Most people in England love nothing more than a bag of chips by the seaside. But wrapping them in newspaper is now banned for health and safety, and most chip shops use palm oil. Instead, try this 3-ingredienet recipe for baked French fries (Simple Vegan Blog). Just Russet potatoes, and a little salt and olive oil.
Avoid chips for young children and those with swallowing difficulties, due to choking hazards. Read more on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen (many ‘human foods’ like salt are unsafe near animal friends).
Having said that, local chippys need to be saved from fast food chains littering our streets. it). One farmer had a great idea, to print the registration number of drive-thru customers. So if they lob the packaging out the window, they get a fine in the post, just like with speeding. Most chip shops wrap in paper, so refuse plastic forks (soon to be banned) and plastic bags (makes chips go soggy anyway). Vegware sells good plastic-free packaging for other items (like pots for mushy peas).
The best alternative is to make your own. And you don’t have to live near the seaside. First, throw out your deep-fat fryer (your local fire service will thank you) and replace with an air-fryer from Argos, with little/no oil and safety cut-outs. Or better yet, bake your fries.
This recipe (ElaVegan) for chilli-cheez fries is smothered with melted vegan cheese, or just omit the cheese and serve with salt and vinegar.
We think the best brand is Strong Roots Proper Chips, sold in most supermarkets. Made with potatoes and sunflower oil, there are also skinny chips, sweet potato fries, crispy crinkle fries and root vegetable fries. Recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins (they print the carbon footprint of all packaging).
enjoy traditional (vegan) ‘fish & chips!
The No Catch Co (Brighton) is a traditional chippy, the only difference is that rather contribute to the 2.3 trillion fish pulled from the ocean each year (along with by-catch), everything here is made from plants!
Bottom trawling alone causes more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire aviation industry, and yet nothing is done to address this. This shop instead offers high-protein non-GM soy alternatives to battered fish.
Inspired by London’s Unity Diner (which offers tofish & chips and uses profits to fund its farm sanctuary) and an Off the Hook Truck (that offers free tofish & chips to passers-by), the menu includes ‘cod’ or ‘smoked haddock’ and chips, along with plant-based prawns & calamari, jumbo battered planet-based saveloy sausage and creamy no-cow desserts!
Some outlets (like London’s Sutton & Sons) now offer banana blossom for a full plant-based range. Smaller chippies can order Moving Mountains fishless fillets to appeal to mainstream tastes. The most common choices for fish shop customers are cod and haddock. But with over 10,000 chip shops in the UK (and cod endangered due to over-fishing), alternatives are needed. Most chip shop fish is sourced from Iceland and Norway, with over 10% coming from one trawler (Kirkella). Yet when asked, just a third of MPs knew that most fish sold is from waters beyond the UK and EU.
Young People’s Trust for the Environment reports that some even sell shark (called ‘dogfish, huss or rock salmon’). Sharks are also seriously over-fished, even though they kill less people than toasters, and are vital for ocean ecosystems.
make your own vegan ‘fish & chips!
Banana Blossom fish & chips (The Veg Space) is a simple recipe for a marinated ‘fish’ cooked in a light crisp beer batter. The recipe is by a trained Also try a recipe in the fabulous cookbook Great British Vegan.
Beer-battered fish & chips is served with mushy peas and vegan tartare sauce. You can’t get any better in a pub, can you?
homemade (air-fryed) sweet potato fries
These homemade sweet potato fries (Broke Bank Vegan) are simpel to make, and use an air-fryer. Available from any good electric store, buy new (they have safety cut-outs) and are way safer than chip fat fryers (the leading cause of house fires, although never leave unsupervised). You can then just chop up potatoes and make your own chips, with little or no oil. Sweet potatoes have more nutrients than white potatoes, and are nice served with ketchup.
Did you know that KFC fries are cooked in the same oil as their chicken? And although their fries are vegan here, abroad McDonald’s fries are not abroad? And although their fries are vegan, Burger King ‘plant-based whoppers’ are again cooked alongside the meat? It’s better to make your own.
a recipe for easy oven-baked potato wedges
These easy oven-baked potato wedges (Ela Vegan) are an ideal excuse to stay home and enjoy a beer while your chips bake, rather than buying greasy chips from takeaway stores. To make, simply line a baking sheet with natural parchment paper, then toss the cut potatoes in a bowl with your seasonings. Bake for around 3o to 40 minutes (you can also make this recipe in an air-fryer).
Read up on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen (many foods including onion, garlic and salt are unsafe around animal friends).
If you like this recipe, check out Michaela’s amazing recipe book. It has visual ingredient lists, unique recipes and incredible reviews. It’s independently published (so a bit more expensive to buy than your usual fodder) but you’re then rewarded with years of delicious food you can make yourself
