I tried Britain's priciest fish and chips – it costs £65, weighs 2.2kg & no one has EVER finished it alone – could you?

Scottish Sun

4 days ago

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BRITAIN'S priciest fish and chips costs £65, weighs up to 2.2kg and puts foodies firmly in their plaice – as no one can finish it.
Hungry diners need a bread knife to cut the super supper at Archie's Fish & Chips in Minster, Kent.
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The Sun's Alex Diaz attempts to eat Britain's largest & most expensive Cod & Chips
Credit: Gary Stone
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Archies Fish n Chip shop owner Alex Povalyaev, 44 preparing a huge fish for frying
Credit: Gary Stone
And the very thought of the ­mammoth platter, which also includes four portions of chips, four sides, four drinks plus bread and butter, had my mouth watering.
The mega-meal — thought to be the country's largest — has gone viral online, racking up more than 12million views on TikTok.
And as a lifelong fish and chips fanatic, grabbing a portion was high on my 'to do' list after I ­moved back to the UK from California ­earlier this year.
Living in Los Angeles for years, I'd switched to a diet consisting mainly of red meat, eggs and dairy, with few carbs — and very definitely no chips. I'd also worked fasting on Wednesdays into my routine.
So it was a perfect storm when I was asked to try finishing Archie's extra large cod meal this week.
To be fair, I was pretty hungry as I settled down to tuck in.
So much so that, when the humongous platter was laid in front of me, I felt ­confident I could put a severe dent in it — if not finish the lot.
Maybe the old me could have coped, but I'm a changed man.
And despite the meal being ­delicious, I had to throw in the towel a quarter of the way through, ­boxing up the leftovers for friends and ­family to enjoy.
Archie's owners, Alex Povalyaev, 44, and his wife Natalia, 52, say they came up with the chippy challenge when pals visited them in April last year.
I visited the seaside town with the UK's best fish and chips
Now word has spread and diners come from as far afield as Peru, California and Germany to give it a go.
Mum-of-two Natalia, originally from Moscow, told me: 'Our friends came to visit us and we wanted to surprise them.
"Alex found the 2.2kg fish, we cooked it, filmed making it and posted it on TikTok — then it went viral.
"It's got almost 4million views, and then people started asking for it, so we decided to put it on the menu and it became really popular.
'People see the big fish meal on TikTok and want to try it.'
Owner Alex now gets stopped on the street by fans wanting his photo because the extra large cod meal has become so famous.
Customers are advised to pre-order the dish to ensure the shop has a big enough piece of fish ready to fry.
Each fillet usually weighs between 1.5kg and 2.2kg after it has been ­battered, compared to a standard cod portion which ­typically comes in at 300g.
Describing how the big dish is just too filling for diners, Natalia said: 'We had one guy message us to ask if he could do it for a challenge.
'If he could manage it, it would be free and, if not, he would pay.
'He almost finished it. He ate all the fish, but he couldn't ­finish the sides and chips.
'He was a big guy, but he couldn't do it. We're still waiting for someone who can. I'd love to see it done.'
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The mega fish is served up by Archies Fish & Chips, Minster, Kent
Credit: Gary Stone