West London chippy leads on healthy eating front

A fish and chip shop is the first food establishment in West London to be given a Healthier Catering Commitment Award in recognition of the way it cooks and serves its food.

George’s Portobello Fish Bar in Notting Hill has undertaken a number of measures as part of a three month pilot scheme set up by the Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) NHS Trust. It asked local businesses to reduce fats, oils, salt and sugar, decrease portion sizes and increase fruit and vegetables.

The chippy also swapped its 17-hole salt shakers for ones that had only five holes to reduce the level of salt added by customers.

Talking to Fry Online, owner John Roberts said: “Our fish is fresh, we don’t do anything to it but batter and fry it, and the same goes for our chips – which are the old-fashioned chunky chips. Compared to a lot of the fast food available on the high street, fish and chips is a good healthy option.

“Being part of the Healthier Catering Commitment helps change people’s opinions of what we do. It’s helpful to let them know that we are trying our best to produce something that’s healthier.”

The pilot is running from January to March, and CLCH aims to have awarded 15 businesses with the Healthier Catering Commitment award by the time the scheme ends.

CLCH is measuring the success of the pilot through a variety of methods including the impact on participating businesses, the impact on the nutritional quality of food sold, and assessing any changes in consumer behaviour.