Study Guide - Introduction to Fish Frying

Part Overview : This Study Guide has been set up for individuals who want an introduction to the skills and knowledge needed by fish friers. Content will be added and amended over time so please occasionally revisit this webpage to see what else is on offer. To provide feedback or request additional content please email the academy. The following issues are addressed in this Study Guide

Industry led training courses
Food safety and health & safety
Fish frying skills and key NOS
Useful links including newsletters etc.
History of Fish and Chips

General Resources for this Study Guide:

Technical Documents: Oil Management Guide
Learner Workbooks: Principles of frying fish and chips (a word document version is available from your apprenticeship provider).
Seafish Open Learning materials: Distance learning materials on fish frying and customer service are on this webpage. NB: These free online workbooks have been updated and are available from the National Federation of Fish Friers. For more information and to purchase a workbook or enrol on a training course please contact the NFFF Training Manager.
Video Playlists: See Seafish's Youtube offering here.
Website content from Seafish or the Seafood Academy:Fish frying and customer service are on this webpage.
Other Webcontent: NFFF Training Page
Key National Occupational Standards Units (NOS): Principles of frying fish and chips and the various oil frying units available in the fish and shellfish industry skills VQs - see Part 3.

Part 1: Industry led training courses

The National Federation of Fish Friers has a fish frying training school at their headquarters in Leeds, where the industry standard 3 day fish friers training course is delivered on a monthly basis. The NFFF also deliver bespoke 1 and 2 day skills training courses as requested and support a network of Seafish/NFFF approved skills assessors who deliver the distance learning programmes in fish frying skills and customer service skills.

The Federation also deliver remote training via Zoom (new in 2020).

NFFF fish frying training courses for new entrants who need a comprehensive introduction to the fish frying business.

The bespoke training courses are ideal for individuals or businesses that wish to improve any aspect of their practical skills.

The Distance learning programmes are aimed at employees in fish frying businesses who wish to improve their fish frying or customer service skills but who are unable to attend a taught course.

Part 2: Food safety and health & safety

•Free online food hygiene learning materials available here.

Also available (but not free) as a printed training pack. Note - charges will apply to sit an exam to achieve a formal qualification.
•Food safety training course information
•Youtube - 5 videos on food safety
•Model HACCP Plan
•HACCP Chapter

H&S Open learning module can be purchased from Seafish or a free online study pack can be downloaded.

To achieve the regulated, recognised qualification you will need to sit an invigilated, written multiple choice test.

Other H&S course information is available here .

The accompanying H&S video programme is available here.

H&S learning materials developed for the fish frying distance learning programme are available here.

Part 3: Fish frying skills

• Distance learning pack on fish frying & customer service skills

NB: These free online workbooks have been updated and are available from the National Federation of Fish Friers. For more information and to purchase a workbook or enrol on a training course please contact the NFFF Training Manager.

• Principles of fish frying fish and chips - Learner workbook

• 9 Fish frying skills videos on youtube

NOS - the units that make up the level 3 Fish Industry Skills diploma and certificate (part of the advanced Apprenticeship) contain more than 20 useful units relevent to fish frying. These include:

Part 4: Useful links including newsletters etc.

Useful Links

National Federation of Fish Friers - latest newsletter here.

The Academy has a range of useful Library Guides, most of which are available here.

Seafish are developing a range of Study Guides to help study for fish and shellfish industry skills qualifications.

Potato Guides

1. This excellent webpage from Thompson Morgan is aimed at growers, but it does list almost every variety of UK grown potato. The Column on Chips list varieties such as Duke of York and Sharpe's Express (earliest), Chicago, Maris Piper (maincrop). Each potato variety has a useful if short description.

This is what they say about Maris Piper - Makes wonderfully tasty chips! Early maincrop. The best chipping variety available, and a versatile 'all rounder'. Potato 'Maris Piper' produces dry, floury tubers with creamy-white flesh of good flavour, that rarely discolours on cooking. This popular purple-flowered maincrop potato is also Golden eelworm resistant. Height and spread: 60cm (24").

2. The Potato Council have a comprehensive database of Potato Varieties here. If searching for good chipping varieties then search for the characteristic French Fry and you should find 37 varieties starting with Accord and ending with Sante.

3. Wikipedia as always has plenty to say - try this link

Part 5: History of Fish and Chips

Fish and chips as a take-away meal originates from the 19th century. This NFFF webpage will tell you more as will this BBC news item from 2010, the 150th anniversary of the 'birth' of fish and chips.

Part 6: General Technical Documents

Torry Advisory Notes - a series of 80+ booklets developed in the 1960s and 70s but still of great interest today. This FAO Saved Search should take you to the list of 80+ TANs. If it does not then websearch FAO Torry Advisory Note.

Study Guides - Introduction to Fish Frying