Overview

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.

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9780008628888

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Reviews

‘This is a lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what, alongside The Beatles, Shakespeare and the NHS, may be our greatest achievement: the “chippy”. Fair warning, it will make you very hungry.’ Stuart Maconie, author of The Full English 'Daniel Gray writes with great humour and takes tender delight in the people he meets. His book is as warm and comforting as a bag of chips on a cold night.' Peter Ross, author of Steeple Chasing ‘Light bite rather than a full fish supper, this is a delightful mix of travelogue and fish-flavoured fact, mixing social commentary with a lot of serious chip consumption. Good fun.' Annie Gray, author of The Kitchen Cabinet ‘Daniel Gray is a master at finding the universal in the local and the profound in the so-called everyday. This book is a walk through the endless delights of being human, wrapped up or open.' Ian McMillan, author of My Sand Life, My Pebble Life ‘As satisfying and tangy as a pineapple fritter after the swimming baths.’ Harry Pearson, author of No Pie, No Priest ‘Warm, wise and witty. Gray's uplifting prose ensures you won't just come away knowing your gribbles from your scrantions – you'll have a wider appreciation of just what it means to be human.’ Charlie Connelly, author of Attention All Shipping 'A highly entertaining, historically nuanced account. Wonderfully atmospheric.' Andrew Martin, author of Yorkshire: There and Back ‘An affectionate appreciation of a great British institution. As tasty as a fresh cod.” Arthur Matthews, writer on Father Ted and Toast of London ‘My three favourite things are fish, chips and Daniel Gray's poetic prose. The fact that he’s now blended them makes me think he is writing books just for me. Buy this book. You’ll want to eat it with salt and vinegar (sauce if in Edinburgh).’ Charlie Baker, Comedian and TalkSport Presenter

‘This is a lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what, alongside The Beatles, Shakespeare and the NHS, may be our greatest achievement: the “chippy”. Fair warning, it will make you very hungry.’ Stuart Maconie, author of The Full English 'Daniel Gray writes with great humour and takes tender delight in the people he meets. His book is as warm and comforting as a bag of chips on a cold night.' Peter Ross, author of Steeple Chasing ‘Light bite rather than a full fish supper, this is a delightful mix of travelogue and fish-flavoured fact, mixing social commentary with a lot of serious chip consumption. Good fun.' Annie Gray, author of The Kitchen Cabinet ‘Daniel Gray is a master at finding the universal in the local and the profound in the so-called everyday. This book is more than a hymn of praise to fish and chips; it's a walk through the endless delights of being human, wrapped up or open.' Ian McMillan, author of My Sand Life, My Pebble Life ‘As satisfying and tangy as a pineapple fritter after the swimming baths.’ Harry Pearson, author of No Pie, No Priest ‘A characteristically warm, wise and witty celebration of our national dish. Gray's beautiful, uplifting prose ensures you won't just come away knowing your gribbles from your scrantions – you'll have a wider appreciation of just what it means to be human.’ Charlie Connelly, author of Attention All Shipping 'A highly entertaining, historically nuanced account. Wonderfully atmospheric.' Andrew Martin, author of Yorkshire: There and Back ‘An affectionate appreciation of a great British institution. As tasty as a fresh cod, but will linger longer than “yesterday's fish and chip paper.” Arthur Matthews, writer on Father Ted and Toast of London

Praise for Daniel Gray’s work… ‘Delightfully written. Countless little gems of recognition and satisfaction, many of them very funny. A lovely little thing.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Nothing but pure, unadulterated joy.’ When Saturday Comes ‘Gray is a master of observing and amplifying the things we love … but wonder if anyone else even notices.’ The Times ‘Gray writes like Lowry paints. Superb’ BBC Lancashire ‘A damn good read.’ Val McDermid

‘This is a lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what, alongside The Beatles, Shakespeare and the NHS, may be our greatest achievement: the “chippy”. Fair warning, it will make you very hungry.’ Stuart Maconie 'Daniel Gray writes with great humour and takes tender delight in the people he meets. His book is as warm and comforting as a bag of chips on a cold night.' Peter Ross 'Engaging … Sprinkled with a digestible amount of social history and commentary. Like the dish, leaves you with a warm feeling afterwards.' Daily Mail ‘Light bite rather than a full fish supper, this is a delightful mix of travelogue and fish-flavoured fact. Good fun.' Annie Gray ‘Gray is a master at finding the universal in the local and the profound in the so-called everyday.' Ian McMillan ‘As satisfying and tangy as a pineapple fritter after the swimming baths.’ Harry Pearson 'A beautifully written paean to our greatest meal.' Stephen Moss ‘Witty, authoritative and timely. … Vivid, rich prose shimmering with warmth and a belief in the fundamental goodness of people.’ The New European ‘Warm, wise and witty.’ Charlie Connelly 'A highly entertaining, historically nuanced account. Wonderfully atmospheric.' Andrew Martin ‘An affectionate appreciation of a great British institution. As tasty as a fresh cod.' Arthur Matthews ‘There's a fantastic musicality to Gray's writing. We hear the sizzle of the fryer, the lilts of local accents and the buzz in the air as people wait in anticipation for their food.’ The Scots Magazine

Author Information

Daniel Gray is a writer, broadcaster and magazine editor from Stockton-on-Tees. He's published a host of critically acclaimed books on football and Scottish history, edits Nutmeg magazine and presents the When Saturday Comes podcast. He's previous presented for HistoryHit and written for the BBC. He can be found on Twitter as @d_gray_writer

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