Chip shops north vs. south

[Butts]

I've never been in myself (the one time I went there the queue was out the door and round the corner!) My chippy of choice is Dora's on Dura Street in Dundee

I went with my daughter when she was at St Andrews - (out of season) ok but not as good as I mentioned in Cullen , or indeed Whitby in NE England.

As someone alluded to earlier there are probably good chippies across the breadth of the UK - local knowledge is essential. For travellers I find Coastal Locations seem to offer the best prospect of a good Cod or Haddock.

I've never been to Rick Steins in Padstow - my guess is the quality would be no better than available elsewhere - just far more expensive and "ponced up"

Harry Ramsdens - anyone ?

 

[DarloRich]

A lovely sight is the big blocks of beef dripping being added to the friers at the chippy in Robin Hoods Bay (the original one down at the bottom, that is).

Is there a better spot for a bag of chips after a nice day out?

 

[CharlieSpotted]

And of course, somewhere between the frozen north and the (now frozen) south we have the Midlands, and in this particular part of the midlands, a particular treat... orange chips!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I now want chips. What makes them orange?

Personally I find the best chippy is the nearest one, provided it *is* a chippy and not some sort of third-rate kebab or chicken shop, as that is the most likely one to serve me with chips at any given time.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I now want chips. What makes them orange?

They're battered before being fried. What's in the batter that they end up that colour? Nobody really seems to know.

If anyone wants to try them, these are from the Ocean Fish Restaurant, on Cleveland Street, Wolverhampton. It's a scruffy little place but the food's just fine.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh, so sort of a bit like potato croquettes, sounds quite nice. Or Wetherspoons chips, which are McCain Home Fries, which have a sort of batter on the outside.

 

[DarloRich]

They're battered before being fried. What's in the batter that they end up that colour? Nobody really seems to know.

If anyone wants to try them, these are from the Ocean Fish Restaurant, on Cleveland Street, Wolverhampton. It's a scruffy little place but the food's just fine.

There is a good fish shop near Bescot does something similar - very..................................different ( but not unpleasant)

 

[AM9]

Firstly, this type of thread gets my goat!! There is more to the UK than the 'North' and the 'South'. And what is with this north vs south rubbish anyway. We are still the same country and you get good and bad in every connotation in any location. So there will be good and bad chippies everywhere and I'm sure how they do things varies from town to town let alone region to region. There's no law that says if you open a chippy in 'the North' you must do it this way!!

Rant over.

I agree with that comment. There's good and not so good everywhere. We have a good chinese run fish and chips shop here and their cod and chips is fine. Judging by the queues, so do many others.

here comes the science part: The big problem is often the oil/fat used. The best fish and chips are done in lard but that is very rare these days (think Beamish or Black Country Living Museum). Vegitable oil, rape seed oil and palm fat are all used

I've also enjoyed chips cooked in beef fat, the best in recent years were from Blists Hill in the Ironbridge Gorge Victorian Town museum last year.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Ok can't really add more to the discussion apart from the fact I am now hungry after reading the replies here!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ok can't really add more to the discussion apart from the fact I am not hungry after reading the replies here!

...because you've had chips?

 

[WelshBluebird]

...because you've had chips?

haha what a typo. I meant am now hungry! Because I haven't had chips!

 

[BanburyBlue]

The patronage of chippies around the country must have doubled since this thread was raised. I too sneaked out for a bag of chips at lunchtime.

 

[Darandio]

The patronage of chippies around the country must have doubled since this thread was raised. I too sneaked out for a bag of chips at lunchtime.

I've just returned from being sent there to get tea for the family. It was spurred on by discussion from this thread.

 

[GusB]

The last chip-shop tea I had was a couple of weeks ago, from the one (I forget the name) situated at the bus station in Nairn. On a Wednesday you get an extra fish when you order a fish supper - far too much for one person, but they tend to overdo it with the quantity of chips anyway, so it's ideal for two people. The fish was cooked perfectly, so I'd highly recommend it if anyone is in the area. Peas don't seem to be a popular option in this neck of the woods, though - am I right in thinking that this is more of an English thing? I can't recall seeing them on the menu in any of the nearby establishments, but peas aren't the sort of thing I'd ask for anyway, so perhaps I just haven't noticed if they have been there.

The north/south issue was mentioned early on in the thread. How about the great east/west argument: salt'n'sauce or salt'n'vinegar?

 

[CarlSilva]

There used to be a really good one in Handforth Cheshire in a the late 70.s.
Pudding, chips and gravy ftw.
Saveloy /? What in the chuff is that.

