Just like pork scratchings, except made from hens’ skin, the cock scratchings also go by the name of crispy fried chicken skin.
New kid to Carnaby Street in Soho, London Whyte & Brown has sold chicken scratchings since opening last summer.
The pub-restaurant concept is focusing on food made from chicken and eggs with other innovative dishes including a wild mushroom risotto scotch egg with truffle oil and aged Parmesan served on a bed of kale (£10.50) and Parmesan creamed spinach and egg bake with gruyere toast (£10.50).
On the Whyte & Brown menu, ‘cock scratchings’ are known as chicken crisps and are served in clear pots for £2, lightly seasoned with salt.
BrewDog
Similar creations are also on sale at the BrewDog pub in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle where customers can buy little packets of deep-fried chicken skin touched up with salt and pepper for £2.25. BrewDog sources the product from Cock Scratchings, owned by Ed Jones, who has been making it for around six months. The Euston Tap and Cider Tap in London are also stockists. It will be rolled out to around 50 London pubs in March with a view to expand UK-wide this summer.
For a DIY take, Bone Daddies, also in Soho, sells small bowls of them on its ‘extras’ list at 80p and diners can either crunch them on their own or spinkle some on a bowl of hot ramen.
For more information visit @cockscratchings.