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fish and chip shops

johnny082 said:
Does anyone know if the chippy at the corner of Abbey Road and Slade Road Erdington still exists? That was our local and I still remember taking the Birmingham Mails to them for wrapping the fish and chips in
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I knew it as "The Arches" (see 1st photo below). Pity it's gone, I had many a bag of chips from there ;).
Morturn said:
I recall Winnies on Streetly Road by the 65-bus terminus. They had this hand chipping device with a long lever. In the early 60’s it became the Blue Lagoon. One that started well, then went downhill very quickly selling coley instead of cod. Looks like its called Binny’s now.

Pete’s Pan on Yardley Wood and Trittiford Road is a decent chippy. Super large portions. Another decent one is Flakes on St Marys Row, Moseley.
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I remember they used Jersey Mids (potatoes, when in season) to make their chips for a while (possibly in the early 70s). They cost a bit more, but they were well worth it and so very tasty, that I still remember them 50 years later! (photo 2).

There was another shop on Gravelly Hill Road @ Six Ways, Erdington (near Harry Parkes), where we asked for "2d worth of chips" on the walk back from playing school's football matches at Spring Lane and Jaffray playing fields in the 60s, and the shopkeeper often included some "scratchings" from the bottom of the fryer for us and what about the superbly named shop on the High Street? (photo 3).

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Anyone remember a chippy that in 1970's was in Long Acre near Cuckoo Bridge. Run by Pete and Nitsa . Tried to look on google but it is so different around there. Pete's brother ran a chippy in the Horse Fair in town, opposite the Dome. Think the family name was Elias.
 
Richard Dye said:
We have been smoking meats for about 5 years and recently purchased a large smoker, so far just smoked pork and beef. My next try is salmon but you whet my appetite with the haddock1 I am moving carefully so as not to mess too much up, thanks for the idea!
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Hot, or cold smoking?

Fish here is cold smoked.

Try hard boiled eggs. Shell off, Smoke for an hour. Sliced, pepper, on good, wholemeal bread and butter.


Steve.
 
While there is a single reference to a fried-fish warehouse in Oliver Twist (1839), people do not eat fish and chips, they generally eat pies or oysters, then a food for the poor. Fagin, the Jewish leader of a gang of pick-pockets passes the warehouse which is in an unsavoury area. Perhaps this is evidence supporting the claim that the Jewish community introduced fried fish to London.

"Near to the spot on which Snow Hill and Holborn Hill meet, opens, upon the right hand as you come out of the City, a narrow and dismal alley, leading to Saffron Hill. In its filthy shops are exposed for sale huge bunches of second-hand silk handkerchiefs, of all sizes and patterns; for here reside the traders who purchase them from pick-pockets. Hundreds of these handkerchiefs hang dangling from pegs outside the windows or flaunting from the door-posts; and the shelves, within, are piled with them. Confined as the limits of Field Lane are, it has its barber, its coffee-shop, its beer-shop, and its fried-fish warehouse. It is a commercial colony of itself: the emporium of petty larceny: visited at early morning, and setting-in of dusk, by silent merchants, who traffic in dark back-parlours, and who go as strangely as they come. Here, the clothesman, the shoe-vamper, and the rag-merchant, display their goods, as sign-boards to the petty thief; here, stores of old iron and bones, and heaps of mildewy fragments of woollen-stuff and linen, rust and rot in the grimy cellars."
I think street hawkers would buy stock from the warehouse and sell fried fish from a board. I'd say the reference is part of the Jewish stereotype of Fagin as Dickens does not refer to fried fish as a street food or eaten with or without potatoes elsewhere.
 
