London - The owner of a Scottish fish and chip shop that proclaims itself to be the “birthplace of the world famous deep-fried Mars bar” has refused to take down a banner marketing its dubious claim to fame, after being told it was spoiling the area's appeal to visitors.
Aberdeenshire Council has urged Lorraine Watson, owner of the Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven, to remove the banner in order to help “improve the look” of the town.
But Ms Watson insisted the large sign on the side of the shop promotes tourism and said she was “furious” at the proposed ban. She claimed she had been “inundated” with customers yesterday as locals rallied around the shop.
“What we're doing is trying to promote tourism in Scotland,” she told The Independent. “If it means people come here and have a deep-fried Mars bar, so be it - it's a once-in-a-lifetime eat, not something you'd have every day.”
The deep-fried Mars bar has become synonymous with the negative stereotype of the unhealthy Scottish diet and is often mockingly referred to as one of the country's national dishes along with haggis.
In 2012, Mars wrote to the owners of the chip shop seeking a disclaimer to distance itself from the recipe, saying it was “against its commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles”. Ms Watson admitted she was “not really a Mars bar eater myself, to be honest”, but said: “I would never encourage anybody to be unhealthy.”
A spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council said: “We have been looking at ways to improve the look of Stonehaven for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors. We have asked some owners in the area to consider making alterations to their properties. This included asking the owners of the Carron Fish Bar to consider removing their banner. We do not wish to prevent the owners from promoting their business and we would be happy to have discussions with them regarding the banner.”
The Independent