This is a bit of a labour of love but once you cook it you will be so happy you will not be sorry

Ingredients
1kg Vivaldi potatoes, peeled 
4 litres of oil (I like corn oil but vegetable or sunflower will work just as well) 
1 tin of banana blossom 
2 tbsp caper vinegar 
Salt 
Pepper 
Squeeze of lemon juice 

Vinegar for serving  - I like onion vinegar but use your favourite 

Batter Ingredients 
80g self raising flour 
1/2 tsp salt 
125ml sparkling water 

Mushy Peas Ingredients
Petit pois  
20g dairy free butter or butter 
1/2 tsp sugar 
1/2 tsp salt 

Tartar Sauce Ingredients 
100ml veganaise or mayonnaise 
1.5 tbsp capers (from a jar), chopped 
1.5 tbsp gherkins, chopped 
1/2 small shallot, finely chopped 
Squeeze of lemon juice 
1/4 tsp sugar 

Method
Heat the oven to 160c. Put a parchment lined large baking dish into your oven along with a smaller baking dish also lined with parchment paper.  The large dish is for your cooked chips and the smaller for your ‘fish’. 

Start with your banana blossom.  Drain and put into a dish with the salty caper vinegar and the ground and chill for 1 hour. 

Meanwhile make your tartare sauce as this improves with time.  Take all the ingredients, put into a bowl and mix.  Season with salt and pepper. 

You can ‘square off’ your potatoes if you want the chips to be perfectly square, sometimes I do but mostly I don’t.  It wastes potatoes and to be honest my family don’t care about the shape, just how long it is going to take to cook! 

I try to get potatoes that are not too big, I cut them in half and then slice them.  The thickness depends on you, I sometimes make thin ones and other times thicker.    Once you slice them put them onto a clean tea towel and cover with another clean tea towel, you want the potato slices to dry out without oxidising. 

Heat your oil to 170c, if you have a deep fat fryer use this, otherwise use a large saucepan, thermometer and just watch the heat, oil can be very dangerous so you need to be careful.  Cook your potatoes in batches, you don’t want to overcrowd your pan but at the same time you don’t want to have too few in there or cooking them will take some time. I try to do mine in batches of 3. 

Fry the first batch and when they are just starting to turn ever so slightly golden remove them on to kitchen roll. Repeat with your other 2 batches.  Turn the oil pan up to 190c and fry a third of your potatoes for a second time until nicely golden.  Turn down your oven to 140c.  When you pull these chips out, put on to kitchen roll, put your next batch in and then put the doubled fried chips into the oven.  Repeat until the chips are all doubled fried.  Turn the oil pan down to 180c. 

Pat the outside of the banana blossom dry with kitchen paper. Season well, then lightly dust with flour (this ensures the batter sticks to the fillets). Shake off any extra flour.

Meanwhile, mix the batter ingredients in a large jug or bowl.  Carefully take a piece of banana blossom and put into your batter ensuring it is all covered.  Take that banana blossom and carefully put into the oil.  The easiest way to do this is with your hands!  You want to cook 2 pieces at a time.  Cook until perfectly golden - this may take up to 10 mins. 

When the blossom has cooked put 2  into the oven.  Repeat the process with your remaining 2. 

While your second batch of blossom is cooking, make your mushy peas.  Put your peas into boiling water and cook for roughly 3-4 mins until tender.  Drain and add butter, salt and sugar.  Take a potato masher or fork and mash until the peas are properly crushed.  Check for seasoning.  

Your first chip will make you smile and forget the last hour of cooking!