But the Jewish community did not invent proper english fish and chips, which were cooked in lard or dripping. Unfortunately this practice has been corrupted and is now rare. The Jewish product always used oil
 
mikejee said:
But the Jewish community did not invent proper english fish and chips, which were cooked in lard or dripping. Unfortunately this practice has been corrupted and is now rare. The Jewish product always used oil
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No-one said they did. If Jewish people from Portugal introduced fried fish in oil, then fried potatoes had a different source. I don't think it is clear who first put fried fish and fried potatoes together. They are certainly not eaten in Dickens. Here's another popular history. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/history-fish-chips-timeline
 
I looked at Dorothy Hartley's Food in England (1954), but she has only disparaging words for commercial battered fish and chips. It seems that passing off catfish as more expensive white fish has a long history! (Incidentally at £3.99 the book is a bargain on Kindle.) Screenshot 2022-08-28 at 08.57.47.png
 
mw0njm. said:
i dont care i have just had a bowl of mr brains faggots and peas for supper:yum
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Ah, that would be the OLD and ORIGINAL Brains Faggots, they were made correctly. The ones that are CALLED Brains Fagots today, are tasteless and contain more bran than anyone ever wanted...YUK. The original Mr. Brains, were delicious. BUT! We have to eat what is good for us don't we....I am 82 and was brought up on all the food that was bad for you, it tasted so good. I mean, what was better than a dripping sarnie with salt, and especially in Nan put the goodness in it (Goodness=The black bits) Happy childhood days!
 
Hartley's is a very interesting book, but would not agree with those comments as a generalization at the time it was written, though probably is often true today with some shops trying to cut costs. It likely was /is true in London, where there seemed to be a liking for "rock salmon", otherwise known as Huss or dogfish. In the north and scotland haddock or cod has always been appreciated as the proper fish to use. in proper fish & chips emporia. .
 
Stokkie said:
I looked at Dorothy Hartley's Food in England (1954), but she has only disparaging words for commercial battered fish and chips. It seems that passing off catfish as more expensive white fish has a long history! (Incidentally at £3.99 the book is a bargain on Kindle.) View attachment 172738
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Goodness she is not very nice or helpful for that matter! Also are catfish native of England in abundance?
 
mikejee said:
Hartley's is a very interesting book, but would not agree with those comments as a generalization at the time it was written, though probably is often true today with some shops trying to cut costs. It likely was /is true in London, where there seemed to be a liking for "rock salmon", otherwise known as Huss or dogfish. In the north and scotland haddock or cod has always been appreciated as the proper fish to use. in proper fish & chips emporia. .
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I've eaten Huss in Cornwall, as we don't get it here. Good taste and texture, but it was very fresh. 'Rock Salmon' is a bit of a red herring.
I expect Dorothy Hartley would object to 'bought cake' - I've read little of it, but was aware of her work as she is still quoted as a food historian.
 
Richard Dye said:
Goodness she is not very nice or helpful for that matter! Also are catfish native of England in abundance?
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I've seen a few local fish & chip shops prosecuted for passing off catfish as cod in the past 25 years I've lived in Worcestershire. The attraction is that frozen catfish are much cheaper from a fish merchant than Icelandic cod. The shops could sell it as catfish perfectly honestly, but customers wouldn't pay best cod prices. Derek
 
SuBee said:
Chips Chips and more Chips please

Mary..............I've had fish and chips from Ninevah Road too, and they are smashin!

My Local Fish and Chip shop as a child was in Booth Street Handsworth. When we came out of The Regal Picture House on a Saturday morning, we would walk down Booth St and get a sixpeneth of chips, batter bits and a pickled onion each........you are so right John, the portions were huge and could be shared by all.

