Fish and chips have been popular among Britons since the food was invented some 160 years ago.
Charles Dickens wrote about the dish in his well-known story of Oliver Twist.
Unlike other common food, it was not rationed during the world wars.
But a third of fish and chip shops are at risk of going out of business this year due to price pressures, says Company Debt, a business advisory company.
In just a year, the prices for fish, like cod and haddock, are up 75 percent.
Sunflower oil used for cooking is up 60 percent and even flour is up 40 percent.
Overall, inflation in Britain reached a 40-year high of 9 percent in April, the highest among G7 countries.
And it is expected to rise even higher.
At west London's Hooked Fish and Chips, Bally Singh is struggling to keep up sales for the traditional British dish.
Fish and chips in Singh's shop now cost almost 10 pounds, compared to around 8 pounds a year ago.
And Singh said if he passed on all the higher costs, the price would be closer to 11 pounds.
"We're finding it a struggle to keep our prices reasonable and competitive compared to other fast foods that are in the area, and we've actually seen a decline in fish sales and customers walking through the door," he said.
Some of the recent difficulties for fish and chip shops started with Britain's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).
UK Fisheries, a fishing company, said in 2022, Britain had to reduce its Arctic cod catch to around 40 percent of what it was before leaving the EU.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven up fuel and electricity prices, further increasing the cost of catching, and frying, fish.
The war has sent cooking oil, fertilizer and flour prices higher, too.
Cod and haddock are sourced in the Barents Sea, north of Norway and Russia.
The war has increased uncertainty over those supplies.
In March, the British government listed Russian white fish as among goods to be hit with a 35 percent tax in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
It has paused the move, for now, while the effects are investigated.
Sunflower oil is the main agricultural product that Britain imports from Ukraine.
The government says it is working to replace it with other vegetable oils such as rapeseed.
A spokesperson for Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said it was "working closely with industry, including the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), to mitigate the challenges that they are facing."
Mitigate means to make something less harmful or severe.
However, the federation said fish and chip shops are facing their biggest crisis ever.
"I'm getting daily phone calls from people that are worried that they're going to go out of business," NFFF President Andrew Crook told Reuters.
Malcolm Petherick is 73 years old.
He worried changes he has seen over his lifetime might result in Britain losing a part of its cultural history.
"When I was growing up, it was a poor man's meal," he said about fish and chips.
He added that he just bought two orders of fish and chips for 23 pounds.
"What family can afford that?" he asked.
翻译:
炸鱼薯条自160年前发明以来,一直受到英国人的欢迎。
查尔斯·狄更斯在他著名的小说《雾都孤儿》中提到了这道菜。
与其他常见食物不同的是,它在战争期间供应无限。
但是商业咨询公司CompanyDebt他说,由于价格压力,三分之一的炸鱼薯条店今年面临破产的风险。
短短一年,鳕鱼、黑条鳕等鱼类的价格上涨了75%。
葵花籽油价格上涨了60%,甚至面粉也上涨了40%。
总的来说,英国4月份的通胀率达到40年来的最高水平,为9%,是七国集团最高的。
估计会上升得更高。
在伦敦西部的钩鱼薯条店,巴利·辛格正试图维持这道传统英国菜的销量。
辛格店的炸鱼薯条价格接近10元,而一年前大约是8元。
辛格说,如果他把所有更高的成本都转移给客户,价格接近11元。
他说:“我们发现,与该地区的其他快餐相比,我们很难保持合理的价格和竞争力。事实上,我们已经看到销下降,客户也在下降。”
炸鱼薯条店最近的一些困难始于英国退出欧盟。
英国渔业公司表示,2022年,英国不得不将北极鳕鱼的捕鱼量减少到退欧前40%左右。
俄罗斯入侵乌克兰,提高了燃料和电力价格,进一步增加了打捞和炸鱼的成本。
战争还提高了食用油、化肥和面粉的价格。
鳕鱼和黑条鳕鱼来自挪威和俄罗斯北部的巴伦支海。
战争也提高了这些鱼类供应的不确定性。
今年3月,作为对俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的回应,英国政府将俄罗斯白鱼列为征收35%关税的商品之一。
目前,在对其影响的调查中,该政策处于暂停状态。
葵花籽油是英国从乌克兰进口的主要农产品。
英国政府表示,它正试图用油菜籽和其他食用油来代替它。
食品和农村事务部的一位发言人说,该部门正在与包括全国炸鱼和薯条联合会在内的行业密切合作,以缓解他们面临的问题。
Mitigate这意味着让事情不那么有害或严重。
然而,联合会表示,炸鱼薯条店面临着迄今为止最大的困境。
全国炸鱼薯条联合会会长安德鲁·克鲁克告诉美联社:“我每天都接到一些人的电话,他们担心自己会倒闭。”
马尔科姆·佩瑟里克今年73岁。
他担心目前看到的变化可能会导致英国失去一些文化历史。
说到炸鱼薯条,他说:“小时候,这是穷人的饭。”
他还说,他刚花了23元买了两份炸鱼薯条。
他问:“哪个家庭能承受?”