Fast food has got plenty of bad press, but did you know that the UK is bursting with award-winning takeaways whose high quality could rival many restaurant kitchens? Or that behind every takeaway is a fascinating story that shaped our communities as well as our palates?

This week, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge travels the country to find out what makes the best fish and chips and the trade secrets behind them, while Cherry Healey discovers that the origins of our national dish aren't actually British at all. Then, three of the nation's top chippies are invited to compete in a contest at one of Britain's oldest fishing ports, Brixham Harbour. Each is passionate about their own style of cooking but they all have very different ideas about what makes the best fish and chips. For one, it is haddock and beef dripping, for another it is cod, and for the third it is a reinvention of the dish itself. So it is down to Tom and his expert judge, fish restaurateur Mitch Tonks, to decide who makes the best takeaway on the day. Show less