and the delights they have sprinkled among us for the last 150 years as he investigates the social – and sociable – history of fish and chips.

Travelling to chippies from Dundee to Devon via South Shields, Oldham, Bradford, Bethnal Green, the Rhondda Valley and more – Daniel Gray explores our fish-and-chip nation to show how chippies have helped emancipate women, promote equality for immigrants and shape local and national identity.

Whether you were raised eating scraps of Wolverhampton’s orange chips, London’s ‘wallies’ or Hull’s chip spice – even if you think you know whether tea, Vimto or dandelion and burdock is the best accompaniment – this mouth-watering book is as much about who we are as what we eat.

In this top non-fiction, Gray takes us on a regional journey through the ethnic corners of Britain, from English chippies to Scottish fry-ups, and Welsh delights. His narratives, as crisp as the chips he describes, serve as essays on cooking, culture, and identity.

For fans of Jonathan Wilson (Kick and Run), Jon Spurling (Death or Glory), Alan Partridge (Alan Partridge), Tim Rich (On Days Like These), and Pen Vogler (Scoff).

HarperCollins 2023

Food of the Cods: How Fish and Chips Made Britain

Food of the Cods: How Fish and Chips Made Britain