fish and chips

There’s no doubt that the United Kingdom is a nation of takeaway lovers.

The average Brit spends £641 a year on takeaways, according to research. But what is the cuisine that we’re ordering more than others.

Delicacies from all over the world are typically seen in towns, cities and villages across the country. Staples such as Indian and Chinese are typically joined by traditional fish and chip shops, as well as offerings including pizzas, kebabs and fried chicken.

But which one comes out on top? Read on to reveal the answer!

And the winner is…

It turns out you can’t beat a good old fish and chips! A poll by online bingo platform JackpotJoy found that battered cod and chips is truly the king of takeaways, with Chinese and Indian outlets in close contention.

  1. Fish and chips – 201,000
  2. Chinese – 165,000
  3. Indian – 90,500
  4. Pizza – 14,800
  5. Thai – 9,900

Fish and chips, Chinese or Indian dominated the map of favoured takeaways. One of the three heavyweights came out on top in all areas of the UK except for Birmingham, where the pizza ruled supreme.

What’s the ideal fish and chips order?

Cod or haddock? Bread and scraps? What sauce do you get?

There are all kinds of options when you get to the counter, but JackpotJoy’s research has tried to nail down a perfect order.

Battered cod understandably rules the roost, with 60% of the 2000 respondents saying it made up their order.

Battered haddock (33%) and battered sausage (26%) also ranked highly – but, before you ask, the battered Mars bar was not quite so successful, with just 2% of those polled saying they would request the sugary treat.

Next up is the thorny issue of what to put on your chips. Salt and vinegar are the traditional classics, but would they make the cut?

Of course they would! Almost half of those polled said a splash of vinegar and sprinkle of salt brought their fish and chips to life.

The nation’s top five favourite chip toppings

  1. Salt and vinegar (44%)
  2. Just salt (12%)
  3. Ketchup (8%)
  4. Curry sauce (8%)
  5. Mayonnaise or just vinegar (5%)

The UK’s fish and chip hotspots

Is it possible to nail down where this love of fish and chips is centred? Well, according to the research, it may well be Norwich!

With a sizable 21.1 takeaway restaurants per 10,000 people in the city and a whopping study-leading 33.9 takeaway searches per 10,000 people each month, it seems that Norfolk is certainly a takeaway capital in the UK.

And the favourite dish in Norwich? You guessed it. Fish and chips.

Just a few short miles from the Norfolk coast, they’re sure to be fresh, which might go some way to explaining the love!