I miss the newspaper wrapping.............I'm not sure if its psychological or not, but fish and chips just dont taste the same anymore :(

PS - Nowadays 'Orange Chips' from Queenies in Great Bridge are to die for, physically and emotionally. They are coooked in dripping I think?........huge chunky beasts, orange in appearance and taste like heaven.....real 'heart clogging' cuisine. We risk them at least once a year :wink:
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I lived on Booth Street and the chippy was run by a man called Tony...every Friday he would let us kids have all the chips left around 10 when he closed...we lived just up from there in Oakfield terrace... great times
 
Gerry Cannell said:
Ah, that would be the OLD and ORIGINAL Brains Faggots, they were made correctly. The ones that are CALLED Brains Fagots today, are tasteless and contain more bran than anyone ever wanted...YUK. The original Mr. Brains, were delicious. BUT! We have to eat what is good for us don't we....I am 82 and was brought up on all the food that was bad for you, it tasted so good. I mean, what was better than a dripping sarnie with salt, and especially in Nan put the goodness in it (Goodness=The black bits) Happy childhood days!
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Not quite as old but I was brought up on “whatever I could get” including your nans dripping sandwiches and baked beans on toast!
 
Richard Dye said:
Not quite as old but I was brought up on “whatever I could get” including your nans dripping sandwiches and baked beans on toast!
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I'm a mere babby, but Mom was born in 1908 and the daughter of a cook for a big house. She taught me to mince meat for our own faggots and wrap it in kell. We made brawn, ate lambs' brains on toast and cooked pig's head and trotters. Delicious as is dripping on fresh bread. I made faggots for our kids and said they were meatballs. All eaten! Best lard with rosemary and plenty of salt and pepper was good if there was no dripping.
 
Stokkie said:
I'm a mere babby, but Mom was born in 1908 and the daughter of a cook for a big house. She taught me to mince meat for our own faggots and wrap it in kell. We made brawn, ate lambs' brains on toast and cooked pig's head and trotters. Delicious as is dripping on fresh bread. I made faggots for our kids and said they were meatballs. All eaten! Best lard with rosemary and plenty of salt and pepper was good if there was no dripping.
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Be right over :) Unfortunately no faggots and peas here! On a different note I was up at 5 this morning and am smoking a 12 # leg of pork the butt portion. I marinated last night for about 10 hours, its in a pellet smoker with hickory & apple wood at 225f. I have done this before with a wet smoker first time with a pellet. Fingers crossed!
 
Richard Dye said:
Be right over :) Unfortunately no faggots and peas here! On a different note I was up at 5 this morning and am smoking a 12 # leg of pork the butt portion. I marinated last night for about 10 hours, its in a pellet smoker with hickory & apple wood at 225f. I have done this before with a wet smoker first time with a pellet. Fingers crossed!
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Very nice Richard! That pork should be tasty when it's finished. I'm not sure about the peas, but you could certainly make your own faggots, given the ingredients. I could post one in another thread. Getting hold of kell (caul) you would need a traditional butcher, or raise your own hogs! I think they mostly use beef kell these days. Or wrap the faggot in bacon. Derek
 
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Stokkie said:
Very nice Richard! That pork should be tasty when it's finished. I'm not sure about the peas, but you could certainly make your own faggots, given the ingredients. I could post one in another thread. Getting hold of kell (caul) you would need a traditional butcher, or raise your own hogs! I think they mostly use beef kell these days. Or wrap the faggot in bacon. Derek
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Derek, I would like to give the faggots a try if you would post the info!
 
Richard Dye said:
Going to try both, hot & cold. Are the eggs hot or cold smoked?
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I only ever cold smoked. I also did Pheasant breasts. Again, excellent on b&b. Also, woodpigeon breasts, then made into pate. Fabulous.

MODS. This is not "off topic". My smoker was in my garden, :D:D:D

Steve.
 
Posted traditional faggot recipe in Food History Thread (open to the food smoking crew and, sausage making, pork pie making interests too if people would like to contribute.) Now back to fish and chips and fish and chip shops!
 
mikejee said:
But the Jewish community did not invent proper english fish and chips, which were cooked in lard or dripping. Unfortunately this practice has been corrupted and is now rare. The Jewish product always used oil
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I still cook my homemade fish and chips in lard. Plain flour, pinch of salt and dry cider to make the batter, nice chunky chips and a slice of bread and butter.
 
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