Holidaymakers and shoppers were given a treat when two mammoth portions of fish and chips were dished up to the public in Bournemouth Square yesterday.
The blue team, Bournemouth and Poole College chefs were pitted against the orange team, chefs from Boscombe restaurant Urban Reef, in a challenge to make the huge dish.
It was done as a programme for a new series of Monster Munchies, presented by Matt Dawson, based on two teams of people working against each other to make a super-sized version of a popular British favourite.
Both teams had just 24 hours to work before the finished food was unveiled to the public and blind-tested by five local people, including Poole’s Town Crier, David Squire.
So where did the teams find 6ft fish?
One was made from dozens of smaller fish stuck together with a special edible glue. They were fried in huge customised industrial fryers and then transported to the town centre.
But the effort from Urban Reef really was a big fish - a 6ft halibut.
Paired with 2ft chips made from a secret mix of potato powder and then shaped in moulds, the meal is completed by proportional-sized helpings of mushy peas.
Mark Cribb, manager of Urban Reef, said: “We had to make the fish and chips as big as we could, so we did a bit of research to see what the current world record was and I think we’ve matched it.
“We did have a little look at the competition and they are both really good and have worked really hard.
“We did get very little sleep but we’ve had lots of laughs taking part.”
Unfortunately you’re going to have to wait until the programme is televised to find out who won the challenge, which will be shown later in the year on the Good Food Channel.
