Yes, it’s National Chip Week (11th to 18 February) and although the potato staple may not be as welcome as it once was on school menus, who out there doesn’t have a soft spot for the humble chip?
Well, apparently a fair few of us if the British Potato Council (BPC) is to be believed.
The potato quango is happily shouting about chip-loving celebrity Keith Chegwin joining forces with organisers this week to encourage the nation to ‘Love Chips’! .
The supporting press is being presented with the sort of forced enthusiasm/desperation usually reserved for struggling marketing types trying to sell a crap comedy to a sceptical audience by use of the term “hilarious” in the blurb.
Hey, we might be opting for the occasional lighter bite and checking to see if our fish accompaniment is from sustainable sources, but we’ve hardly forgotten the chip (although Spud U Like we perhaps should).
Mutton renaissance maybe, perfect summer Perry certainly and why does no one have Spotted Dick? But chips? I don’t think we need mourn their passing just yet.
In fact such is the nation’s unquestioning devotion to the chip that Kitchen Rat hears a ballsy decision by Harrison Catering Services to remove them from the menu at the bequest of the client at Carphone Warehouse (except for on Fridays) led to the firm’s catering manager being forced to flee town for two weeks on pretence of holiday.
Still, now the heat has died down and normal service has been resumed - and to set the BPC’s mind at rest – Harrison’s reports customers at the seven existing Carphone Warehouse sites it services have opted for the alternative potato side-orders with gutso and sales continue to climb.
Even better, Friday’s fish and chips has become an even more popular end to the week dish than before.