Regarding Ken's aspersions about our great traditional meal. Unfortunately, I can not find evidence to deny the suggestion and there is a part of me that suspects it could be true. What certainly is true is that much of the cod landed on the E. Coast during the heydays of the fishing industry (prior to the Cod Wars of the '70's) was over 3 weeks on ice and so went straight to the smokehouses to mask the off flavours.
An alternative explanation relates to the tradition of cooking in beef dripping; the vinegar, we believed helped to clear the waxy coating. As a north-country man in my youth, I have long experience of eating fish and chips from newspaper whilst freezing on street corners and the dripping setting round my mouth. Believe me I haven't worn lipstick since.
All this comes from a man who is adding a new venture to his portfolio. Yes, I'm opening a Fish and Chip shop. I would tell you that you will be able to find it off junction 26 of the M5, go straight into Wellington through two sets of traffic lights and it is 200 yards on the right but then Pam would have me off the List for advertising, so I won't. Besides, if you all climbed in your boats to row over here you would find that they have a bad reputation in the West Country when they see armadas on the horizon.
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