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As It Happens

U.K.'s best fish-and-chip shop could be in line for a Michelin star

After winning best takeout fish-and-chips in Britain, a small shop in Plymouth, England is now being considered by Michelin for a star.
CBC Radio ·
Kingfisher Fish & Chips was just rated the UK's best chip shop and now they may be in the running for a Michelin star. (Kingfisher Fish & Chips)

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Craig Maw and his partner Nikki Mutton have never eaten at a Michelin star-rated restaurant. But Kingfisher Fish & Chips, the takeaway shop they own together, could soon earn the highest culinary honour in the world.

If successful, the unlikely restaurant on the south coast of England would be the first chip shop to ever receive a Michelin star.

"We don't charge restaurant prices and we don't give a restaurant service," Maw tells As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. "What we do provide is award-winning fish and chips."
Craig Maw (right) and his partner Nikki Mutton won this year's best fish-and-chip takeaway in Britain. (Kingfisher Fish & Chips)

Maw isn't being hyperbolic. The Michelin buzz comes on the heels of another victory for the local shop — the 2017 National Fish and Chip Awards just crowned them the UK's best shop. Maw suspects the coveted award might have attracted the interest from Michelin.
"They said Kingfisher is on our radar and we will be visiting next time we are in the area and doing a series of mystery visits," Maw explains. "Immediately, we thought, 'Oh my goodness, we better get our act into gear.'"

Maw already takes great care in sourcing his product. The shop also holds another record for the world's most sustainable fish menu.

"When you bite into the fish, it will just be delicious and juicy — it's actually perfect," Maw says. "It will be nice crispy batter. We use a custom-made batter with back notes of salt and the sea."

Craig Maw and his partner Nikki Mutton show off their 2017 National Fish and Chip Awards trophy in front of the shop. (Kingfisher Fish & Chips)

And the chips? Maw insists they're "crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside." They always come with malt vinegar.

The menu also boasts jumbo battered sausages, steak-and-kidney pies, and pea fritters. But Michelin star or not, Maw says he'll remain true to the U.K.'s national dish.

"Fish and chips is a good, honest product made from four key ingredients, which are oil, flour, fish and chips," Maw says. 

"Provided you're buying the decent stuff, the right ingredients, and putting it together with lots of love — we'll just continue doing exactly what we do."

For more on this story, listen to our full interview with Craig Maw.

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