London Pubs, Fish & Chips: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

It’s the July edition of The Session, kindly hosted by trailblazer and 2023 Beer Writer of the Year David Jesudason. He will be publishing all the submissions on his website here and I’m honoured to be included.

The topic this month is PUB FOOD and I present to you a three minute read on a topic close to my stomach: London Pubs, Fish & Chips: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

I don’t really eat meat, so when pubs have a “traditional British” menu, my only option tends to be fish and chips, which is very convenient because I absolutely love fish and chips. I think the combo works really well, so thanks to the Dutch Sephardic Jews (shoutout great-great-great-grandma) who brought over the concept of fried fish in the 18th and 19th century and the Belgians who brought over chips at around the same time, accidentally building us the most “British” of meals.

The thing is, I am increasingly unable to find delicious fish and chips in London pubs. When I have visitors from afar who want “the best English pub meal”, my instinct has always been to take them to my favourite place for the dish – except, I don’t have one anymore. Since Covid lockdowns ended, the drop in quality across the capital has been bigger than the drop from the cliffs overhanging the sea that the fish comes from, and the prices have become higher than the height of the cliffs overhanging the sea the fish comes from, a situation so jarring to me that I can only come up with one metaphor.

I have tried so many London pubs in the past four years, both old reliables from pre-Covid and new finds where I am assured by the recommender “trust me mate the fish is bangin” (fish don’t bang but ok). I find major flaws every time. The batter is often flavourless, or the fish tough and overcooked, or the whole thing too greasy, or weirdly dry given it came from the sea. Don’t get me started on the portion sizes OH WAIT TOO LATE so the fish have somehow gotten substantially smaller, which I don’t think is a biological evolutionary sea thing and feels intentional. This is extra upsetting when I finally find a satisfactory meal, but I’m dropping £25 to go deep sea trawling around on my own plate just to find the cod somewhere. The mushy peas, too – when did pubs start serving them so bland, with no mint or anything else to give them a bit of zip? Anyone can mush a pea, I have seen literal newborns do it, so give me something that proves you are better at making food than a toddler please.

The chips, to be fair, are mostly the same as they always were, but let’s be honest they are the Watson to the fish’s Holmes. Stable, consistent, but no good at solving complex crimes.

“Go to a REAL chippy, then you’ll get the meal you so crave”, I hear you say through a mouthful of moist, flakey haddock. I hear you, friend. I agree that fantastic chippys still very much exist in London, and are perfect for a takeaway. But this Session topic is about food at pubs and all I want is to sit in a cosy one, with an ale, and possibly some friends, while I eat a fish and chips that makes me tear up slightly and the tears go in my mouth and their saltiness just adds even more flavour.

And I don’t believe it is currently possible in London.

In David’s own Session article, he encourages us to drop a few topical reccs at the end of our post (he even suggests a pub with great fish and chips in Lewes just to rub it in) but my piece is about pubs in London and I clearly have nothing for ya. So, go forth, Sessionistas – please find me a consistently delicious pub fish and chips in London that a 17th century Dutch Jew would be proud of.