13 Broadway Plaza, Francis Road, Birmingham, B16 8LP
0121 456 5955
greatbritisheatery.co.uk
For the past two years old school pals Conrad Brunton and Andrew Insley have officially been dishing up the best fish and chips in the region. As well as serving the nation’s Friday night favourite GBE specialises in a host of British classics. And if that’s not enough they are also licensed, selling local beers from Holden’s in Dudley and Freedom lagers from Staffordshire, as well as Purity Ales and pear and apple ciders – the perfect accompaniment to a great dish.
You are often cited as the best fish and chip shop in Birmingham. Quite an accolade! What sets you apart from the other chippies?
The fact that we finished third in the UK in the national Fish and Chip Shop of the Year competition – number one in England. Other than that, we fry our fish to order in the traditional way in beef dripping. This results in a crisp and dry finished product. We serve our food in 100% biodegradable eco-boxes that allow the product to breath as you take it home. As well as fish and chips we also specialise in other British classics such as sausage and home made mash with onion gravy, roast chicken, deep filled Mad O’Rourkes pies and we are licensed.
What makes the perfect chip?
We believe that the perfect chip is made by frying Maris Piper potatoes in beef dripping. The chip should be fluffy and light inside and crisp and crunchy on the outside. Here at GBE we double cook our chips – blanching them at a low temperature then turning up the heat to finish them off.
What is the most popular item on your menu?
It’s what we recommend to GBE first timers: the GBE ultimate – Cod, chips, mushy peas and home made tartar sauce. Not to forget something to wash it down with … we recommend a Pure Gold or Mad Goose from our friends at Purity.
The traditional fish and chips dish has had a bit of a run in with the Balti and chicken Tikka Massala over the last few years as Britain’s favourite national takeaway. Do you think fish and chips are having a renaissance?
We do believe that fish and chips are having a bit of a renaissance. Increasing numbers of modern shops are opening offering customers what they want… better choice, healthier options, cleaner shops and higher standards of customer service. We believe that the reason fish and chips ‘lost its crown’ was due to so many poor quality shops around offering substandard products. This results in people being put off fish and chips as they judge the industry as a whole against their last poor experience.
You started GBE 2 years ago – how did it all happen?
It came about after a conversation one night in the pub. We were discussing the Tikka Massala VS Fish and Chips. Which one is our national dish? We concluded that although fish and chips is our true national dish, we knew of nowhere in Birmingham that we could get a very good example. On further examination we found that a lot of the shops were dated and offered a fairly poor quality product. So we thought that we could do better and set about researching and visiting shops up and down the country. We had catering backgrounds but knew nothing of running a shop, so there was a lot to learn.
Any plans for opening any more branches?
Yes we are currently looking at a second outlet… watch this space!
Apart from fish and chips what are your favourite takeaways in Birmingham?
Jyoti’s on the Stratford Road for guilt free Indian food prepared with real authenticity.
For a kebab on a Friday night after we close we all head to Neelam’s in Bearwood.
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