Finding superlative examples of Britain's national dish isn't as easy as tracking down great cheese in Paris or sublime sushi in Japan.

Serving originally as cheap and filling fodder for the country's burgeoning 19th-century working class, most of the 250 million portions of fish and chips sold today by Britain's 10,000 or so vendors of the dish - "chippies" to locals - remain unappetizing concoctions of gray-colored fish in soggy batter, accompanied by anemic chips and flaccid little sachets of ketchup.

Little wonder that so many first time visitors to the UK wonder what all the fuss is about - never mind where to find mouthwash strong enough to remove the taste of stale cooking fat from their mouths.

That's a shame, because some establishments are great exceptions to the mediocre rule.

Discover Britain's 10 best fish and chip shops on CNN Travel.