Southampton has its fair share of claims to fame.

The Pilgrim Fathers set sail on the Mayflower from Southampton in 1620; the world-renowned fighter aircraft Spitfire first took to the air over the city in 1936; and the Saints won the FA Cup Final in 1976.

There is, however, one famous fact that many local people perhaps don't know about and that is Southampton is the original home of the fish finger.

The nation's teatime would never have been the same if it hadn't been for Southampton, as it was here that the frozen favourite was first tested on the British public back in the mid-1950s.

The Sotonian taste buds were considered to be just what Clarence Birdseye yes, there really was someone called Birdseye was looking for when his company wanted to try out the new-fangled fish finger.

At that time, Birds Eye was not sure whether customers would prefer cod or herring, so it was decided to try both out on consumers.

So it was decided that the product, initially called "Cod Sticks", would be trialed in Southampton while "Herring Savouries" found their way into the shops of south Wales.

After the test period Southampton consumers won the day and the Cod Sticks were voted the top tasty treat.

On September 26, 1955, the fish finger was officially launched by Birds Eye.

The name came top in a poll of the company's workers.

The factory in Great Yarmouth went into full production and the fish finger has not looked back since.

Clarence Birdseye was an American scientist who, after working as a biologist in Canada, realised that fish exposed to sub-zero temperatures froze solid almost immediately and as far back as 1927 he patented the idea for fish fingers.

In the five decades since they were introduced, more than 15 billion fish fingers have been sold in the UK alone. Within a decade of its launch, the fish finger accounted for ten per cent of British fish consumption. Today they are eaten regularly in half of Britain's homes.

Britons now eat more than one million every day, and if you laid all the fish fingers ever sold end-to-end the line would stretch 42 times around the world.

Actor, John Hewer was TV's Captain Birds Eye for more than 30 years starting in 1967 and went on to star in over 50 advertisements in seven different languages and in 15 countries.