There's something about fish and chips that is iconic to the UK: we're so used to walking down the high street and smelling the salt and vinegar, to benches full of people tucking in to this British national dish by the seafront. We also love a 'chippy tea', a traditional fast food dinner picked up from the local chip shop and often enjoyed at home (there is always a chippy just down the road, wherever you live in Britain, of course!)
But 'fish' is in the name: surely this is a no-go area for vegans right? Wrong! We've been scouring the UK for years for the best plant-based fish and chips so that no matter what your dietary choices, you can partake in this classic British treat.
And where else to find one of the best vegan fish and chips, but London?
We heard about Sutton & Sons growing plant-based menu - they offer everything you'd expect from a fish and chip shop, but vegan! Their 'fish', 'sausage', and more are all cooked in nut oil, so you don't have to worry about cross contamination - we couldn't wait to try it out (look how excited Mike was to spot them!)
Trying Vegan Fish and Chips in London
British fish and chips is famous all over the world, a real favourite in British homes - especially as a comforting treat at the end of a long week. There are lots of variants on the dish: some replace their fish with a pie, a battered sausage, or even a spam fritter; others choose to have peas, curry sauce, gravy, or even baked beans with their meal. What stays the same is the hearty portion of chunky chips (crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside), the mere smell of which is enough to make our mouths water.
So of course, as we were in London, we had to head down to Sutton & Sons to try their vegan chip shop menu to see if it really was as good as the rumours said. Sutton & Sons have multiple shops around the London area, all of which have an extensive vegan menu with almost as many options as their traditional menu.
Sutton & Sons have a big following on social media, and claim to have been the first in the UK to make vegan fish out of banana blossom (that's right part of a banana plant!) This inventiveness makes for a fun and tasty chip shop menu to suit all diets, with vegetarians and vegans finally having access to fish and chips, battered sausages, fishcakes, and all the other delights that a British chip shop has to offer.
But really, how realistic can it be?
The idea of the flower from the end of a bunch of bananas replicating the taste and texture of fish seemed unlikely. When we cut into the crisp batter though, we were surprised at how the banana blossom flaked in a similar way to the traditional fish. Tasting it was another enormous shock: unlike the sweetness of bananas, the banana blossom is savoury and almost fishy in flavour. We couldn't believe how much this was like vegan chip shop fish: it is a little tougher, and the colour is closer to that of salmon than cod or haddock, but all in all we were very impressed. The battered sausage was tasty too - although it was more like a Lincolnshire sausage than the traditional chip shop sausage. Its flavours were herbier, with a little more spice than the traditional salty taste. However, when deep fried in batter and dipped in ketchup, it was a close enough replica to satisfy two British food lovers with memories of this famous dish - a perfect accompaniment to Sutton & Sons chunky chips.
The verdict: would we go back?
The vegan fish, chips and battered sausage really blew us away: having waited so long for a chip shop to offer a vegan menu, we were so impressed with the extensive variety that Sutton & Sons provide. They are really perfect for a plant-based yet authentically British meal next time you visit London. The main differences in the fish were the texture and the colour. While they were only small, it did mean that the banana blossom 'fish' was distinguishable from the traditional cod and haddock; in terms of flavour though, this was minimal. The vegan fish was also cheaper than the traditional versions! With the sausage, which was more expensive than its traditional equivalent, it was only the slightly increased herbiness and the colour (a more natural grey-brown rather than the usual chip shop sausage pink) that gave away its plant-based origins. We were really impressed with these replicas and will definitely be back at Sutton & Sons next time we're in London.
How much did we spend?
For a chip shop in London, we were quite pleased with the prices at Sutton & Sons (though in the north, fish and chips would be much cheaper!
Vegan banana blossom fish: £6.95 (approx. €7.88 or $8.46) Vegan battered sausage: £3.95 (approx. €4.48 or $4.81) Regular chips: £2.75 (approx. €3.12 or $3.35)
Have you had any great (or not so great!) vegan fish and chips in England? Or elsewhere in the world! Where did you go and what would you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.
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