Press Clippings
The Sentinel, July 18 2006
Better batter nets happy customers ...
Friday nights have not been the same for Geoff Chapman since he was diagnosed with a disease which meant he was unable to enjoy his weekend fish and chips treat.
But a Congleton chippy has put his favourite food back on the menu by investing in specialist equiment to make gluten-free batter.
Geoff was diagnosed with coeliac disease, an intolerance to gluten found in wheat, three years ago.
He said: "Eating out now is very difficult and dangerous due to the risk of cross-contamination, so when I found out about Green Island Chippy I went along straight away as I have really missed fish and chips on a Friday night.
My first fish and chips in three years tasted beautiful."
Green Island Chippy owners Val Simpson and Paul Barker invested around £1,000 in machines to make gluten-free meals, which they serve daily at their Willow Street shop.
The pair have been inundated with new customers from as far afield as Stockport, some eating their first fish supper in many years and others trying the traditional taste for the very first time.
The response has been so positive the pair are preparing to launch a whole range of gluten-free chippy foods including fishcakes, gravy and curry.
Val said: "We had two customers that had been coming in for quite a while but we couldn't tempt them to a fish; they only ever ate chips. They told us about the disease and we wanted to help.
"Now we have tiny children coming in who have never had fish and chips with their parents before. Last week we served a 10-year-old who didn't even know if he would like it but we put some special white wine vinegar on and he loved it."
There are around 250,000 people with the disease in the UK and more than 700 are helped by the North Staffordshire Coeliac Support Group, of which Geoff is a member.
Geoff, aged 57, who lives in Newcastle, has introduced the rest of the group to Green Island Chippy as well as their sausage supplier, Congleton's Steve Parry Butchers.
He said: "It's beginning to catch on now - if you can provide food for someone with coeliac disease, you will provide it for their whole family too."
The risks of eating out are so high that even if a crumb of gluten finds its way into their food, a coeliac sufferer can experience extremely uncomfortable stomach cramps and diarrhoea leading to weight loss, anaemia, weakness and fatigue.
The gluten-free fish meal costs a pound more than the ordinary at £4.40 but Geoff believes it is worth it.
He said: "I would defy anyone to tell the difference - some gluten-free foods are very different in texture and taste but the fish and chips are great, with perfect crispy batter.
"It's made my Friday nights."
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