As the humble fish finger marked its 70th anniversary - Brits still munch through one billion a year

One of Britain’s best loved tea time favourites is celebrating its 70th birthday this week.

It was on September 26, 1955, that frozen food firm Birds Eye first unveiled its fish fingers. Since then, they have become a part of household meals for millions, whether with vegetables on the side or in a sandwich.

In fact, more than one billion fish fingers have been sold in the UK in the past year alone, or over 14,000 tonnes of them.

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The very first fish fingers were unveiled by Birds Eyeat a trade event in Brighton, before going into production at its Great Yarmouth factory in Norfolk.

Yet Clarence Birdseye’s most famous invention might never have been sold as fish fingers at all. They were nearly called ‘Battered Cod Pieces’, until a poll of Birds Eye workers opted for the snappier name instead.

According to the firm, they were sold in handmade wax-coated cartons, with each finger individually wrapped in waxed paper, already cooked and ready to be re-heated.

Their arrival came soon after war time rationing was finally lifted. One food that was cheap, available and nutritious was fish, but some families were put off by its preparation, which was deemed fiddly. At the time, Birds Eye was already selling frozen fish fillets, but it tapped into a need for an affordable, family-friendly and nutritious product that would appeal to children. The solution was a “fish stick” - a boneless, oblong-shaped piece of fish covered in breadcrumbs. They are still sold as that in the US.

The first trials used herring, the most plentiful catch in local waters, which was coated in batter and breadcrumbs and sold as the Herring Savoury. But Birds Eye switched to cod, which was used for the launch.

They soon became a hit with families, with the promise of “no bones, no waste, no smell, no fuss”. In their very first year, more than 600 tonnes of fish fingers were eaten across the UK.

Few people had freezers at the time so they had to be cooked straight away. By 1960, a fifth of the population had a freezer and by 1965 the proportion had risen to half.

Another reason for their enduring success is Birds Eye’s famous adverts for the product. It was in 1967 that Captain Birds Eye sailed onto households’ TV screens for the first time, portrayed by actor John Hewer, who went on to star in more than 50 Birds Eye television adverts in seven languages over three decades.

The white-whiskered Captain was replaced in 1997 by a younger, hunkier sailor, played by actor Thomas Pescod. But 31-year-old Pescod failed to win children’s hearts and he was dropped four years later for another, older skipper, actor Martyn Reid.

Claire Sutton, marketing director at Birds Eye, said: “Despite growing awareness
around the importance of a balanced diet, only 21% of the UK population currently meet the NHS recommendation of eating two portions of fish per week, and the fish finger continues to offer such a simple and affordable way for families to boost their fish intake and enjoy the health benefits that come with it. We are enormously proud to celebrate this anniversary and to look ahead to the next chapter of the fish finger’s remarkable journey: fish fingers aren’t just a nostalgic favourite, they’re a smart, nutritious choice for modern mealtimes, which continues to bring joy to millions.”