The story of Britain’s fish and chips obsession. ‘Gray is a master of observing and amplifying the things we love.’ The Times The story of Britain’s fish and chips obsession. ‘Gray is a master of observing and amplifying the things we love.’ The Times A richly entertaining celebration of Britain’s national dish and its iconic neon houses. There is a corner of every town and city in Britain where the air is tangy with vinegar and thick with the scent of frying. It is almost impossible not to follow this mesmeric vapour trail, fuelling a nostalgic rush of parents across the land declaring ‘Chippy tea!’, followed by the golden anticipation of the chip shop queue. In this lively and relatable book, acclaimed author Daniel Gray ponders the magic of chippies and rejoices in the delights they have sprinkled among us over the last 150 years. He investigates the social – and sociable – history of fish and chips, revealing the shared truths that bind us to this edible institution and its charismatic outlets. By travelling to chippies across Britain, the celebrated and the unheralded, he will show how many of the themes that shape our country are drizzled in vinegar. Chippies have emancipated working class women, brought equality for immigrants, amplified regional and class differences and shaped local and national identity. Gray’s journey – from Dundee to Devon via South Shields, Oldham, Bradford, Bethnal Green, the Rhondda Valley and elsewhere – gets under the skin of today’s fish and chip nation to answer some of the most pressing questions… Where is the ‘scraps border’? Tea, Vimto or dandelion and burdock: which drink makes the best accompaniment? Do fish and chips taste better when eaten in the open air? And what do regional variations – Wolverhampton’s orange chips, London’s wallies, Hull’s chip spice – tell us about their locales? This mouth-watering book is as much about who we are as what we eat. ‘This is a lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what, alongside The Beatles, Shakespeare and the NHS, may be our greatest achievement: the “chippy”. Fair warning, it will make you very hungry.’ Stuart Maconie, author of The Full English 'Daniel Gray writes with great humour and takes tender delight in the people he meets. His book is as warm and comforting as a bag of chips on a cold night.' Peter Ross, author of Steeple Chasing ‘Light bite rather than a full fish supper, this is a delightful mix of travelogue and fish-flavoured fact, mixing social commentary with a lot of serious chip consumption. Good fun.' Annie Gray, author of The Kitchen Cabinet ‘Daniel Gray is a master at finding the universal in the local and the profound in the so-called everyday. This book is more than a hymn of praise to fish and chips; it's a walk through the endless delights of being human, wrapped up or open.'Ian McMillan, author of My Sand Life, My Pebble Life ‘As satisfying and tangy as a pineapple fritter after the swimming baths.’ Harry Pearson, author of No Pie, No Priest ‘A characteristically warm, wise and witty celebration of our national dish. Gray's beautiful, uplifting prose ensures you won't just come away knowing your gribbles from your scrantions – you'll have a wider appreciation of just what it means to be human.’ Charlie Connelly, author of Attention All Shipping 'A highly entertaining, historically nuanced account. Wonderfully atmospheric.' Andrew Martin, author of Yorkshire: There and Back ‘An affectionate appreciation of a great British institution. As tasty as a fresh cod, but will linger longer than “yesterday's fish and chip paper.” Arthur Matthews, writer on Father Ted and Toast of London Daniel Gray is a writer, broadcaster and magazine editor from Stockton-on-Tees. He’s published a host of critically acclaimed books on football and Scottish history, edits Nutmeg magazine and presents the When Saturday Comes podcast. He’s previous presented for HistoryHit and written for the BBC. He can be found on Twitter as @d_gray_writer • A prolific and accomplished writer, previously published by Bloomsbury • Nearly 8k followers on Twitter as @d_gray_writer • Collaborates with HistoryHit on video • Editor of @nutmegmagazine and host/producer of the ‘When Saturday Comes’ magazine podcast • Daniel’s books have been widely praised in broadsheet papers ad sold c. 25k copies. • His last book, ‘The Silence of the Stands’, is shortlisted for Football Book of the Year at the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards 2023 Competition: Red Sauce Brown Sauce;Pie Fidelity;Scoff;Liquid History;English Food;The Kitchen Cabinet;Fish and Chips. By;Felicity Cloake;Pete Brown;Pen Vogler,John Warland;Diane Purkiss;Annie Gray;Lizzie Collingham;Panikos Panayi;Ned Palmer
Publicat de: HarperCollins Publishers