Marks and Spencer mocked for launching £1 'chip shop scraps'

‘Can’t believe they’ve gentrified scraps,’ tweets one person

Olivia Petter
Tuesday 13 October 2020 11:17 BST
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(Getty Images)

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Marks and Spencer's shoppers have teased the retailer on Twitter for launching "chip shop scraps" in tubs costing £1 each.

Scraps (otherwise known as batter bits) are pieces of batter left over in the fryer as a by-product of frying fish.

They are traditionally served free of charge in chip shops.

Marks & Spencer's own version is marketed as "beer battered haddock" that is "light and crispy".

However, Twitter users have ridiculed the product, with one person labelling it a "desperate attempt to appeal to northerners".

“Can’t believe they’ve gentrified scraps,” another chimed alongside a photograph of the product.

Many people tweeted that scraps were free in their local fish and chip shops.

“Nooo. Scraps are free with your chippy or 20p at most. You cannot commodify scraps," tweeted one person.

One tweet of the product has garnered more than 19,700 likes and 2,000 retweets.

“I can imagine they are tasty like most m&s food is... but won't be able to match any decent chippy,” wrote one person.

Another claimed that the supermarket had got it wrong, claiming that authentic chip shop scraps do not contain fish batter.

“They've not even done it right,” they tweeted. 

“Chip shop scraps are the crispy bits of chips at the end of the cone/tray/bag, not the batter. Who'd eat batter?!”

Regarding Marks and Spencer’s chip shop scraps, Ellie Mckie, product developer at the supermarket, commented: “We first introduced our delicious scraps back in 2018 with our popular battered fish, and this autumn we decided it was time to set them free and allow customers to choose where they sprinkle these crispy, light nuggets of savoury batter! 

"Launched as part of our new ‘Chip Shop’ range, they’ve definitely got the nation talking and we’re now looking forward to hearing how customers across the whole of the UK are enjoying theirs.”

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