Fish and chips are one of the national dishes of the UK. During World War II they were not rationed and they helped to keep up morale on the home front. Learn more about this classic food, then and now.

The audio resource ‘Amadeus Jones’ is a sci-fi story about a boy who time travels back to a 1940s fish and chip shop. Listen to the story and then ask the children to investigate whether the facts in the story are true. For example, is it true that the first fish and chip shop was opened by Joseph Malin, in 1860? (Both London and Lancashire claim to have had the first fish and chip shops. Some claim that a Manchester businessman called John Lees was the first to sell fish and chips together.) Did Samuel Isaacs really open a chain of fish and chip restaurants in the south of England? (Yes, he opened his first restaurant in 1896.) Why is Walter Raleigh mentioned at the end of the audio resource? (He was credited with bringing potatoes to Britain.)