Fish and chips - do Polish people in the UK like this?

I was wondering wether or not Polish people in the UK or anywhere else for that matter like fish and chips as much as I do? (Which is alot!) I work in a factory and we have about 15 Polish workers there and most of them do like fish and chips. Is this unusual?

fish and chips is hardly exotic lets be honest... a fillet of cod in batter isnt reinventing the wheel!!

Find out how many enjoy steak and kidney pies with mushy peas... that will be something interesting to write about!

No.

What is there not to like?

Fish & Chips just totally rules. And the fish part was originally Jewish, so of course Poles will like it; look in any Jewish cookbook - it's like a Polish cookbook without the pork ;)

Well no its not exotic and its not re-inventing the wheel but thats not what im asking is it!
How do you think a proper English fish and chip shop would fair in Poland?

Poles don't seem to have any taste in food whatsoever,

It would do well in poznan with all the expats though :)

Have to disagree with DNZ, warsaw is your best bet, there are more expats than anywhere else there.

Could have a chance, though takeaways are really two a penny around big polish cities...

Given the price point of fish and chips would be 20zl you are moving into the restaurant game..

Mug of tea and 2 rounds of bread n butter please!

Chip buttys may take a little longer to fly here...

with ever expanding takeaway popularity in Poland fish-and-chips could do well in a couple of bigger cities in Poland (especially if it is not very conservatively English), some obstacles should be taken into consideration though - the scarcity (and so also the price) of some of fish types on the Polish market for example -

there were "Bar rybny"s before (late commie times) in many bigger cities in Poland (fish bars with service like in milk bars (so self-service)) and they were quite popular - they acted as takeaways or fish retail also though no fish were sold raw there as far as I can remember - they also had no meals (specially) designed to be eaten in the open, on one's way etc)

Ha ha I agree it would be a little costly given the air fairs at the moment!!
I have just been looking at Poznan and that does look promising lots of students and a strong industrial base. Take aways are two a penny anywhere but this perhaps is something a little different!

Students dont eat 20zl meals everyday, most are hard up with few jobs available (consider why many go to blighty)

Its probably worth a shot, the worst that will happen is you lose £20k...

The strong dose of english arrogance always make it's entertaining for us when you come here....:-)

Well thats another question a good one at that do you think Polish people would prefer traditional cod, plaice and haddock or a more local fish?

these have a merit to themselves and should have their following here
but you (in my opinion) should have more variety icluding local types (say fish salads) to be successful

it perhaps would be adviseable to contact people who were running these old-style 'fish bars' (Bar rybny) to consult them on the menus (or somebody else informed enough) with one caveat that the tastes do change as generations go - what worked well with me and my elders perhaps will not with younger generations

as for cod - it is caught in Baltic too - I am not sure if in quantities enough to fill the Polish market - don't know about plaice but flounder is also available from Polish baltic fisheries

Well perhaps a strong dose of English arrogance is sometimes needed! Besides i doubt wether a bag of chips will cost £4.34p Probably more like 0.70p maybe thats a little more appetizing for the students?

The last time I had fish and chips the fish was substandard...that was about 2 years ago - I dont think most chippers use cod these days - Pollock is supposed to be a sustainable nice fish, but it wasnt even that what I had...Its put me off for life..I'd rather have a McD and I have to say thats the most vile thing on this planet!

I'll stick to Marks & Sparks £10 deal as my over-indulge for the month!

The standard in Scotland is very high. In Aberdeen alone, we have Harry Ramsdens, the Ashvale and the Dolphin. They are all award-winning chippies I think. Many places like the Bluebird, the Byron etc etc are great.

there definitely is a market for a good fish takeaway here - McDonald and similar simply don't do proper fish

Comparing McDonalds fish to the 3 chippers I mentioned is like comparing home-made bigos (reheated for 3 days) to cheap tinned stew. There is none!

English arrogance? Poles are the most arrogant people in the world,


They prefer to eat bottom feeding fish such as Carp. If that can be battered and served with chips you will do very well indeed.

Also how would you incorporate raw cabbage, pickled cucumbers and mayonnaise into a fish supper?

Dnz, that's blasphemy even suggesting that crap, sorry, carp, could even be put alongside chips. Fish and chips with side salad, LOL.

What English arrogance?

błeeee - you don't know what you're saying

a good fish and chips can't be actually beaten by anything Polish in its field (anything as simple and affordable at least)


like that - do you have microwaves in Poland? do you have cars in Poland? do you have roundabouts in Poland?

It also depends on where you get the fish. Although not one of the 3 award-winning places I referred to, the Torry fish bar (many Poles live in Torry) produces the best fish in the NE as it is right next to the harbour and as fresh as it gets. That was one of the boons of living by the sea.

Only at Christmas. Herring is preferred...

So then can we say that perhaps with an iron to straighten out a few details that fish and chips in poland at an affordable price would be a good idea?

smoked sprats are good for a change if not actually better (especially when fresh)

I think it comes down to availability of Cod. Polish way with cod: 1st soak in milk and lemon juice diffuses the smell of fish. That's the only difference I've seen. I have never seen so many variations on how to cook white fish of any kind. Traditional Christmas Holiday must have 13+ dishes.

Aberdeen is as good as you'll get for fish and chips. It really has the freshest and the most succulent pieces of fish. No other city has the range of top chippers in such a small area.

Ahhhh...the Ashvale Whale.....

Regarding the Christmas Carp -

i) How do you get it home from the shop ?
ii) How long do you have to go without bath before Christmas?

you would need to have a good look around in bigger cities to see what kind of competition is already in place (in the fish field) (as far as I know there is little in fish takeaways - McDonald is not value for money and also not really a quality thing)

but in general i think it is a good idea and reckon it is a question of making it affordable enough to succeed with it - still you perhaps need some busy location especially with lots of professionals - I think it would be risky (somewhat risky to very risky) starting in some residential areas

The Ashvale Whale, a top class chunk of fish. The Mods will be happy, I can stay right on topic with this and PD can pitch in too. Have you been to the Dolphin, Szkotja? Harry Ramsdens is a bit commercialised but they have good stuff too.

Branching out a wee bit, there are many other things you can buy in a chipper as us Scots know. Scampi suppers, ya beauty! They usually ask me if I'd like some scampi with my salt, LOL

it is a tough creature - if you bring it home within half an hour in a plastic bag (especially when it is cold - say no heating in the car) it's gonna survive most of the time

then you can also more and more often buy it (almost) ready to be prepared - i.e. killed and gutted

ii - of course it depends on when you get to buy it - waiting for the last moment is not always the best option - in the constant shortage times of commies one would buy carp when only stood a chance - so sometimes no proper bath for over a week

having said that carp is actually awful to my taste - would rahter have fish and chips anyday

Sorry my mistake I thought you were opening a fish and chip shop... maybe I'm confused....;-)

Anyway you could call it The Polish Forum....if you ask for anymore advice they'll want shares in it!

Find out the price of fish, grab £20k and come and do it. Easy.