Anchor chippy Bexley creates cod wrapped in 24-carat gold

Ozan Bakici, 27, came up with the golden idea to celebrate the first anniversary of his shop opening in Bexley.

He battered the cod traditionally before covering it in gold leaf he bought for £90.

Ozan then gave the cod away to a customer to celebrate one year of business at the Anchor in Albany Park on Monday, November 20.

The dad-of-one said: "I was initially inspired by social media star chef Salt Bae, who created 24-carat steaks with gold leaf.

"I wanted to create something like that would draw customers in and give them a bit of a 'wow factor'.

“So I came up with the idea of creating a 24-carat cod.

"I wanted to put my own twist on Salt Bae's creations by creating a golden cod - and calling myself the Salt and Vinegar Bae.

"My business is my passion and I take it seriously. So something like this is fantastic to drive more customers to my shop."

Salt Bae - real name Nusret Gökçe - has become world-famous for his extravagant displays on social media.

His food sells for high prices - including a steak covered in gold for around £1,500.

Ozan created his own version by battering a cod in oil before carefully applying 24-carat gold leaf.

He bought the sheet for £90 and placed in on piece by piece, layer by layer, until the whole fish was covered.

He also sprayed the chips with a 24-carat golden spray to give them a sparkling ‘gold dust’ effect.

Ozan said: “It was all completely edible. Gold leaf is very tricky to work with though.

"You have to be extremely careful when you are using it, because it is thinner than paper and stored between sheets of tissue paper.

“If you move to quickly or aren’t very careful with, it can break and you will lose all that money you spent on it. You have to be very precise."

Ex-electrician Ozan, dad to Isa, one, and partner to beautician Ayla Karadal, 25, opened the Anchor in 2022.

It has since become a local success story - and has become a favourite of influencers and Premier League footballers.

Ozan held a competition on the day of the anniversary to give regular customers the chance to win the golden fish and chips.

Bexley's mayor Ahmet Dourmoush even attended the special event.

The winner ate the fish on the day.

Ozan said: “It was such a good day - it was really fun.

"We had some many people coming to take photos and we did our fish and chips half price for the whole day.

"It was a fantastic way to give back to the community.”

Ozan is also an active member in his community and is regularly in touch with local authorities to arrange giving free food to those who need it.

The chippy has become a hit online, including receiving a review from a TikTok creator with 1.5 million followers.

And the Anchor also received an award on a food community app.

This means it has great food, a five-star rated hygiene score and community involvement, Ozan said.

And he added: "I am a self-taught chef and very proud of the business I have grown myself.

"Some of my customers have lived in the area for 30 or 40 years and visit my chippy. It makes me very proud.

"All the hard work I have put in has really put the Anchor on the map.

"I have also had people from Birmingham and as far as America and New Zealand visit my shop.

"I think we have expanded beyond being a local chippy.”

A Glasgow chippy sold fish and chips topped with gold for £80 last year.

But Ozan thinks his dish is different - as his cod is completely covered.

He has even contacted Guinness World Records - but a spokesperson said: "We don’t monitor a record title for the first golden fish and chips."