Chip Shop discussion

[TravelDream]

I am a bit of a fan of my local chippie. They do great fish (always cooked to perfection and huge) and very decent chips.

The main problem is price. I have an old menu for when they started doing deliveries just after Covid started.

In spring 2020, they wanted £4.90 for a large cod and £1.90 for a 'regular' chips - which are actually massive and more than enough for two. Sauces/ Peas were £1.60. They did a special cod, small chips and half mushy peas portion for £6.90. Delivery was free if under 10 minutes from the shop.

I went earlier in the week and they are now charging £7.25 for a large cod and a 'regular' chips is now £2.60. Sauces/ Peas are now £1.80. The special is now only at lunchtime and costs £9.25. Delivery is only with Uber Eats and costs a hell of a lot more than free.

Whilst the quality and portion sizes haven't changed, it's a little hard to justify going given the prices have gone up so much. With collection, it is £18.90 for our regular order for two. At that price, you may as well go to cheaper chains like Nandos. Wetherspoon's or Toby Carvery etc. and have a bit of an outing. Nice proper restaurants are only a couple of quid more.

 

[Gloster]

Eat it while you can afford it. Around a third of the white fish eaten in this country comes from or via Russia and sanctions are likely in the near future. The government has so far managed to put them off, but may have to bite the bullet and enforce them. That is in addition to the problems caused by Brexit.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

One that I find isn't true is the rumours you can't get mushy peas in Southern chippies. A few might not, but you mostly can.

When I moved to Taunton 20 years ago, barely any of the chippies round there did mushy peas. Supermarkets still stocked cans of Harry Ramsden branded "Yorkshire Caviar" down there though... which is what I suspect the few chippies that did have them used.

 

[PeterC]

Plenty of chippies in Whitby offering skate.

Chippies or fish restaurants? Certainly never seen it at Silver Street.

 

[IanD]

In Yorkshire the "cakes" from the chip shop are delicious - two slices of potato with a bit of fish in between, battered then deep fried. Rarely, if ever, seen em in t'South. I had one somewhere around Glasgow once a few years back though.

Fish has to be skinless haddock and fried until the fish is cooked not just until the batter looks done. Round here (the esteemed city of Milton Keynes) it's nearly always skin-on cod which is too wet and greasy so I give it a miss.

You also get too many chips round here always more than enough for 2 in a regular portion, I'd rather pay 2/3rds of the price and have half as many chips when it's just me partaking.

Condiments must be salt and vinegar (malt, onion or non-brewed condiment types) or Henderson's Relish if you can get it.

 

[scotrail158713]

I can't remember if it was in Pitlochry or Aviemore but I do remember having fish & chips and one of the other items available was "scraps". It was a portion of leftover bits of batter which whilst I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, I was glad that I'd split a portion with the person I was there with. Eating too much of it made you feel quite nauseous.
Edit - I tried to see if I could find the place online but whilst I was searching I did discover that "scraps" are quite a common item although sometimes known by a different name. It was certainly the one and only time I've ever come across them though.

 

[D6968]

I can't remember if it was in Pitlochry or Aviemore but I do remember having fish & chips and one of the other items available was "scraps". It was a portion of leftover bits of batter which whilst I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, I was glad that I'd split a portion with the person I was there with. Eating too much of it made you feel quite nauseous.
Edit - I tried to see if I could find the place online but whilst I was searching I did discover that "scraps" are quite a common item although sometimes known by a different name. It was certainly the one and only time I've ever come across them though.

Known as Batters in the Black Country

 

[Ashley Hill]

Known as Batters in the Black Country

Gribbles in the south west.

 

[Gloster]

I used to get scraps in Beverley thirty years ago. I think you could have a small portion and some chips.

 

[Brooklands]

Yorkshire fish cakes are readily available at the chippy in Brookwood (Surrey) - I think the owner is from Sheffield!
As for scraps, you are usually offered them routinely in the North-East of England.

 

[D6130]

Yorkshire fish cakes are readily available at the chippy in Brookwood (Surrey) - I think the owner is from Sheffield!

....and no doubt they will be very popular with the large number of Yorkshire squaddies based in the area!

 

[306024]

Brought up on what us now the Essex / London border there are several things that have struck me when visiting other parts of the country.

1. I have never seen saveloys away from London and Home Counties

2 Yorkshire just offers cod or haddock. Never skate or rock.

3.in the North West the species of fish being served is a secret. The price list just says "fish"

Try getting plaice too. And never ask for a wally up north. A linguistic misunderstanding nearly got us thrown out of one chippie until we explained And what’s with all this gravy talk?

