Thursday June 6 was not only the 80th anniversary of D-Day, it was also National Fish and Chip Day – but did you know the two are connected?
Local pubs William the Conqueror in Rye Harbour and The Ship in the town centre marked the annual celebration by highlighting their fish and chip suppers. Plus of course its always Fish and Chip Day at Marinos on The Mint and the relaunched chippy on The Strand!
National Fish and Chip day returned for its ninth year in 2024 but with a difference: it normally takes place on the first Friday of June, but this year moved to the day before to coincide with D-Day 80 commemorations.
What is the connection between fish and chips and D-Day?
During the Normandy landings, soldiers needed to ascertain whether someone nearby was friend or foe. They used the words fish and chips as a code – one would call “fish” and the other would reply “chips”.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill called fish and chips “the good companions”. Fish and chips were among the few foods not rationed during WW2. The meal was safeguarded to try and keep morale up.
How did National Fish and Chip Day come about?
The day was created by NEODA (National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association) to celebrate the fish and chips industry – from the fishermen who catch the fish, and the farmers who grow the potatoes and peas to the fish and chip shops which cook the iconic dish.
So which was the very first fish and chip shop in the UK?
It is claimed that a young Ashkenazi immigrant named Joseph Malin opened the first chippy in 1860 in London. The shop thrived and it remained in business until the mid-1970s. The Lee family of Mossley, near Manchester also stakes a claim to be the first, but they did not start operating until 1863.
At the dish’s peak of popularity in the late 1920s, there were 35,000 fish and chips shops in the United Kingdom. Today, there are still 10,500 “chippies” in the UK serving 360 million meals of fish and chips every year.
Did you know? About £1.2 billion is spent annually on fish and chips in the UK. Eating fish and chips allows you to gain a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins
Image Credits: Kt bruce , The Ship Inn .