National dish

What is the national dish of the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom has no official national dish, but fish and chips is the one most often cited: white fish such as cod or haddock dipped in batter and deep-fried, served with thick-cut chips, salt and malt vinegar. It has been a takeaway staple since the first shops opened in the 1860s. Chicken tikka masala and the Sunday roast are its main rivals for the title.

Updated 2026-10-124 min read

Does the UK have an official national dish?

No. No law or government decision names a national dish of the United Kingdom. Fish and chips is simply the dish most often described as one, by encyclopedias, food writers and the chip-shop trade itself.

It has two serious rivals. In 2001 the Foreign Secretary Robin Cook called chicken tikka masala "a true British national dish", because it shows how Britain absorbs outside influences; the dish is generally credited to Bangladeshi chefs working in Britain in the 1960s (more on its roots in our article on the national dish of India). The other contender is roast beef: it became so tied to English identity in the 18th century that the French still nickname the English "les Rosbifs", and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding remains the centre of the Sunday roast.

Each nation of the UK also has its own answer. Scotland points to haggis with neeps and tatties, served at Burns suppers, and Wales to dishes such as cawl and Welsh rarebit.

What is in fish and chips?

The dish has only a handful of parts, and each one is argued over:

The fish: cod or haddock in most shops. Haddock is preferred in the north of the UK, cod in the south, with pollock, plaice or hake as cheaper options.
The batter: flour and water with a little bicarbonate of soda in many chip shops, or flour and cold beer, whose bubbles give a lighter crust.
The fat: beef dripping or lard traditionally, vegetable oil in most shops today.
The chips: thick-cut floury potatoes, fried twice.
The seasoning: salt and malt vinegar, poured on at the counter. In Edinburgh it is "salt and sauce", a thinned brown sauce.
The sides: mushy peas, curry sauce, gravy or pickled onions.

How fish and chips is made

The method that makes chip-shop fish and chips different from home frying is the double fry. In our fish and chips recipe, finger-thick chips are soaked 30 minutes in cold water and dried completely, then blanched at 140°C for 6 to 7 minutes until soft but still pale.

The batter is 200 g of plain flour, a teaspoon each of baking powder and salt, and 300 ml of ice-cold beer, whisked to thin cream and rested 30 minutes in the fridge. The cod is dusted with flour so the batter grips, then fried at 180°C for 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is deep gold and rigid. It drains on a rack, not paper, so the underside stays crisp.

Last, the chips go back in at 190°C for 2 to 3 minutes. Salt them the moment they come out and serve with malt vinegar.

Where fish and chips comes from

The two halves of the dish arrived separately. Fried fish came with Sephardic Jewish immigrants, who coated fish in flour and fried it in oil; Charles Dickens already mentions a "fried fish warehouse" in Oliver Twist (1838). Chipped potatoes were sold in the north of England.

Nobody knows exactly who first put them together. The first recorded combined shop was opened by Joseph Malin in Bow, East London, around 1860, and a Mr Lees sold them in Mossley, Lancashire, in 1863. Railways bringing fresh North Sea fish to industrial cities did the rest: there were over 25,000 shops by 1910 and over 35,000 by the 1930s, against about 10,000 in 2009.

Fish and chips was one of the few foods never rationed during the Second World War, and Winston Churchill called the pair "the good companions". It was long sold wrapped in old newspaper, a practice that has largely stopped for hygiene reasons.

Other dishes to know from the United Kingdom

The full English breakfast became popular in the Victorian era: bacon, sausages, fried eggs, mushrooms, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, baked beans and toast. Our version fries the bacon and sausages first, about 10 minutes, then browns the mushrooms and black pudding in the same pan.

Shepherd's pie is minced lamb simmered with tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and stock for 25 to 30 minutes until the gravy is thick, then covered with forked mash and baked at 200°C. Made with beef, many cooks call it cottage pie, a name first recorded in 1791.

Fish and chips also travelled: it is a staple in Ireland too, which has its own national dish debate in our article on the national dish of Ireland. You will find all three British dishes, with full methods, on our page about the food of the United Kingdom.

For the neighbouring kitchens, see our guide to Western European food.

The recipes

Questions people ask

Is fish and chips the national dish of England or the whole UK?

It is cited for the whole United Kingdom, and it was born in England, where the first shops opened in London and Lancashire in the 1860s. Scotland and Wales also have their own national dishes.

Why is chicken tikka masala called a British national dish?

In a 2001 speech, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook called it "a true British national dish" because it was hugely popular and showed how Britain adapts outside influences. It is generally credited to Bangladeshi chefs working in Britain.

What is the national dish of Scotland?

Haggis with neeps and tatties (swede and potatoes) is the dish most often named, and it is the centre of the Burns supper.

What is served with fish and chips?

Salt and malt vinegar first, then mushy peas, curry sauce, gravy, tartare sauce or pickled onions. In Edinburgh, a thinned brown sauce replaces the vinegar.

Was fish and chips rationed in the war?

No. Fish and chips was one of the few foods in the UK not rationed during the Second World War, which helped keep it popular.

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