Despite increasing numbers of celebrity chefs, cooking shows and campaigns to improve the nation’s diet, research reveals that 27% of Brits still don’t feel confident in the kitchen. In fact, one in 10 of us admit we simply can’t remember the ingredients for British classics such as Yorkshire puddings. But help is at hand, as supermarket chain Morrisons has created the UK’s first ‘Food Laureate’, to provide the nation with simple poems to help them prepare their favourite dishes. What’s more, the poems along with filmed live demonstrations will be available on www.morrisons.co.uk/foodlaureate and Morrisons is challenging the nation to share its own rhyming recipes, to add to the collection. In this video, chef Peter Sidwell shows how rhyme can help cook the classic British dish, fish and chips.

Ingredients

For the batter:

• 110g self-raising flour

• 200ml real ale, such as Fursty Ferret

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fish and chips:

• 2kg potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

• 2 tbsp oil

• plain flour for dusting

• oil for frying

• 4 fresh pollack fillets (cut into approx 150g portions

– ask your fishmonger), rinsed and patted dry

• malt vinegar, to serve

• lemon wedges, to serve

Directions

1 To make the batter, beat together the self-raising flour and beer. Season and set aside for around 30 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, then toss in 2 tbsp oil and season. Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes until golden and fully cooked, turning half way through the cooking time.

3 Meanwhile, sift plain flour onto a plate. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. It is ready when a bit of the batter mixture sizzles when it is dropped in.

4 Dust a fillet with the flour and dip in the batter, using a fork or tongs. Carefully place into the oil and fry for 8 minutes until cooked through. Drain well on the kitchen paper. Cook the remaining fish fillets, keeping the cooked
ones warm in the oven.

5 Serve the fish with the potato wedges, salt and vinegar, and lemon wedges.