Post by FWS on Aug 5, 2014 13:50:00 GMT -6
Simpsons Fish and Chips reveals science behind its spuds
From employing nannies to babysit their prized potatoes to sugar testing its spuds using diabetic technology, Simpsons Fish and Chips reveals why it was named the Best Fish and Chip Shop in England in 2013.
SoGlos.com
Tuesday 5 August 2014
Award-winning Gloucestershire chippy, Simpsons Fish and Chips, has revealed the extreme measures it employs on a daily basis to deliver the perfect chip to its customers in Cheltenham.
Not only does it use diabetic technology to sugar test its spuds, but also contracts potato nannies to babysit its prized potatoes and ensures they have airbeds to rest on immediately after harvest.
‘When people tuck into a portion of our chips, they probably have very little idea of the science we have employed and the steps we have taken to ensure our product is among the very best in the UK,’ said co-founder, James Ritchie.
The team invests a vast amount of money and man hours into chip production, from sourcing the potatoes through the preparation and cooking.
James continued: ‘We have travelled the UK in search of the best potatoes and there is no doubt that the best ones come from Cambridgeshire. They have the best soil for producing spuds.’
In addition to working with farmers who invest in their land, machinery and even airbeds to reduce bruising after harvest, Simpsons uses specialist company, Isle of Ely Produce, to act as ‘potato nannies’ and guard their spuds through the journey from field to fryer; storing and testing them regularly in a laboratory to deduce the best time for consumption.
The chippy gets through almost 2.5 tonnes of potatoes on a weekly basis, with the head fryer meticulously testing samples of each batch with a diabetic glucose testing stick, to ensure that only potatoes with a glucose reading of less than 0.25 per cent make the cut.
‘Potatoes with too high a sugar reading will result in sugars caramelising and turning the chip brown and wrinkly. If the sugar content is too high, we say the chip will do a ‘Benidorm’, in other words it comes out looking like it has spent too much time in the sun – brown, wrinkly and a bit leathery,’ said James.
As recommended by Heston Blumenthal, all of Simpsons’ chips are fried in groundnut oil, a pure and odour-free oil that can be heated to an incredibly high temperature.
So what makes the perfect chip in the eyes of the best chippy in England?
‘A perfect crunch on the outside, a lightly fluffy middle and a rich potato flavour,’ said James.
‘We take out chips exceedingly seriously, which is why we are so rigorous in the methods we use.’
From employing nannies to babysit their prized potatoes to sugar testing its spuds using diabetic technology, Simpsons Fish and Chips reveals why it was named the Best Fish and Chip Shop in England in 2013.
SoGlos.com
Tuesday 5 August 2014
Award-winning Gloucestershire chippy, Simpsons Fish and Chips, has revealed the extreme measures it employs on a daily basis to deliver the perfect chip to its customers in Cheltenham.
Not only does it use diabetic technology to sugar test its spuds, but also contracts potato nannies to babysit its prized potatoes and ensures they have airbeds to rest on immediately after harvest.
‘When people tuck into a portion of our chips, they probably have very little idea of the science we have employed and the steps we have taken to ensure our product is among the very best in the UK,’ said co-founder, James Ritchie.
The team invests a vast amount of money and man hours into chip production, from sourcing the potatoes through the preparation and cooking.
James continued: ‘We have travelled the UK in search of the best potatoes and there is no doubt that the best ones come from Cambridgeshire. They have the best soil for producing spuds.’
In addition to working with farmers who invest in their land, machinery and even airbeds to reduce bruising after harvest, Simpsons uses specialist company, Isle of Ely Produce, to act as ‘potato nannies’ and guard their spuds through the journey from field to fryer; storing and testing them regularly in a laboratory to deduce the best time for consumption.
The chippy gets through almost 2.5 tonnes of potatoes on a weekly basis, with the head fryer meticulously testing samples of each batch with a diabetic glucose testing stick, to ensure that only potatoes with a glucose reading of less than 0.25 per cent make the cut.
‘Potatoes with too high a sugar reading will result in sugars caramelising and turning the chip brown and wrinkly. If the sugar content is too high, we say the chip will do a ‘Benidorm’, in other words it comes out looking like it has spent too much time in the sun – brown, wrinkly and a bit leathery,’ said James.
As recommended by Heston Blumenthal, all of Simpsons’ chips are fried in groundnut oil, a pure and odour-free oil that can be heated to an incredibly high temperature.
So what makes the perfect chip in the eyes of the best chippy in England?
‘A perfect crunch on the outside, a lightly fluffy middle and a rich potato flavour,’ said James.
‘We take out chips exceedingly seriously, which is why we are so rigorous in the methods we use.’