'I worked at fish and chip shops for five years - but I'd never order 1 fried item'

The warm glow of a chippy's heat lamps is a familiar and comforting sight for many Brits, symbolising the anticipation of crispy batter and fluffy chips. Most people have a favourite order from their local chippy, which numbers over 10,500 across the UK, and according to Great British Fish, these often include cod and haddock. But among the 167 million meals sold in fish and chip shops every year, there are some orders that contain controversial additions.

You might think of jellied eels, curry sauce, or hot gravy, depending on where your regional loyalties lie, but a former fish and chop shop chef has named a different no-go menu item. Jordan Luxford, owner of A-Star Waste Management and Smash'd in Sussex, has worked at several south-coast chip shops and even cooked the British staple at Wimbledon in 2019. He loves a proper chippy as much as the rest of us, yet he says the realities of the fryers have changed how he orders.

Jordan describes the graft that starts long before the doors of a fish and chip shop restaurant open.

He said: "The amount of preparation time needed to get everything ready before opening was a huge surprise to me when I started working in fish and chip shops!

"It takes hours to cut a Friday night's fish and even more hours to peel, inspect and cut 20 bags of potatoes."

He revealed that preparations for a Friday night opening at 5pm would begin at 10 am. With around 10,500 fish and chip shops trading nationwide, according to Seafish and the National Federation of Fish Friers, that effort is repeated on a massive scale across the country.

As for how the fryers fare in the long rush of service, Jordan claimed that "most people wouldn't know that after we cook battered products in our oil we would follow it with a batch of chips".

The chips help to clean the oil of the smaller batter particles that do not get removed by sieving the oil, he explained.

But the oil isn't the reason why the former chippy employee avoids burgers.

He said: "I would never order a fried beef burger! If you want a decent burger get it from a shop with a hot plate to cook it on."

His view is that deep-frying a burger is about convenience, not quality; a griddle or hot plate gives better texture and flavour, while the fryer is best reserved for items that excel in batter.

It's not just burgers that Jordan suggests customers should avoid in the chippy. He noted that those wanting to secure the freshest food should "go for something that isn't in the glass top under the lights".

"Saying that, we would cook anything fresh if a customer asked anyway," said Jordan.

If you're eyeing up cod or haddock, you're in luck - those are in constant demand, turned over fast, and routinely cooked to order, which is part of why they taste so good so often.

Satisfying a sweet tooth can also be done in a chip shop, in the form of deep-fried chocolate bars, says Jordon.

He said that the shops he worked at previously would usually cook them for free alongside an order, as they wouldn't usually have the chocolate bars in stock. At Christmas, you might find some chippies offering festive favourites like deep-fried mince pies sold in Poppie's fish and chip shops across London.

The nation's chip shop habits vary significantly across the UK, as revealed in a 2025 survey commissioned by 555 Amanda and the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF).

The surprising result showed that cod roe had been rated as "very popular" by 18% of fish and chip shop owners, particularly in the East of England, Southeast, Southwest, East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber and Northern Ireland.

After fish and chips, scampi remains the UK's top chip shop item, with 66% of fish and chip shop owners naming it a menu favourite. In Wales, pea fritters and faggots are popular, while Northwest England favours black pudding.

In the East of England and the Southeast, the offering is eclectic and even a little exotic. Saveloy and cod roe appear consistently and fairly evenly spread, but it's the surprising inclusion of pineapple rings that really sets this region apart.