Fish and Chip Day

Fish and chips. pxfuel / CC0 1.0

The first Friday in June is Fish and Chip Day.

As promoters of the day like to note, it always falls on a Fryday.

While there’s no getting away from the fact that the main dish is deep-fried, promoters of the day like to remind us that fish itself is healthy, and that the nutritional profile of the dish can be boosted further by including the traditional add-on for fish and chips, which is mushy peas.

Some fish and chip shops decorate for the day with posters, balloons and / or bunting. A few may offer raffles to customers.

The day is designed to celebrate everyone involved in bringing fish and chips to the public:

“From Fish & Chip shops, pub chains, restaurants, retailers, to the fishermen and farmers who provide the sustainable and natural ingredients needed…” ^[1]National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021. The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.neoda.org.uk/national-fish-and-chip-day/

The goal of the day is to help secure the market for fish and chips by maintaining mindshare:

“The thinking behind National Fish and Chip Day is to try to actively encourage people who either don’t buy, or have stopped buying, fish and chips to re-consider purchasing them again. ” ^[2]National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021.

The day is sponsored by the The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association (NEODA) in the UK. ^[3]”The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association (NEODA) runs National Fish and Chip Day.” National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021.

In the UK, they provide posters, and conduct a well-greased PR campaign in print, radio and TV media.

Partners for the day include “other industry organisations and trade bodies such as Seafish, the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), the Frozen At Sea Fillets Association (FASFA) and The Fisherman’s Mission” ^[4]National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021.

#FishAndChipDay #NationalFishAndChipDay

Website: https://www.neoda.org.uk/national-fish-and-chip-day/

See also: Fish and Chips, Chipping potatoes, Cod, Mushy peas, Fish

Activities for today

• Grab some fish and chips for lunch for a local fish and chips food truck;
• get some take-out fish and chips from your local chippy and have a outdoor picnic lunch or dinner with some friends;
• gather with some friends at your local pub and enjoy some fish and chips there;
• use your air fryer today to try to come up with healthier homemade versions of fish and chips at home.

History

The idea for Fish and Chip Day originated in 2015:

“Back in 2015, one of the finalist businesses of the National Fish & Chip Awards – namely Papa’s Fish & Chips mentioned how a National Awareness Day for fish and chips would be a great addition to the industry calendar. This idea was picked up by a member of the NEODA Board and NEODA decided it was something they could champion, so the first ever National Fish and Chip Day began…” — Happy National Fish and Chip Day. National Federation of Fish Friers. 4 June 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.nfff.co.uk/news/item/happy-national-fish-and-chip-day

It day was launched in that same year, 2015:

“The event has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2015…” ^[5]National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021

A Friday was chosen as it is traditionally the big fish and chip day of the week.

June was chosen in order to not compete too closely calendar-wise with other related yearly fish and chip industry events. And, “the first Friday in June also usually falls on school half term holidays in England and Wales”. ^[6]National Fish and Chip Day – Fryday 4th June 2021.