If you’re a born-and-bred Black Country resident, orange chips are likely nothing new to you, but to Brummies and those from further afield, they’re a mystery. What are they? And where can you get them? Look no further – our guide to the Black Country’s best-kept (and most delicious) secret has all the details you need to know.
What makes an orange chip orange?
Let’s get right down to it. Admittedly, nobody quite knows. Orange chips are just chunky chips, which have been deep-friend in a bright orange batter. The ingredients in this batter are quite the mystery, and there isn’t one definitive recipe. Some swear by oodles of paprika, others by a helping of tumeric, and some (absolute traitors to the cause) use orange food dye!
Each chippy appears to use its own recipe, and swear by a different secret ingredient, but the universal result is the same: chips that are golden and crispy on the outside, fluffy and light on the inside, and absolutely packed with flavour.
Where did orange chips come from?
Okay, another one nobody quite knows for sure. These delightful orange wonders are things of mystery. The orange chip was undoubtedly born in the Black Country, as shockingly, it hasn’t become a nationwide classic, and the best of the best can only be found in the West Midlands.
The best guess about when the orange chip originated is during the Second World War. In a time of rationing and growing your own veg, potatoes were in vast supply compared to other food sources, but really needed some out-of-the-box thinking to jazz them up. Turning them bright orange is certainly one way to brighten up the bleakness of another spud dinner.
Nobody can provide concrete evidence of being the inventor of orange chips, though several have claimed the accolade. We can only trace the orange chip back to 1999, though locals will profess loudly and confidently that the chip has been a staple dating much further back!
Perhaps we’ll never know exactly when or where the orange chip came to be, but we are certainly waiting for the day that the rest of the country discovers these beauties. Like the Cornish Pasty, or Blackpool Rock, we look forward to the Black Country Orange Chip becoming a tourist staple.
Where are the best spots to grab them?
There are a few chippies in Birmingham which offer orange chips, but your best bet will be in the Black Country, particularly in Dudley or Wolverhampton. For specific chippies, we recommend the family-owned Beks in Darlaston (Wednesbury), who also have a branch in Walsall. These guys call themselves the ‘home of battered chips’, and you’d be hard-pressed to disagree!
Another strong contender for this title is Hooked on Fish, located in Cradley Heath, who also provide excellent orange chips. In Bilston, Majors is a very strong bet for proper orange chips.
As we move into Birmingham itself, options become a little more scarce. We recommend George and Helen’s Fish Bar in Harborne, another family-owned business with quality battered chips.
Feeling peckish? We are too. See you in a Black Country chippy soon!
