Middle East war hits Britain’s fish and chip shops

Bruce, whose boat, Budding Rose, is based in the Scottish port of Peterhead, estimates the extra costs over a year could exceed £100,000. Before war erupted in the Middle East, fisherman Peter Bruce spent about £5,000 (about R112 000) on diesel to trawl the North Sea for haddock and cod, the main species used in fish and chips. “Now, the last trip we spent about £10,000,” he told AFP, despite his crew reducing the speed of the boat to save fuel.

It was not yet clear whether the rise in energy prices would have an immediate effect on the price of fish, Bruce said. But he is worried that the hike in fuel prices will hit customer demand for the classic British meal that was already facing challenges on numerous fronts. Bruce’s catch is sold at auction in Peterhead before being transported around Britain and abroad.

He fears that customers “will stop buying so much fish and chips and they’ll stop going out for meals so much”. The classic recipe for fish and chips – white fish deep-fried in batter, chips, and mushy peas, often with tartare sauce on the side – dates back to the 1860s. Fish and chip shops usually serve nothing else and most are take-away.

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There were around 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK in 2024 – roughly the same as a decade earlier – according to Seafish, a public body supporting the industry. This was more than the total number of outlets of the nine main fastfood dining brands – including KFC, McDonald’s and Domino’s Pizza, it boasted. Easter is a particularly busy time for the sector since many Britons eat fish on the Good Friday holiday. Andrew Crook, who owns a fish and chip shop in Lancashire, northwestern England, told AFP the number of customers could more than double on Good Fridays.

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