 

[birchesgreen]

Brought up on what us now the Essex / London border there are several things that have struck me when visiting other parts of the country.

1. I have never seen saveloys away from London and Home Counties

2 Yorkshire just offers cod or haddock. Never skate or rock.

3.in the North West the species of fish being served is a secret. The price list just says "fish"

My local chippy in Brum sells saveloys.

 

[AndrewE]

For me, the lack of chippies that cook with tallow. Vegetable oil just isn't the same.

I use both tallow and lard for home cooking, don't even use veggie oils at home.

And the chippies around here no longer do battered mushrooms (except one).

I am very surprised to see tallow quoted. To me tallow is degraded fat historically used in (very) cheap candles and for greasing wooden bearings like windmills and cartwheels. Apparenty it stank when burnt, so only the poorest used it for light. However Wikipedia does talk of cooking with tallow.

I know of some chippies which advertise that they use beef dripping (including in the Black Country museum - I had some last Friday!) which is a superb cooking fat, and we now have it in our chip pan again: it makes an infinitely better job of frozen oven chips, as long as they aren't coated with any kind of crumbs which come off and then have to be strained out. You can even get some oven chips and find gastro-pubs which claim that they use beef dripping.
Lard is for cooking eggs in the frying pan, and mixing into savoury pastry when butter isn't justified...

 

[Bevan Price]

I don't like fish or seafood, so I get chips plus sausage, or occasionally a beefburger with salad. Even at the same chippy, the quality of the chips can vary from well-cooked to a bit soggy. The only condiment I like is a small quantity of salt, but some chippies always seem to use bucketfuls of salt - so I ask for no salt at all at those.

Some chippies do give over-large portions of chips, so I sometimes save the excess for use at home on the next day - 2 minutes in the microwave at maximum setting generally seems adequate to produce hot, still-edible chips.

As for mushy peas - no thanks; I hate over-cooked vegetables. If I have peas, I prefer them to have no more than about 3-4 minutes in boiling water.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Whilst the quality and portion sizes haven't changed, it's a little hard to justify going given the prices have gone up so much.

Reckon fish and chip shop proprietors have been well rinsed of recent by dramatically rising commercial fuel costs as well as wholesale food price increases.

 

[Trackman]

We have a once-a-week visiting fish and chip van on a Friday night. Brilliant quality, huge portion of fish and chips recently gone up in price from £5 to £5.50. Top quality battered haggis, or white pudding, scampi, or local delicacy of battered "patties" (mince, onion and mashed potato rolled into a ball a bit smaller than a tennis ball, battered and deep fried). They will also dip and drop suitable foods if you take them along yourself - individual sized Christmas Puddings are absolutely superb done that way, served with ice cream. Never thought I would experience such things when growing up in Manchester! I do have to make my own gravy though.......

This fish & chip van sounds like an absolute winner- I bet it's very well patronised.
The patties and Small Christmas pud with Ice Cream sound fantastic.
---
What's this #Binleymegachippy tik-tok thing?
edit: not seen it!

 

[D6130]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned deep-fried Mars Bars yet! This Scottish delicacy - indelibly associated with the wonderful city of Glasgow - was allegedly first cooked at the Marine Fish Bar in Stonehaven sometime in the late 1970s. I like to think that it may have migrated to the central belt behind a Haymarket class 40.

 

[507020]

I am a bit of a fan of my local chippie. They do great fish (always cooked to perfection and huge) and very decent chips.

The main problem is price. I have an old menu for when they started doing deliveries just after Covid started.

In spring 2020, they wanted £4.90 for a large cod and £1.90 for a 'regular' chips - which are actually massive and more than enough for two. Sauces/ Peas were £1.60. They did a special cod, small chips and half mushy peas portion for £6.90. Delivery was free if under 10 minutes from the shop.

I went earlier in the week and they are now charging £7.25 for a large cod and a 'regular' chips is now £2.60. Sauces/ Peas are now £1.80. The special is now only at lunchtime and costs £9.25. Delivery is only with Uber Eats and costs a hell of a lot more than free.

Whilst the quality and portion sizes haven't changed, it's a little hard to justify going given the prices have gone up so much. With collection, it is £18.90 for our regular order for two. At that price, you may as well go to cheaper chains like Nandos. Wetherspoon's or Toby Carvery etc. and have a bit of an outing. Nice proper restaurants are only a couple of quid more.

