Fish and chips has fought off tough competition to be crowned the nation’s favourite takeaway.
A poll of 2,000 adults saw one in four name the classic British dish as the best, beating Chinese and Indian to the top spot.
Nearly one in five Brits visit their local chippy once a week, while another third enjoy a fish supper every month.
And the tradition of ‘Fish Friday’ is also going strong with more than a third of Brits most likely to stop in at the chip shop to signal the start of the weekend.
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As for the ultimate fish supper, battered fish with chips, salt, vinegar and ketchup was voted as the quintessential chip shop combination in the poll by P&G Professional.
But it also emerged that two in five would be put off visiting a chippy if it had dirty or sticky tables, while three in 10 would steer clear if the staff weren’t wearing hair nets.
“It’s clear that in order for this national industry to continue to thrive, Fish and Chip shop owners must maintain the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness,” said Greg Elmore, from P&G Professional.
“While Fish and Chips is perceived as the most quintessentially British dish, one in five would post a bad hygiene rating online.
“Given its impact on the bottom line, cleaning should be a key business strategy for chip shop owners.”
However, despite the focus on hygiene, more than four in 10 would still frequent a chip shop even if it had a hygiene rating below four-stars.
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The study also found three in five adults have a favourite chip shop to visit, citing the quality of its food as the biggest reason for going there.
And almost half go to their preferred chippy because of the customer service while two in five like the good value.
It also emerged almost a tenth of the population would be willing to travel as far as 10 miles for a really good bag of fish and chips.
