Britain’s national dish fish and chips takes a battering over Russia-Ukraine war

In ordinary times, Russia supplied between 30 to 40 percent of the fish sold in British fish and chip shops

They have weathered the storm of Brexit and Covid, and are fighting the tide of rising inflation. But thousands of Britain’s fish and chip shops could be sunk by the war in Ukraine.

At Captain’s, in the seaside resort of Brighton, on England’s south coast, owner Pam Sandhu is normally not one to complain.

Yet the shelves of her large refrigerators are empty when they should be full of fresh white fish ready to be dipped in batter and deep fried, then served to hungry customers with piping hot chips.

In ordinary times, Russia supplied between 30 and 40 percent of the fish sold in British fish and chip shops, mostly cod and haddock, said Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF).

Ukraine is the world’s biggest exporter of vegetable oil, which is used for deep frying what the NFFF calls Britain’s “undisputed national dish”.

“With this war in Ukraine, there is no fish available or a very small amount,” Sandhu told AFP. “Before we were ordering in large quantities.