FOOD : Review of Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife : A MSC certified chippie

We are massive fans of seafood in our house from mussels to langoustines to lobster to good ol’ battered fish n chips.

Having eaten some of the best seafood in the world (my partner is an award winning Seafood Chef and restaurant owner) and living in a country, Scotland, with a natural larder that continues to provide some of the best seafood in the world, it’s only natural that my standards and expectations for seafood is going to be high.

REVIEW OF ANSTRUTHER FISH BAR, FIFE : A MSC CERTIFIED CHIPPIE

Taste is not the only high standard that needs to be met, the seafood itself has to be sustainable and ethical and that’s why purchasing my fish n chips from a MSC certified Chippie means I know that the seafood and fish used was caught sustainably.

Unfortunately, there are only 8 Chippies in Scotland that are MSC certified and none in Edinburgh! Come on Edinburgh, get on board!

The blue MSC ecolabel chippies in Scotland are:

• Anstruther Fish and Chip Bar, Fife

• Frankie's Fish & Chips, Shetland

• Low's Fish and Chips, Berryden, Aberdeen

• Low's Traditional Fish & Chips, Old Skene Road, Aberdeen

• Sea Salt + Sole, 2 Station Road, Aberdeen

• The Bay fish and chips, Stonehaven

• The Bay Fish and Chips Mobile Van, Stonehaven

• The Real Food Cafe, Tyndrum

You can pick up your sustainable fish and chip tips from MSC in their latest blog post here -
www.msc.org/uk/media-centre/blog/news/2022

So what is the blue MSC ecolabel?

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation on a mission to stop overfishing. For 25 years, they have been working with fisheries, seafood companies and scientists to help protect the oceans around us, and safeguard seafood supplies.

The blue MSC ecolabel is the world’s most recognised label for sustainable seafood. It is found on retail products and in restaurants identifying fish and seafood that has been caught in a sustainable way. The blue MSC ecolabel is only awarded to well-managed fisheries that meet the MSC’s independently verified standards for sustainable seafood production. When you purchase a product with the blue MSC ecolabel on it, you...

• Can trust where the fish or seafood comes from

• Are rewarding and incentivising sustainable fishing

• Are protecting fishermen’s livelihoods, communities and traditions

• Are ensuring there will be plenty of fish left in the sea

• Are helping keep seafood on your plate for this and future generations

And here’s how you can make a difference…its as simple as

• Eat sustainable seafood. So that next time you fancy a Fish n Chip takeaway, look for a chippie that proudly shows off their blue MSC ecolabel.

• Buy sustainable seafood. Check out the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) UK website, they have all the retailers that sell MSC certified products: www.msc.org/uk/what-you-can-do/find-msc-certified-products

• Try some MSC recommended sustainable seafood recipes at home. All their recipes are on their website : www.msc.org/what-you-can-do/sustainable-fish-seafood-recipes

• Keep an eye out and join in with MSC UK’s Sustainable Seafood Week 2022, which takes place in September.

ANSTRUTHER FISH BAR, FIFE

Not only is Anstruther a supremely picturesque town with the loveliest of harbours and coastline, but it is also home to Award Winning Fish and Chip Restaurant and Take-Away, the Anstruther Fish Bar.

The MSC operate globally. More than 7,000 businesses worldwide are MSC Chain of Custody certified, including over 48,000 sites from supermarkets and restaurants to processors, distributors and warehouses.

AND Anstruther Fish Bar was the world’s first fish and chip shop to earn Chain of Custody certification from the Marine Stewardship Council – an ecolabel which is the most trusted and recognised indicator of seafood sustainability! That’s pretty amazing, right!

So now you know why I drove nearly 1.5 hours for a chippie! But was it worth it?

Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant is open 7 days a week and has prime location at Anstruther’s Harbour. They have a restaurant but its tiny, perhaps seating for around 25 people and by the looks of things, there is always going to be a queue. However if you don’t want to wait for your fish n chip supper there are ample benches and seating right opposite the chippie complete with swooping seagulls.

I have to mention that there is also a carpark across the road from the chip shop which costs 90p to park for 2 hours!

We started to queue inside the chip shop, for a table but the weather was nice enough and so decided to take our chances with the seagulls (that’s half the fun of eating a chippie) outside.

Anstruther Fish Bar serve up lemon sole, prawns, salmon, hake and their speciality haddock. Their Hake is MSC certified to show that it is caught in sustainable seas off the coast of South Africa

Before I chat about our fish n chips, one more thing… I love that the fish supper comes in 100% compostable packaging. Their disposable cups, bowls, plates and even napkins are all made from plant-based material, capable of being returned to the earth in just 180 days. The Vegware items are low-carbon, made from renewable or recycled materials, and all can be recycled along with food waste.

We ordered a Battered Haddock and chips (£8.85) and a Battered Hake, chips (£7.95) and mushy peas (£1.50) with loads of salt and vinegar. Should it have been salt and sauce?!

The batter on both fish was light and crispy, not oily at all. The fish was flaky and cooked well. The chips were great, kinda chewy but then fluffy on the inside, like any good chippie chip. I love a dollop or two of mushy peas as it just adds to the zing with that hint of vinegar.

There is just something about creating that perfectly balancing mouthful atop the wooden fork - a broken off bit of battered fish, a chip with the mushy peas squished on top.

Taking in a deep breath of that fresh salty briney seaside air as you tilt your head slightly forwards, hunch over just that little bit more to ensure you manage to accommodate that tasty curated forkful of food in one bite. Yum!

With the seagulls circling overhead, preparing to divebomb our lunches, we quickly demolished our fish n chips and then sat deliberating if we should return for an ice cream.

Which we of course did - what’s a day out at the seaside for fish n chips, without an ice-cream to finish it off!

MSC is dedicated to protecting our oceans to ensure we have a lifetime of sustainable fish. They work tirelessly to promote good sustainability practices within the fishing industry across the globe to secure the safety of our oceans. I hope that by reading this you might think twice the next time you order a chippie or buy some seafood. Think about our oceans and put them first by always looking for the blue MSC ecolabel!

Anstruther Fish Bar, 42 Shore Street, Anstruther KY10 3AQ www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Gold 9/10

The was a sponsored post by Marine Stewardship Council but the views are very much my own.