Master the art <strong>of</strong> frying with... www.me-ff.com Martyn Edwards - Frank Ford Limited Limerick Works, Limerick Road, Dormanstown, Redcar, Cleveland TS10 5JU T: 01642 489868 F: 01642 492489 E: sales@me-ff.com
Mr E Frier Up for a scrap Scraps, batter bits, scrapings, scratching, shoddy, nips... everybody has a different name for them, it’s ironic that we are all striving to put out a low fat product, cooking our product at the correct temperature, using the correct oils or fats, using a bigger healthier chip, the list goes on and all the customer can say is “have you got any scraps and can you put some on my chips?” I don’t believe it! As Victor Meldrew used to say, well I do believe it, in an attempt to make my top box display a little bit more organised and trying to stop sausage fat and the like going down the drain holes and going into my frying medium, I introduced some stainless steel bowls to keep the product in, so that the oil would collect in the bowls and not go into the chip pans. At the same time I put some scraps into a stainless steel dish and lo and behold the punters started to ask for some on their food, some have even asked how much they cost (if only I had the cojones grandes to charge for them). All my customers, whether they are A’s or right down the E’s <strong>of</strong> the populace, seem to like a few scraps. I did hear <strong>of</strong> a “posh” fish and chip shop/restaurant in Leeds who were actually charging 2 squid a pop for a portion <strong>of</strong> scraps as a starter, I think they may have tarted them up with up with a little black pepper, lemon or similar, but still 2 quid – it makes your eyes water! Having said that, the restaurant has since gone pear shaped and is no longer trading. Anyway, as a compromise, instead <strong>of</strong> charging for scraps we now have a sign up asking our customers for a small contribution in our charity tin, which seems to have the desired effect, the tin is filling up nicely!! PS: Don’t tell the FSA about the scraps otherwise the health police may be paying us a visit! Southern dis-comfort? To move onto other matters, at an informal <strong>Friers</strong> meetings a few weeks ago, someone pointed out about the Norf influence in the NFFF. Let me explain, on the committee you have yer EC members such as Tracy Poskitt who is based in Bridlington, Mark Drummond who’s shop is in Bradford, Richard Ord who is trading in South Shields, Andrew Crook coming over onto the other side <strong>of</strong> the Norf over in Chorley in Lancashire and John Wild from sunny Morecambe which is also in Lancashire. If you throw a stone across the water you have Alan Hanna over in Ireland and there you have the Northern cluster. If you then move down and over to the left <strong>of</strong> the country we have the Welsh representative Adrian Herdman, then moving over to the Midlands you have the main man, Gregg Howard, who from how you perceive it is the Southerner out <strong>of</strong> the bunch (but then depending from where you are reading this, he may well be perceived as a Northerner!) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking any <strong>of</strong> these guys, as they are all good at what they do, they all have a passion for <strong>Fish</strong> & Chips and all have the NFFF and championing the cause for the fish frying community at heart. What I’m suggesting is that at the moment the South has no representation, likewise up in Bonnie Scotland the picture is the same, surely there must be a few <strong>Friers</strong> either North or South who could put their hand up and ask to join team NFFF and give us a bit more, even country wide representation and a voice? As the Pink Floyd song goes “Is there anybody out there?” I’d have a crack myself but at the moment I’ve got a lot on and I’ve got a bad leg which is playing me up (What a pathetic excuse)! So if you guys and girls out there have anything to add to the above article please send your comments and views to Mr E Fryer at misterefrier@gmail.com please let me know if there are any items you want to raise about the industry, or just to have a general moan about things. And don’t forget, if anyone wants to stick their hands up to join the NFFF team, let me know – I can pass it on! Keep frying!! <strong>Issue</strong> 8 <strong>Dec</strong>ember 2011 Here at the <strong>Fish</strong> <strong>Friers</strong> Review we always listen to our readers, so after numerous requests we have enlisted the services <strong>of</strong> a regular columnist. But this is no ordinary columnist, it’s Mr E Frier! Not afraid to speak his mind, our mysterious ally will lift the lid on the daily workings <strong>of</strong> a busy fish frier, <strong>of</strong>fering a unique, unbiased take on the industry. They seek him here, they seek him there... IT’S MR E FRIER! “ As the Pink Floyd song goes “Is there anybody out there?” “ 13
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