There’s a newly opened kosher fish and chip shop in town. The new fish and chip shop is the first to open in half a century, and it has sparked excitement in the local Jewish Community.
There are three Orthodox synagogues within half a mile, but Marlow’s British Kitchen on Street Lane is delighting the 8,000 Jews in the area, with them no longer having to travel for kashrut versions of the traditional British dish.
It’s great because Jews will no longer need to go across the Pennines to Manchester in order to obtain kosher fish and chips, which will benefit both their community and the local economy.
Rabbi Anthony Gilbert looks extremely excited – He is the leader of the nearby Etz Chaim Synagogue. He definitely won’t have to travel far for fish and chips.
But the establishment, which opened in September right after Rosh Hashanah, benefits more than just the local Jewish community. It was started by business partners Jenade Yamin and Arabaab Munir, who are both Muslim and originate from Bradford. Because Marlows is 100% halal, it will draw both Muslims and Hindus, demonstrating that people can coexist peacefully and without hostility.
The idea for an interreligious chippy originated when Rabbi Gilbert, the rabbinical registrar of the Leeds Beth Din, observed the fish and chip shop under construction one morning while travelling to a bakery. Originally, the establishment was solely supposed to be halal.
That’s when Rabbi Gilbert first met Yamin and Munir, who he said were really warm, welcoming and respectful, and they informed him that they were opening a fish and chip shop using the old Yorkshire remedies, such as beef dripping, and he said that it was a pity because they hadn’t had a kosher fish and chip since about 1975.
Almost two weeks later, Rabbi Gilbert received a phone call from Yamin and Munir asking if they could arrange an initial meeting to discuss the feasibility of making it kosher. Rabbi Gilbert warned them it would be extremely costly and aggravating, but they seemed extremely enthusiastic.
Among the requirements of making the shop acceptable under both Jewish and Islamic dietary law is to have separate designated fryers – to ensure no cross-contamination, and to have plastic disposable cutlery and paper mats.
The kosher bakery directly behind the store will supply the flour, and all vegetable oil and seasonings will be halal and kosher.
Shared solutions will be utilised where applicable, such as adhering to classic white fish with fins and scales visible with no alcohol used during preparation, along with a full-time kosher supervisor (mashgiach), which is required on site when the shop is open, except for Friday, Shabbat, fast days and during Yom Tov.
Yamin and Munir are keen to ensure that everything is kept to a heightened standard. “When they see me now, it’s all ‘good morning rabbi, how are you, rabbi?’ and ‘is there anything we can improve on?” Rabbi Gilbert says.
The takeaway, which also features seating for diners, is proving to be a social hotspot, offering both the elderly and younger members of the community a place to gather with their families in the evenings. Rabbi Gilbert said, ‘That for some of the younger members of the community, this will be a new experience for them.’
Yamin, 31, and Munir, 30, originally debated the proposal for kosher facilities, uncertain if the undertaking would be a worthwhile investment.
Speaking to the JC, Yamin explains: “When it became clear that there was local interest in making it kosher, and we had this offer from Rabbi Gilbert to help make it happen, we said to ourselves, ‘You know what, let’s go for it’.
“And, honestly, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.”
He says the shop “has had such great feedback from the Jewish community, particularly. All the rabbis in the area have been so wonderful, especially Rabbi Gilbert.
“We’ve developed a real friendship with him and become so close to the point that I’m proud to say we’re on a first-name basis.”
Alongside Yamin’s hijab-wearing wife, the store employs a few local non-Orthodox Jewish guys as servers and Rabbi Gilbert’s son Ben as a fryer and kosher supervisor.
The Jewish community adores Yamin’s wife and tells him how wonderful she is when she helps out.
This fish and chip shop will turn into a miniature melting pot; in addition to providing jobs for young people in the area, it will boost the local economy. They should be extremely proud of what they have accomplished, and given what is happening in the Middle East, this will bring positivity closer to home and their local community. It’s also wonderful to see that they are coexisting peacefully.
Rabbi Gilbert adds that it’s the “best example I know of Muslims and Jewish people, Christians, all different faiths and none coming together organically, and all over good old-fashioned British fish and chips.”
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