For traditional fish and chips, you will need:
4 cod loin portions, as fresh as you can get
1 cup plain flour for dusting
225g or 8oz self-raising flour
330ml or 11 fl oz cold lager beer
6 to 8 starchy white-fleshed potatoes, cut into chip sized sticks
malt vinegar, salt and pepper
About 2 liter oil for frying
1. Preheat oil to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Fry the potato chips for about 8-10 minutes, until soft but not brown. Remove from oil and set aside.
3. In the mean time, mix together the self-raising flour and beer. Aim for the consistency of a thick smooth cream, adding more beer if the mixture is too thick.
4. Season the cod portions well with salt and pepper. Dust with plain flour to encourage the batter to stick. Dip in the beer batter mixture until coated.
5. Fry the cod portions in the oil, at 180 degrees celsius, for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through and golden. Depending on the volume of oil, you may need to fry the fish individually or in batches so as not to cool the oil too much when the fish is immersed.
6. Remove fish from oil and set aside.
7. Return the chips to the oil and fry for another 2-3 minutes until golden.
8. Serve with salt and malt vinegar drizzled on top.