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-ingredient 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. Read more on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen (many ‘human foods’ like salt are unsafe near animal friends).
A Few Good Homemade Chips Recipes
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.
These homemade sweet potato fries (Broke Bank Vegan) are simple 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.
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 30 to 40 minutes (you can also make this recipe in an air-fryer).
These baked carrot fries (Ela Vegan) give added nutrition, and are much healthier than fried chips. Deep-fat fryers are one of the main causes of house fires, so throw yours out, and invest in a safer air-fryer instead (that needs little or no oil to cook things, and good brands have safety cut-outs). If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can bake these fries in the oven.
Choosing the Right Potatoes
Look for Maris Piper and King Edward. Maris Piper potatoes are popular for their fluffy texture and ability to crisp beautifully. King Edward potatoes also offer excellent cooking qualities, making them a strong choice. These varieties stand up well to frying, giving you that soft and light centre that balances perfectly with a crunchy exterior.
Wash potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Peeling is optional; many chip lovers enjoy the extra texture and flavour of the skin. For even cooking, slice your potatoes uniformly. Aim for roughly 1cm thickness. This ensures they all cook at the same rate, avoiding some burnt while others remain raw.
Nothing beats the classic salt and vinegar. Once your chips are hot and crispy, sprinkle them generously with salt. A drizzle of malt vinegar adds an unmistakable seaside zing. For a true experience, serve them in a paper cone, just like they do at the beach.
Prefer to Buy Chips?
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).
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.
Refuse plastic bags (they make your chips go soggy too). Vegware sells good plastic-free packaging for other items (like pots for mushy peas).
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.
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.
Organic Kofu Fishfree Fillet is made from kombucha-cultured tofu. Delightful with a simple fresh salad or use to create vegan ‘fish’ and chips!
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.
Beer-battered fish & chips is served with mushy peas and vegan tartare sauce. You can’t get any better in a pub, can you?
