This does explain why it is so difficult to replicate that perfect chip-shop taste when cooking at home

Food staple of Plymothians everywhere, the food team at Food Unwrapped Does Great Britain revealed that the vinegar soaking our chips - is not vinegar at all. The team have hit the road once again to find out what makes British food so special, looking at apples, Pimms, and of course, the best vinegar for your fish and chips.

The UK is famous for its fish and chips, and Plymouth especially so. Across the city, multiple chip shops have been finalists in the Seafish National Fish and Chip Awards, with The Kingfisher winning back in 2017.

Birmingham Live reported the Food Unwrapped team wanted to know which vinegar goes well with the salty chips, and without losing any time, there was an obvious winner - malt vinegar. Malt vinegar is traditionally matured for seven days in wooden vats made from oak or pine, which give the vinegar more flavour.

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However, all was revealed when the presenters exposed that the vinegar used to douse our fish and chips is not vinegar at all, but a fake vinegar stand-in called ‘non-brewed condiment.’ The imposter vinegar is a mixture of water, ethanoic acid and food colouring to imitate malt vinegar.

This does explain why it is so difficult to replicate that perfect chip-shop taste when cooking at home. More surprises were unleashed on the show when the ingredients of Pimms, apple pie, and jerk seasoning were revealed.

On a visit to a Pimms distillery, the Food team revealed that the base spirit of the summer favourite is gin with coriander seeds, angelica root, and licorice, which has been distilled for 8-hours. They say it is possible to make a home-made version of the drink with a good gin, orange liqueur, spirit caramel and summer fruits.

The show then tested whether using cooking apples, such as Bramley, for an apple pie made much of a difference. The larger apples were said to have a higher acidity and lower sugar content which, when combined with a larger surface area and less time peeling, make for a delicious apple pie.

Jerk seasoning is a spicy blend of ingredients, often used on barbecued meat that is often bought without a second thought. The Food Unwrapped team explained that this Caribbean seasoning is made up of scotch bonnet, thyme, scallion, onion, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

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