Press Clippings
The Sunday Sentinel, May 7 2006
Batter breakthrough nets chippy new customers ...
Traditional British fish and chips are back on the menu for coeliac disease patients everywhere thanks to a Congleton couple and their gluten-free batter.
Business partners Paul Barker and Val Simpson at the Green Island Chippy in Willow Street began frying their special fish this week following popular demand and have been overwhelmed by the response.
Val says the idea to serve gluten free fish developed two weeks ago, following discussions with customers who missed being able to enjoy the tasty treat.
After that, Paul and I went on the internet to see if any gluten-free batter was available," she says, "and we found a lady in Scotland selling one called Glu-2-Go. She came up with it because she had a lot of customers who couldn't eat at her shop.
"We recognise there are hundreds of coeliac sufferers now round the country, half of whom probably don't realise they have it.
"Others may have an allergy to wheat, so now we've invested a lot of time and money so we can cater for everyone and the response so far has been incredible. We've had people ringing to ask about it from as far afield as Blackpool and Stockport, as some of these people haven't been able to enjoy fish and chips for more than 10 years because no one is catering for them."
Because a crumb of gluten can be enough to trigger a reaction in some sufferers, the traditional town centre chippy has invested in a separate fryer, cooking utensils, sink and work area, and the special fish will be on the menu every day now the couple have perfected the batter.
Paul says: "It was hard to get the batter right, but now our customers will be able to buy it from us if they want and take it away with them to try.
"At the moment a portion of fish and chips costs £4.40 as the batter is quite pricey, but we find people with this condition don't mind paying that. Fish and chips is such a British tradition and people like to be able to enjoy it on a Friday."
Val adds: "The batter tastes absolutely beautiful, as even though Paul and I aren't coeliacs we've both taste-tested it and I actually prefer it to ordinary batter."
The business has even teamed up with a local butcher to provide gluten free sausages.
"We hope it will be worthwhile in the long term," says Val, "as coeliac disease does seem to be more common now.
"All the sufferers we know are dreadfully slim because if they eat something wrong it goes straight through them.
"Often it's passed off as irritable bowel syndrome, or an intolerance, but by doing this I hope we can put something back into the community."
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