Scottish fact of the week: The deep-fried Mars bar

FOREVER tied to stories of Scotland’s seemingly permanent place as Scotland’s ‘sick man of Europe’, the deep-fried Mars bar is not a universally celebrated innovation.

Health professionals in particular must wince at the very mention of this artery-tightening treat, estimated to contain around 1,200 calories - nearly half a male’s recommended daily intake.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, the deep-fried Mars bar was invented in The Haven, a fish and chip bar in Stonehaven now known as the Carron Fish Bar.

Lorraine and Charles Watson’s calorific dish is available throughout Scotland, but it remains something of a specialty. According to a 2004 survey in medical journal the Lancet, only 22 per cent of the nation’s fish and chip shops sell deep-fried Mars bars.

A rare treat indeed, for those that can stomach it.