FOOD OF THE CODS

Sub-titled 'How Fish & Chips Made Britain', here is a delightful exploration of Britain's fish and chip culture, examining how this beloved dish shaped national identity and promoted social equality over 150 years. 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 in his social and sociable history. Travelling from Dundee to Devon via South Shields, Oldham, Bradford, Bethnal Green, the Rhondda Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Largs, Blackpool, Cardiff, to Stamford Bridge, here are stories of pea busters and Grampian tempura, aliens at the frying range, the dripping forecast and tomorrow's chip paper, whether you were raised eating scraps of Wolverhampton's orange chips, London's 'wallies' or Hull's chip sauce, even if you already know whether tea, Vimto or dandelion and burdock is the best accompaniment. Shortlisted for many food and drink book awards, 178 pages.