I tried the UK's best fish and chips with secret batter ingredient and the right way to add salt and vinegar
I'm at Yarm Road Fish and Chips in Darlington, which was crowned the UK's best fish and chip shop this year by the National Federation of Fish Fryers (NFFF), to see what the secret behind the takeaway's success is.
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I ask owner Will Burrell what the special ingredient is that makes his fish so tasty as I take another bite. I'm shocked to discover it's beef dripping, which is what the fillets are fried in.
It's National Fish and Chips day today (June 6), and thousands of us are expected to tuck into the British staple to celebrate.
The classic combo remains one of the nation's favourite meals. Brits spend £2 billion on takeaway fish and chips every year, according to the NFFF.
It's only 11:20 in the morning, and the first customers of the day are starting to walk through Yarm Road Fish and Chip's doors.
The takeaway has been here for eight years, and is run by Will, 30, and his parents Julie, 56, and Graeme, 62. Between them, they have 27 years of experience in the business.
Every week, the shop serves 1,200 customers and Friday is their busiest day, when they usually serve 600 hungry locals.
Although their menu includes beef burgers, chicken burgers and even halloumi fries, it's the premium Icelandic cod and chips that customers crave, said Will.
'It's our most popular order, it flies out through the door.' Will said. 'Fish and chips is a comfort food and ingrained in British culture - it's here to stay.'
Secret to success
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Customers are piling into the shop for their lunch, including regular customer John Wood, 65, from Middelton St George.
He's ordering his favourite meal, cod and chips, and visits the takeaway once a fortnight. 'I usually get a small portion, but sometimes I get a large if I'm feeling hungry - I don't let the missus know though.
'I'm a truck driver so I go to fish and chips around the country, and this is the best one.
'The chips are excellent, and the batter on the fish isn't soggy and doesn't taste of old oil, which is what you get sometimes at other places.
'The prices are decent, and the portions are a really good size.'
A regular portion of fish and chips costs £9.90 at Yarm Road Fish and Chips, 48p less than the national average of £10.38, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The shop is able to keep prices affordable for customers because portion sizes are closely monitored and fish is cooked to order, which helps to minimise food waste. 'We're not shoving in chips and we weigh portions of fish so we can make sure our margins are right,' Will says.
However, it has had to hike prices of all of its menu items by around 10% since 2020, when the cost of ingredients, energy bills, and staff wages all began to rocket.
Despite the cost pressures, Yarm Road Fish and Chips is thriving, but other shops have been less lucky. Some 1,500 shops have had to close their doors over the past 15 years according to NFFF.
Regular customer Scott Henderson, 56, who is a gas engineer from Blaydon, has come in to pick up his regular order of four cod bites, a side of curry sauce, and a fizzy drink for £6.50 at least once a week.
'It's good value and the staff are great, I know all their names and which football teams they support because I've been coming here for six years,' he said.
'The chips are chunky and cooked perfectly because they're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the middle, and the fish is always fresh.
"The curry sauce you get from other places can be a bit like green water, but it has a bit of texture and spice here.'
Donna Hodgson, 63, works at a nearby sheltered housing scheme and is here to pick up 12 portions of fish and chips for hungry residents.
'The fish is hot, light and fresh, and the batter is gorgeous,' she said. 'The staff are also lovely."
Customers go wild for the free batter scraps that are dished out with every portion. 'Our customers either get a bag of them or we sprinkle it over the fish and chips. It's a real regional tradition, if you don't give out scraps you wouldn't do very well."
Will says the secret behind the shop's great tasting cod is that the fish is frozen on the boat to keep it fresh and preserve flavour.
Once the fish arrives at the shop, it's cooked to order and fried in beef dripping.
To get the best flavour out of your meal, Will advises adding vinegar before the salt.
I followed his advice, and it made a real difference to my meal.
The vinegar is less overpowering this way, and doesn't mask the salty flavour you want from a fish and chips tea.
My only regret is that I haven't been using his trick sooner - and I'll be sure to do it every time now.
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