Dripping with grease and carelessly wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper, fish-n-chips is considered a quintessentially British tradition. But contrary to popular belief, the savoury snack was actually brought to the UK by Jewish refugees arriving from Spain and Portugal in the 17th century. It was popularised among the working class some two hundred years later, with the expansion of trawler fishing in the North Sea.
The odd brew of oxtail soup was not in fact first concocted in the UK. It was brought over by French Protestant refugees known as the Huguenots, who fled the “Reign of Terror” in revolutionary France. The Huguenots also introduced the Brits to biscuits, table wine and cutlery.
The man who invented the trademark British vehicle – Sir Alec Issigonis – brought his vision and talent into the country after fleeing the turmoil that accompanied the fall of the Ottoman empire. It was only in his adopted country that he honed and developed his design philosophy of “less is more”, which earned him a knighthood in 1969.
No retail outlet in Britain is more iconic than Marks and Spencer. But its distinguished history began when a Russian-born Polish refugee set up a modest stall at Leeds Kirkgate Market in 1884. Michael Marks – later joined by Tom Spencer – transformed the stall into a flourishing business and gave birth to a household name in British retail circles.
January 2008. By Hanna Hindstrom, UNHCR London
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| Fish n Chips. © UNHCR |
