But not just any old chippy, they wanted somewhere which represented everything about traditional, working class Blighty.

Choosing the Happy Haddock in Brighouse was a little strange given the fact they don't serve Islington barristers on a regular basis.

But the fact that they chose a Yorkshire chippy is testament to the fact that the broad acres and fish and chips go together like, well, fish and chips.

And while we'll always be thought of as the true home of Britain's culinary gift to the world, this old fashioned association is one which is slowly starting to change, at least in Leeds.

In the new cosmopolitan capital fish and chips have evolved thanks to the opening of a new gourmet venue which serves the traditional fried offering alongside some more adventurous gastronomic twists.

Battered, which has just opened on the River Aire's city living south bank of Brewery Wharf, is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Stephen Hawkins and Deborah de De Vittoris

She said: "Everybody loves fish and chips, it's just that among the trendier city living market it isn't really that fashionable to admit it, plus there isn't really anywhere to buy them in this end of town.

"We basically saw a gap in the market for fashionable fish and chips. There's loads of stylish places you can get Chinese or Italian or pizza, but nowhere for fish and chips exclusively.

"Which is a shame because at the end of the day it's the best kind of fast food to fit in with people with busy lives, in other words the city living types. Plus it's a good old fashioned, traditional British dish."

Pedigree

De Vittoris and Hawkins already have some pedigree in this field. Their debut joint venture Oracle, which is just next door, helped cement burgers as one of the most de rigeur foods in Leeds thank to the bar's extensive menu with some novel twists.

And they're aiming to do the same with Battered. As well as all the usual chip shop cuisine available through their conventional fast food outlet, you can sample some superb seafood in the adjacent restaurant.

Next door diners can enjoy everything from sea trout to sweet chilli salmon and grilled halibut – all served, if you wish, with good old fashioned chips.

But the kitsch factor runs throughout. Even in the restaurant you can order champagne and cocktails alongside pickled eggs, scraps and even battered Mars bars for dessert.

"We wanted it to be pure comedy." said De Vittoris. "Because the whole hook of the place is this kitsch fish and chip element and people in Leeds love a hook.

"We didn't want to open another run-of-the-mill minimal bar or restaurant we wanted something which appealed to a trendy market but wasn't too serious. I don't think anyone could accuse us of taking things too seriously.

"And we know that having a dedicated fish and chip venue in this part of town is an unknown quantity but we're confident it will work."

Reputation

But will it? One couple who already know a thing or two about running a restaurant dedicated to fish and chips are Anne and Peter Scott of Bretts in Headingley.

They've built up a world-wide reputation which lures everyone from celebrities to foreign visitors to their tables.

But the couple have made the business a success by appealing to the traditional, often older market which is the antithesis of Battered's raison d'etre.

"Well good luck to them, anything which raises the profile of fish and chips can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned," said Peter

"They'll face a challenge as running a dedicated fish and chip restaurant particularly in the city centre isn't a proven thing.

"And the area they are opening in with lots of young people is also uncharted territory because a lot of younger people have wider tastes and options from burgers to pizza and other types of take away.

"But you know, I'd like to be proved wrong on that, and if they can attract a younger crowd back to fish and chips then that would be fantastic."

Peter points out the fact that smaller fish and chip shops have been slowly disappearing from around the city in recent years.

They've often been replaced by large chains such as Harry Ramsdens which, ironically, started here in Leeds.

Part of the problem has been a surge in costs – such as the rising price of fish.

But at the same time treasury laws which require businesses to charge VAT to their customers if their takings top a certain level mean they may have to cut their opening hours in order to stay under the threshold.

The alternative is to push up prices, which customers may not be prepared to pay, or absorb the costs which could put them out of business.

This is one of the reasons chippies often open peculiar hours because owners have to limit their takings and their costs. It's a careful balancing act which numerous small ventures have struggled, and increasingly failed, to maintain.

Yet we Brits still seem to love our fish and chips. This week it was revealed they will be the food served at the wedding of Liverpool soccer star Steven Gerrard.

They were also the cuisine of choice at the wedding of Yvette Cooper MP and Ed Balls – right hand man to Gordon Brown, prospective Leeds MP and potentially the next Chancellor.

In London, predictably, gourmet fish and chip shops have already caught on in recent years with a number of venues dotted around the capital serving fry ups to the most fashion-conscious diners.

Upmarket

And in general the best restaurants continue to carry fish and chips on their menu. Leeds eaterie Room, one of the most upmarket in the city, is a big fan.

Sarah Huggett, head chef at Room, comes direct from London where she worked, among other places, at the Emporio Armani Restaurant and Tate Britain Gallery Restaurant.

She said: "What's great is we've come through all the different fashions and that phase of having lots of little fancy blobs of stuff on our plates, stuff which we can't even identify sometimes.

"But with fish and chips you know what you're getting and people have certain expectations. Best of all, so long as you get certain things right – such as the batter – you can't really go wrong.

"It has this universal appeal and it's certainly one of the most popular dishes on our menu, particularly, and this is interesting, on a Friday.

"As everyone remembers from their youth Friday was always the day you have fish and chips which stems back years to when the working man got paid at the end of the week and he could afford to go out and treat his family.

"So it's nice that that tradition has stuck and, like the Sunday roast, its a comfort food in terms of how it makes us feel physically as well as emotionally and I think that's why Brits will always love their fish and chips however it's presented to us."


Fish and chips: A short history


The chip is believed to have come into existence after Sir Walter Raleigh brought the potato back from the New World in the 17th century.


Around the same time Spanish and Portuguese Jews started to introduce fried fish to England, though it would be some time before fish AND chips would be married into one culinary pairing.


One of the first mentions of a fish and chip shop featured in Dickens's Oliver Twist.
Although this was first published in 1838 it wasn't until the 20th century that the masses consumed them on a vast scale.


This was heightened during the Second World War when potatoes remained one of the few foods which weren't subject to rationing.


Fish and chips are popular around the globe. In Australia they are known to fry shark meat and in New Zealand they often substitute the fish element for a potato scallop called a flip. Thus they eat flip and chips.


Sadly the number of UK fish and chip shops has declined from 25,000 in 1914 to around 10,000 today.