Clarence Birdseye, a naturalist working in the Arctic just after WWI , saw Inuit fishermen placing their catch to freeze on the ice then defrost it in perfect condition days later. An idea was born. The inquisitive Clarence experimented back in the USA, and built a plate freezer that quick-froze food. He secured patents and built up a business whose greatest success came some years later in the form of little sticks of fish coated in breadcrumbs.
Developed at the Birdseye factory in the South Quay area of Great Yarmouth , the Fish Finger was to become one of the great British teatime staples. Since the product was launched in 1955, at 1s & 8d a packet, 15 billion have been sold, and more than 100 packets are sold every minute in the UK.
Different fish were tried during the product development, with a herring-based version rejected in favour of the eventual cod Fish Finger. The less-than-snappy name battered cod pieces was passed over after consulting the views of the factory workforce, who preferred the fish finger appellation. It is nice to think some of them had Shakespearian connotations in mind when the battered cod pieces label was thrown out.
The product has multiple advantages. It’s simple and healthy, just fish and breadcrumb coating. It can be cooked in various ways – grilled, fried, baked in the oven or zapped in the microwave. It’s quick and easy to prepare – fish fingers and beans are a great bed-sit staple. And there are no inconvenient bones to worry parents serving them to their kids – though it is a mistake to think that children are the dominant consumers, as two out of three fish fingers are eaten by adults.
Birdseye has now moved towards using fish other than cod, which is increasingly scarce and expensive. Alaskan pollock is to be used instead of cod, a thoroughly laudable decision that is expected to reduce the cod catch by some two million fish a year, and means the product can be MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified. Hats off to Captain Birdseye then.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
Brit Quote: |
|
On this day: |