World's oldest man enjoys staple British dish every week and puts his long life down to 'luck'

The newly-crowned oldest man in the world has revealed the meal that he enjoys every week, and it's a local favourite.

John Alfred Tinniswood is 111 years old, and lives in Southport, Merseyside.

Following the sad news of the death of Venezuelan 114-year-old Juan Vicente Perez, John is now the world's oldest living man.

Born in Liverpool, the supercentenarian was original expected to be usurped to the title by Japanese 112-year-old Gisaburo Sonobe, but he was confirmed to have died on 31 March.

Guinness World Records

John has lived through two World Wars, and was born the same year the infamous Titanic sank, on 26 August 1912.

The great-grandfather met his wife, Blowden, during the second World War, and even got married in 1942 before having a daughter together in 1943.

Following 44 years of marriage, Blowden passed away in 1986, with John now being the head of a family with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

With over a century of experience on planet Earth, it's no surprise that John has experienced it all, and has seen the world around him change drastically.

Describing his long life as 'pure luck', he told Guinness World Records: “You either live long or you live short, and you can’t do much about it.”

Staff at his nursing home say he is a 'big chatterbox', but that he can still get out of bed by himself, keeps up with news and the radio and even manages his own finances.

Guinness World Records

You may be thinking that there's a secret behind his long life but, according to the man himself, you'd be mistaken.

As well as believing that his longevity down to 'luck', he revealed that he eats a whole portion of battered fish and chips every Friday, given that Southport is a seaside town.

He admitted: “I eat what they give me and so does everybody else. I don’t have a special diet.”

However, John also revealed that he doesn't smoke and rarely drinks alcohol, saying that the secret to living long may lie with moderation, stating: "If you do too much of anything, you're going to suffer eventually."

John is also a lifelong Liverpool FC fan, having lived through the majority of the club's victories, as he was born just 20 years after its inception in 1892.

He was also in an administrative role for the Army Pay Corps during the second World War, so he is also the world's oldest surviving male WW2 veteran.

Following the war, he then worked for Shell and BP in accounts until retiring for good in 1972, over 50 years ago.

Getty Stock Photo

Since his 100th birthday, John had received a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth, who was almost 14 years younger than him, but he doesn't seem to care too much about his new title.

“Doesn’t make any difference to me, not at all. I accept it for what it is," he modestly said.

John was also asked about how the world had changed throughout his life, and he explained: “The world, in its way, is always changing. It’s a sort of ongoing experience.

"It’s getting a little better but not all that much yet. It’s going the right way.”

His advice to younger generations was simply: “Always do the best you can, whether you’re learning something or whether you’re teaching someone.

“Give it all you’ve got. Otherwise it’s not worth bothering with.”