 

[43021HST]

Southerner here, I'll always be the first to slate the north, however I do agree with the forum northerners on this. Oop north there's a far better chance of running into a proper chippie that does proper chips rather than chicken and chip shops with those cruddy fries, or some poncy artisan nonsense. Although the real test of a chippies worth is the quality of the curry sauce, the darker, the better.

As an additional point the bakeries up north are better too.

Generally if there's less sushi bars, the foods better.

 

[nlogax]

Well, this is a first. Craving fish and chips for breakfast.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, this is a first. Craving fish and chips for breakfast.

Stop it, I'm trying (not very successfully) to lose a bit of weight!

 

[Darandio]

Stop it, I'm trying (not very successfully) to lose a bit of weight!

I haven't read it but the title seems relevant, maybe this thread called 'Inflation - you?' may contain some advice?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I haven't read it but the title seems relevant, maybe this thread called 'Inflation - you?' may contain some advice?

If I have chips again this week (and this is not looking unlikely) I will be inflating!

 

[furnessvale]

There used to be a really good one in Handforth Cheshire in a the late 70.s.
Pudding, chips and gravy ftw.
Saveloy /? What in the chuff is that.

A big fat sausage much beloved in the east end of London for use as a cosh! The only thing I would eat from a chip shop when I lived there, the alternative "fish" being called rock!

 

[nlogax]

Christ on a bike, this entire thread is bad for our health. That's it..Friday's dinner is fish and chips. Is it Friday yet?

 

[BanburyBlue]

Southerner here, I'll always be the first to slate the north, however I do agree with the forum northerners on this. Oop north there's a far better chance of running into a proper chippie that does proper chips rather than chicken and chip shops with those cruddy fries, or some poncy artisan nonsense. Although the real test of a chippies worth is the quality of the curry sauce, the darker, the better.

As an additional point the bakeries up north are better too.

Generally if there's less sushi bars, the foods better.

The assumption is that everyone down South are driving round in Jag's and have mansions in Surrah. There are a lot of 'ordinary' people down south, hence lots of 'normal' chippies. I normally find, the closer to the sea you are the better (fresher) the fish. Just avoid chippies on the sea front.

 

[IanD]

I've never been to Rick Steins in Padstow - my guess is the quality would be no better than available elsewhere - just far more expensive and "ponced up"

I don't doubt it. Chef's do like to take good meals and "poncify" them so they are no longer as good as the original.

A while back Giles Brandreth was on C4's Sunday Brunch and showed how to make the "perfect" fish finger butty. Although he used brown bread (really??), it looked quite reasonable and took 5 mins start to finish. Simon Rimmer wasn't happy about that so some weeks later came up with his own - slice raw fish, make some batter, deep fry and put inside some pretentious bread like ciabatta or something. Totally missing the point of the fish finger butty - and not something you'd do when you're back from the pub and starving.

Tom Kerridge - "'Ere's how to have the perfect barbi with yer mates - 3 weeks before you invite them, drop some pork ribs in a marinade..." What's wrong with sausages and stuff out of the fridge?

 

[Darandio]

I don't doubt it. Chef's do like to take good meals and "poncify" them so they are no longer as good as the original.

In his restaurant(s) yes, but he does also have a normal 'chip shop' as well. Reviews have often left a lot to be desired though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't doubt it. Chef's do like to take good meals and "poncify" them so they are no longer as good as the original.

I'm reminded of the Marriott Hotel menu from some years ago.

In the restaurant, you could have "pan fried cod on a minted pea puree with saute potatoes".

In the bar you could have fish, chips and peas. It was bigger and cheaper and nicer, basically no downside.

A useful thing to know was that they would happily serve you the bar menu in the restaurant if you asked them to. Guess what I did?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Back in the 1960's , South Wales had a good number of chip shops with coal fired ranges (Nuttals of Heywood) , you sometimes had to wait while the fire was pulled through. On particular shop - known as "Em's Phlegm used to check the boiling fat in an unusual manner.

They often used lard - big blocks of it.

 

[185143]

I too ended up in a chippy this afternoon! Sausage dinner from a chippy in Runcorn. Sausage, chips, peas AND gravy-normally either/or surely? (Included in the offer I mean-I'd happily have both!) And change from 2 and a half quid too which was just fantastic for what it was.

 

[najaB]

I too ended up in a chippy this afternoon! Sausage dinner from a chippy in Runcorn. Sausage, chips, peas AND gravy-normally either/or surely? (Included in the offer I mean-I'd happily have both!) And change from 2 and a half quid too which was just fantastic for what it was.

Change from £2.50 - that's a hell of a deal!

 

[EM2]

The best fish and chips I've ever had was in neither the North or the South, but in the West.
It was a very small shop in the back streets of Barmouth, and the food was exquisite.