Page 11 - The Kettle June 2012

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Oh, he's playing in Buckingham Palace today. Oh, he's

in Japan, touring America, Kenya - the list was endless.

My Mum and Dad lived and worked in the shop for over

40 years. What a record - hard work, no time off but I

suspect they loved it. As I write it's 7.40pm and Dad

would be in his whites saying 'time to go' and the pans

would go into action and it was all ready for an 8pm

opening. They didn't have far to go - just through one

door into the shop.

Of course I didn’t give up fish & chips after I left home.

Watching coverage of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations

reminded me of an old tea stall that used to be in front of

the Westminster Central Hall, where the QE Conference

Centre now stands. It’s long gone now. They sold fish &

chips and pie & chips. If ever we were playing at the

Abbey for state services we would nip over to the fish &

chip stall in the break - and sometimes they would bring

them over for us. I'd forgotten that! Happy days.

The People’s Food

So there you have it, a potted history of fish & chips.

But the story continues. The Prince of Wales has, in just

the past few weeks, launched a campaign to save the fish

supper. Speaking at the World Fisheries Congress in

Edinburgh he said a meal that we take for granted will be

off the menu in future without long-term management of

fish stocks and better scientific research.

So with an eye to the future of the Great British Fish

Supper here is a snippet of what the Prince said.

"

Fish and chips are a part of British culture, one of our iconic

national dishes, but I wonder if it is an aspect of our national

life that we can safely say can be sustained indefinitely?

When I was at school here in Scotland I remember one

occasion buying fish and chips from a shop in Inverness.

It never occurred to me then that I was eating food that had

such a reliance on how we treat a wild natural resource.

But, of course, how we harvest the fish has a direct impact

on how many are left to catch next time. I am delighted that

some pioneering fish & chip shop owners are making the

connection and I am very much looking forward to

discussing what might be done to help them make sure we

can carry on enjoying this peculiarly British tradition.’

Imagine that! A conversation about fish & chips with Prince

Charles.