My late father-in-law used to deliver the fish to most of the chippies in SE London and my mother-in-law proudly points out all the shops he delivered to whenever we're out in the car.
Anyway, my two absolute bugbears... Sloppy batter and the skin left on.
Love F&C and is probably my favourite takeaway. In Petts Wood, we're blessed with the Village Fish & Chip shop and its good but so expensive. We went through a stage of using Sea Fare in Marion Crescent because the chips were nicer. We used to always phone ahead, they'd cook our order fresh and it was superb.
Then the owners changed and the standard has gone steadily down hill. So much so the last time we ordered about six months ago, I drove it back to the shop in disgust that it was so poor. The batter was literally dripping off the fish and I'd been proper stitched up with a skin-on fillet that had been doubled over and battered, so the skin was left through the middle. Absolute joke. As a result, haven't had F&C since and has put me right off and my stomach turns at the through.
I can still work my way through an average pizza, Chinese or Indian with no drama, but ‘bad’ fish and chips is sooo disappointing.
Love it, my regular shop is a cracker. Have it about once a month/ six weeks, but would have it every Friday if not such an outlay.
That's so true, we live near a fish & chip shop and the smell is very tempting, however when we've actually had fish & chips from it, it is more often than not very disappointing, so we rarely buy from there now.
A trip to the coast must include fish and chips, although I prefer plaice to cod.
Are batter “scraps” still widely available and dished out on request ? When I was still living in London my local fish and chip shops seemed to have dispensed with scraps but since moving north they are ubiquitous again. Have to be a bit careful here at times though. Some older establishments still cook in dripping. Taste is awesome but not a light or healthy option.
£10 in Chester and it was obviously a fillet that was on a diet and they looked at me and thought I could do with losing weight so the chips were measely
The issue I find with far too many chippies these days is that the fish is cooked to order, rather than taken from the cabinet having been already cooked. This means the batter is far more oily and therefore less crisp, plus it's ridiculously hot and then proceeds to sweat in the wrapping, meaning the batter is even less crispy.
I imagine this is due to a combination of falling demand and high fish prices, but I far prefer fish that's had a chance to rest, shed it's excess oil and cool to a temperature somewhere south of molten steel.
The price of cooking oil has not changed in the last month at least so wondering if the chippies are just jacking up the prices, I think there is something fishy going on.
The price of cooking oil has not changed in the last month at least so wondering if the chippies are just jacking up the prices, I think there is something fishy going on.
It’s heating the oil to cooking temperature that’s soared in price.
Are batter “scraps” still widely available and dished out on request ? When I was still living in London my local fish and chip shops seemed to have dispensed with scraps but since moving north they are ubiquitous again. Have to be a bit careful here at times though. Some older establishments still cook in dripping. Taste is awesome but not a light or healthy option.
Scottish chip shops still tend to use dripping and its far tastier
Are batter “scraps” still widely available and dished out on request ? When I was still living in London my local fish and chip shops seemed to have dispensed with scraps but since moving north they are ubiquitous again. Have to be a bit careful here at times though. Some older establishments still cook in dripping. Taste is awesome but not a light or healthy option.
Scottish chip shops still tend to use dripping and its far tastier
One of my favourite moments living in Edinburgh was when the guy in the chippy spend a good five minutes answering questions from this posh English bloke about the various vegetarian "options". In the end he got a white pudding... Soon as he left he got a "aye, and it's cooked in beef fat ya English C***". Luckily I was a semi regular purchaser of irn bru in glass bottles and single cigarettes so I was afforded slightly better service...
The issue I find with far too many chippies these days is that the fish is cooked to order, rather than taken from the cabinet having been already cooked. This means the batter is far more oiled and therefore less crisp, plus it ridiculously hot and then proceeds to sweat in the wrapping, meaning the batter is even less crispy.
I imagine this is due to a combination of falling demand and high fish prices, but I far prefer fish that's had a chance to rest, shed it's excess oil and cool to a temperature somewhere south of molten steel.
