It’s been the subject of fierce debate for many years, but what exactly is a bread roll stuffed with chips inside actually called?
Is it a chip cob, a chip barm, a chip roll, a chip sandwich, or something else entirely?
There’s plenty of different regional names for the delicacy, but today – on what is National Fish & Chip Day 2020 – Britain has spoken, and for the firs time, the correct name for this legendary culinary delight can be revealed.
Bosses at takeaway delivery app Foodhub have been scratching their heads like the rest of the country over the delicious dilemma, so to put an end to the arguments, they surveyed the nation to find out the answer to the question that all food fans have been discussing, debating and fighting about for ages.
After much deliberation and a painstaking count of the votes, Foodhub has officially declared the king of takeaway snacks as the ‘Chip Butty’.
According to the 2,000 takeaway fans surveyed by Foodhub in August this year, asking the hotly-debated question of chippy connoisseurs everywhere from John O’Groats to Lands End, a resounding 58% of the nation – four times more than any other option – say that chips served in a bread roll should be called a Chip Butty.
That sounds like a win for us Northerners, right?
Dissecting the results further, Wil Chung – spokesperson for Foodhub – said: “For years, people have argued that it should be called either a chip roll, chip cob, chip barm or a myriad of other titles, but Britain has spoken, and we finally have an overwhelming consensus from the majority of the nation – it is, officially called a Chip Butty.
“The second most popular title for the Chip Butty is chip roll, with 11% of the vote. In third place is chip sandwich, with 6% of the vote, followed by a chip bap (5.75%), chip barm (4.85%) and chip cob (4%).
“There were also regional differences in opinion on this iconic water cooler debate, as you’d expect. For instance – in the North-west there was very little in it between Chip Butty and Chip Barm, Chip Butty winning the vote by just 2%. In London, while Chip Butty was favourite, Chip Roll was also up there with more than 1 in 5 people opting for that choice, and in the East Midlands around Leicester and Nottingham, while Chip Butty took the most votes, chip cob was a close second with almost 3 in every 10 people opting for that title.”
One other thing that is certain, Britain is still very much in love with the classic fish and chips, but across the regions though, there are again some differences in how we like to eat it.
Salt and Vinegar is the overwhelming choice when choosing toppings for the nation’s favourite meal. In the North West, mushy peas (57%) and gravy (24%) feature highly on fish and chips fans must-haves agenda, in London, mayonnaise (25%) and curry sauce (24%) are the big condiment choice.
The nation is also split about how best to eat fish and chips, with 33% saying they prefer to eat it from the paper and 35% saying they’d rather eat it from a plate. Some 44% of us eat our fish and chips with a traditional knife and fork, though almost one in five of us like to eat it with an iconic chippy-style wooden fork.
When it comes to fish itself, a medium sized, lightly battered cod fillet with a medium-sized portion of chunky chips is overwhelmingly the nation’s favourite.
Whatever way, it all tastes like a Friday to us – enjoy your National Fish & Chips Day, Manchester.
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A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.