NICK GRIMSHAW

The broadcaster and author on the joys of a chippy and his Dish podcast with chef Angela Hartnett

My earliest memory of food is my dad going to the chippy every Friday. Growing up, we never had any other takeout than the chippy near our house [in Oldham] — it was called Tony’s. My mum would cook the rest of the time, so my dad saw it as his job to do the ritualistic, Friday-night chippy pilgrimage. I actually don’t like battered fish, so I’d have a chip muffin [bread roll] with gravy and mushy peas. Even after all the restaurants I’ve been to, it’s still one of my favourite meals.

When I was eight, I remember being in a restaurant and asking for snails. My mum and dad had taken me to York for the day and asked if I really wanted them, and I said, “I want snails!” I saw it as something exciting to try as opposed to ‘eugh, couldn’t eat that’. I’ve always been quite an adventurous eater. Some people are funny, aren’t they? They’ll eat meat but they won’t eat a pig’s head or a trotter or tripe. I’m of the mindset that if you’re going to eat an animal, give it the respect of eating all of it.