Interesting thought about the batter sweating in the wrapper. I'd always assumed it was down to the temperature of the oil and the cooking duration.
Are batter “scraps” still widely available and dished out on request ? When I was still living in London my local fish and chip shops seemed to have dispensed with scraps but since moving north they are ubiquitous again. Have to be a bit careful here at times though. Some older establishments still cook in dripping. Taste is awesome but not a light or healthy option.
Scottish chip shops still tend to use dripping and its far tastier
One of my favourite moments living in Edinburgh was when the guy in the chippy spend a good five minutes answering questions from this posh English bloke about the various vegetarian "options". In the end he got a white pudding... Soon as he left he got a "aye, and it's cooked in beef fat ya English C***". Luckily I was a semi regular purchaser of irn bru in glass bottles and single cigarettes so I was afforded slightly better service...
Coverd End.As I do not know how to incert a comment in the place where some one has written one,I have to write it here.Do I still go to the Valley! No. The last
game was 2015 against Bournmouth.It was getting a little expensive with season ticket,driving up from kent,programme and having something to eat.And being on a pension I had to stop going.Back to Fish and Chips,does remember the chip shop at Sand Street?.Used to go there when I stayed with grandparents at Woolich.
Just bringing a few things together here ... and I may have mentioned this before on other threads ... but there used to be a fish & chip 'shop' in Ransom Walk back in the 1960s.
In truth it was a single storey hut, just on the left as you walk away from the ground, and immediately after the railway arch.
It was called "Ransom's".
Local knowledge there. You'll miss all this when us old boys are gone.
Here in West Yorkshire you can get something called a scallop. It’s basically a wedge of battered and fried mashed potato. Tried it and if you’ve already got chips I can’t see the point. I think it’s supposed to have pieces of fish in it too as a kind of very cheap fish cake. I suspect it’s a hangover from when time might have been much tougher.
white pudding supper and a scotch pie all lathered in salt n sauce
AMAZING!
Don't think I ever had one. Liked the battered haggis,.scotch pies, and these things which I think was a giant battered chip
not sure what that is
did you ever have a king rib? never seen them outside Scotland
No, but saw them in the cabinet. I liked the steak pies the best.
Re the battered chip, Just scoured the menus of a couple of chippers in Govan (why my mates sent me to the shop I'll never know, talk about a language barrier, had to swap mate for pal and I was safe) which is where I had it. I think it's a potato fritter. Don't see them in England much.
Comments
Anyway, my two absolute bugbears... Sloppy batter and the skin left on.
Love F&C and is probably my favourite takeaway. In Petts Wood, we're blessed with the Village Fish & Chip shop and its good but so expensive. We went through a stage of using Sea Fare in Marion Crescent because the chips were nicer. We used to always phone ahead, they'd cook our order fresh and it was superb.
Then the owners changed and the standard has gone steadily down hill. So much so the last time we ordered about six months ago, I drove it back to the shop in disgust that it was so poor. The batter was literally dripping off the fish and I'd been proper stitched up with a skin-on fillet that had been doubled over and battered, so the skin was left through the middle. Absolute joke. As a result, haven't had F&C since and has put me right off and my stomach turns at the through.
A trip to the coast must include fish and chips, although I prefer plaice to cod.
I imagine this is due to a combination of falling demand and high fish prices, but I far prefer fish that's had a chance to rest, shed it's excess oil and cool to a temperature somewhere south of molten steel.
AMAZING!
In truth it was a single storey hut, just on the left as you walk away from the ground, and immediately after the railway arch.
It was called "Ransom's".
Local knowledge there. You'll miss all this when us old boys are gone.
did you ever have a king rib? never seen them outside Scotland
Re the battered chip, Just scoured the menus of a couple of chippers in Govan (why my mates sent me to the shop I'll never know, talk about a language barrier, had to swap mate for pal and I was safe) which is where I had it. I think it's a potato fritter. Don't see them in England much.
Deep fried frozen pizzas now there's a delight