Now I am assuming based on this price of £18.90 that your regular order consists of 2 large fish, 1 regular chips and a sauce/peas, which in spring 2020 would have cost you £13.30. That’s 42.1% inflation, in 2 years, averaging over 20% a year! Now we know the true rate of inflation

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anyway, the chippies round my way cook with Mars Bars. Sumptuous!

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned deep-fried Mars Bars yet! This Scottish delicacy - indelibly associated with the wonderful city of Glasgow - was allegedly first cooked at the Marine Fish Bar in Stonehaven sometime in the late 1970s.

Actually @McRhu probably already has, back in post #8.

 

[507020]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned deep-fried Mars Bars yet! This Scottish delicacy - indelibly associated with the wonderful city of Glasgow - was allegedly first cooked at the Marine Fish Bar in Stonehaven sometime in the late 1970s. I like to think that it may have migrated to the central belt behind a Haymarket class 40.

Any comments on how much deep fried Mars Bars have shrunk since their peak in the 1990s, or does Scotland still have full size ones?

 

[D6130]

Actually @McRhu probably already has, back in post #8.

Ah yes. Apologies to my old school chum @McRhu! My memory isn't what it used to be....even as far back as yesterday!

 

[McRhu]

Ah yes. Apologies to my old school chum @McRhu! My memory isn't what it used to be....even as far back as yesterday!

It is good to know that the youth of Scotland are so well victualled with such nutritious fare. In our day of course, at Scotland's leading educational establishment for young gentlemen and ladies, we depended upon a half vienna loaf stuffed with cheese & onion crisps to keep body and soul on the same page.

Any comments on how much deep fried Mars Bars have shrunk since their peak in the 1990s, or does Scotland still have full size ones?

For every 1mm that they've shrunk we add an extra 5mm of batter all round to compensate, thus maintaining the vital goodness inherent in the comestible.

 

[TravelDream]

Now I am assuming based on this price of £18.90 that your regular order consists of 2 large fish, 1 regular chips and a sauce/peas, which in spring 2020 would have cost you £13.30. That’s 42.1% inflation, in 2 years, averaging over 20% a year! Now we know the true rate of inflation

It is indeed.
The place is still fairly busy, but it has become much harder to justify for me. My waistline probably thanks me for that!

It's quite worrying to be honest, and it is easy to see how people on lower incomes must be very worried. This inflation has no end in sight.

 

[Calthrop]

Eat it while you can afford it. Around a third of the white fish eaten in this country comes from or via Russia and sanctions are likely in the near future. The government has so far managed to put them off, but may have to bite the bullet and enforce them. That is in addition to the problems caused by Brexit.

Back-garden carp ponds, anyone? -- on the basis that any fish, however relatively humdrum, is better than no fish ...

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned deep-fried Mars Bars yet! This Scottish delicacy - indelibly associated with the wonderful city of Glasgow - was allegedly first cooke
at the Marine Fish Bar in Stonehaven sometime in the late 1970s. I like to think that it may have migrated to the central belt behind a Haymarket class 40.

Have been figuring for decades, that some time I'll screw my courage to the limit and try this famous ? delight ? horror -- haven't so far, got brave enough. I'm told that for a while: a chippy in, of all places, Wantage in Berkshire, had DFMBs on its menu -- source of this information, my brother; who had a spell of being employed in that town.

 

[185143]

Has anyone, particularly from outside the West Midlands, visited Binley Mega Chippy recently?

 

[birchesgreen]

I went to my chippy last night, first time in ages, prices have gone up. Now £5 for fish and chips, shocking!

 

[route101]

Has anyone, particularly from outside the West Midlands, visited Binley Mega Chippy recently?

Seen all this hype for this chippy all over nothing really. Good business for the chippy I guess, but could be any chippy.

Has anyone mentioned battered chips yet? A Midland thing I believe but I know of at least two shops in Devon that sell them and also saveloys.

Funnily enough the chippy in Barnstaple calls the battered chips, Yorkshire chips. They were very tasty.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

Friday nights in Carlisle will always see queues of people ordering cheesy chips and gravy.

Is that a northern thing? I certainly don’t remember it from my youth further south.

 

[route101]

Only tried a few chippys in England. Not a fan of the skin on fish. More choice in a Scottish chippy with suppers. Batter tastes different in England, more bitter. I feel you are more likely to get soggy chips and batter in Scotland though.

Last time I had chips from a chippy in Portsmouth, the taste was of the oil they fried them in. Find that a lot and give the chips amiss often. In Scotland chippys are often run and owned by old italian family's or locals. In south of England its run by asians or middle easterns, almost if the orignal owners sold at some point.

Don't think gravy and mushy peas are big thing in Scotland.+