“I find that the tail-end deep-fries perfectly,” chef Nick Nairn told me, “but make sure you slice it lengthways to reduce the thickness.”A cod-alternative being pushed by the government is huss. That’s something Tim Hughes – executive chef of The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey, London’s oldest and perhaps most prestigious fish restaurant – knows all about. Hughes grew up beside the seaside in Worthing, Sussex, but not for him the luxury of cod or haddock “Every weekend we had huss and chips. Huss is also known as dogfish or rock salmon, and it’s always been the cheap alternative in fish and chip shops.” Hughes knocked up the classic cod, chips and mushy peas you see photographed here, but he has also had excellent results with pollack and hoki (see box).Hughes has shared his experience and has helped me put together the recipe for classic fish and chips. It’s not the only recipe you’ll come across, but it should give excellent results The most frequent variation involves the batter.

Mitchell Tonks, whose Fishworks Green Street Seafood Caf?n Bath is a Good Food Guide favourite, has a great beer batter. Tonks has opened other branches in Bristol and Christchurch, and opens another in Chiswick next month. He uses self-raising flour with a little cornflour and twice that volume in liquid – half water, half beer. Many people opt for beer batter – lager bubbles make for a very light end result. For a wilder variation, try Tonks’s favourite: smoked cod in a curry batter – just add curry powder to the flour, and remove the skin from the fish.All we need now is one final alternative for those who don’t have a deep-fat fryer. Hughes suggests devilling – it’s good for any sort of small fish, such as whitebait, or pieces of red mullet. You simply dip them in flour seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper, then in beaten egg, then in flour again, fry on each side in a hot pan until golden-brown, and finally drain on kitchen paper.

But if you’ve got all the necessary equipment, can you resist the perfect fish and chips? Fish and chips with mushy peasServes 44 fresh fish fillets300ml/1/2 pint milk1 egg yolk100g/4oz plain flour, plus extra, in a bowl, to coat the fish100g/4oz cornflour6g-sachet of activated yeast1 teaspoon soy sauceSalt1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper750g firm, dry potatoes (eg Maris Piper), peeled and cut to preferred sizeCan of tinned peasVegetable oil for deep fryerFirst make Tim Hughes’s batter Beat the egg yolk into the milk. Then, in a blender, combine this with the flour, cornflour, yeast, soy, salt and cayenne pepper. When it is the texture of thick cream, set aside for at least one hour in the fridge.Next, heat the oil in the fryer to 160C (310F) Rinse and drain the chips, and pat dry with kitchen paper Fry for about 10 minutes, until soft inside but not brown Set aside.Remove batter mix from fridge and whisk up. Heat oil in the fryer to 180C (350F) – monitor this with a thermometer – temperature is critical. Dip each piece of fish in the extra flour, then coat in the batter Shake off surplus.