Almost 1,600 portions handed out for free to celebrate awareness day

Lucky Londoners enjoyed a taste of Devon’s finest as Kingfisher Fish & Chips handed out an astonishing 200 free portions of fish and chips an hour in the capital to celebrate National Fish & Chip Day 2018.

Owners of the Plymouth chippy, Craig Maw and Nikki Mutton, were once again called upon to be ambassadors for the national awareness day on Friday 1stJune. Starting at 8am, they served almost 1,600 portions of MSC certified Norwegian cod and chips from their Kingfisher on the Go catering van outside Trinity House, in Trinity Square, the headquarters for the seafarers’ charity, Fishermen’s Mission.

Queues were solid for several hours as the waft of the iconic British dish attracted office workers, tourists, families, workmen and even a passing troupe of Morris dancers. Customers were invited to make a donation to the Fishermen’s Mission and raised over £600.

Celebrations were also taking place in the shop in Plympton where staff handed out vouchers for free fish and chips to 12 lucky randomly selected customers.

Commenting on the day, Craig said, “What an amazing day! We’ve always known that everybody loves fish and chips and the crowds we drew certainly proved that. It was fantastic to see people from all walks of life queuing upto get a taste of the nation’s favourite takeaway.

While we were flying the flag in London, celebrations were taking place in thousands of chippies across the UK including our shop back home in Plymouth. Not only that but social media went crazy with #nationalfishandchipday trending from early Friday morning.

This was a day to bring together all those who work tirelessly to create the dish – from chippies, to restaurants, chefs, fishermen and farmers. There’s a real affection for fish and chips and we hope this day has reminded people to treat themselves to a good old fashioned fish supper.”

National Fish & Chip Day is about giving fish and chips the recognition it deserves and helping to secure its position as the nation’s favourite dish. The national event takes place on the first Friday in June every year and is championed by trade organisation, The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association (NEODA), who represent packers and distributors of oils and fats in the UK. It is backed by key players in the industry.