Fish and chips.......too pricey

[Ostrich]

Drove past out local chippie in town tonight (North Dorset) and there had to be 15-20 folk milling around outside the shop waiting for service. You couldn't get parked anywhere near.
I think they are quite reasonably priced - they do an OAP cod and chips for £7.50, for example - and a small portion of their chips will comfortably satisfy two.

If I'm feeling nostalgic for the 1950's, I always remember the late evening walk back to the holiday chalet from Rhyl Funfair, and the treat was always a sixpenny portion of chips to munch on the way!

 

[takno]

£8.50 for fish and chips at my local chippy, or £8 if you buy the fish and (much larger) portion of chips separately. Other weird customer-hostile practices include aribtrarily refusing to accept cards in person, having made you wait 15 minutes while they prepare a huge batch of orders to go cold in the delivery guy's car.

On the face of it it's nice that they charge 2 quid less than the old chippy down the road, but I can't really be bothered with it. It's a pretty bland flavour-lite meal at the best of times, and if I'm not eating it within about a minute of smelling it and briefly thinking it might be nice, then it's not worth the trouble.

All of this may sound unduly negative, but it's a great attitude for helping with the diet!

 

[rg177]

The local one I usually do on Ubereats is about £10 for a large fish and chips - but "large" will literally feed two. The fish is huge and you get a mountain of chips.

I'm reminded of when Broomhill Friery was still a thing (in Sheffield). It was run by Sean Bean's nephew and a large fish and chips was £8 or so back in 2018 when I lived around the corner. "Large" actually meant two fish and a pile of chips! I struggled my way through it Sadly now closed.

 

[route101]

Deep fried steak pies from the Blue Lagoon chippies in Glasgow are gorgeous, I could eat em till the cows come home.

Blue Lagoon chain is often touted is one to avoid from what ive heard.

 

[takno]

Blue Lagoon chain is often touted is one to avoid from what ive heard.

I've heard that as well, but they still sell a lot, and chippies can be pretty subjective. At least chippies in Glasgow don't default to putting sauce on everything.

 

[Iskra]

Was down in Devon on holiday earlier in the month, and granted nice seaside place with just the one chippy, but still more than £13 for a small cod and chips (more than enough for one adult mind you, so god knows about the large!). Just over £50 for the four of us. Mad. Even the next nearest place (a half hour walk up a very steep a long hill inland) was more than £11.50 each.

What other takeaway could you feed four people with, for substantially less money than that though?

 

[1D54]

Blue Lagoon chain is often touted is one to avoid from what ive heard.

Give me a good one in the area of Central and I'll gladly give it a go next Saturday.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Does anyone know what is considered a good price for F&C in Lancashire please?

 

[route101]

Give me a good one in the area of Central and I'll gladly give it a go next Saturday.

Merchant Chippie.

The city centre is pretty much devoid of any good chippes.

 

[Ivor]

This evening in Rustington, West Sussex bought cod & chips, was large cod, small portion of chips but more than enough & cost £10.40

 

[1D54]

Merchant Chippie.

The city centre is pretty much devoid of any good chippes.

I'll take a look. £9.90 f/c and I'll do steak pie on way back

 

[DM352]

£12.44 is our local Calgary takeaway for cod and chips - converted from Canadian $. I miss the UK fish and chips as am sure veg oil was used where here is more canola (rapeseed)

 

[takno]

£12.44 is our local Calgary takeaway for cod and chips - converted from Canadian $. I miss the UK fish and chips as am sure veg oil was used where here is more canola (rapeseed)

Vegetable oil in the UK is almost always rapeseed oil. Going back 20 or 30 years a lot of Yorkshire shops still used lard, which was delicious.

 

[trainophile]

What other takeaway could you feed four people with, for substantially less money than that though?

Pity Greggs closes at 5:30 or 6:00, in most places anyway. Not as good as f&c and they don't do chips but if you just want to satisfy the hunger pangs, a steak bake is (still?) under £2 I think.

 

[Iskra]

Pity Greggs closes at 5:30 or 6:00, in most places anyway. Not as good as f&c and they don't do chips but if you just want to satisfy the hunger pangs, a steak bake is (still?) under £2 I think.

That’s a snack IMO rather than a meal, so not particularly comparable.

There’s no cheap takeaways anymore I don’t think.

 

[simonw]

£12.44 is our local Calgary takeaway for cod and chips - converted from Canadian $. I miss the UK fish and chips as am sure veg oil was used where here is more canola (rapeseed)

Where in Calgary do you get take a way fish and chips? Never saw it when we lived there, Although that was a very long time ago.

 

[JamesT]

That’s a snack IMO rather than a meal, so not particularly comparable.

There’s no cheap takeaways anymore I don’t think.

The cheaper end of Chinese will still do a main for £6-7, if you’re sharing rice then a meal for four could be under £40.

 

[Iskra]

The cheaper end of Chinese will still do a main for £6-7, if you’re sharing rice then a meal for four could be under £40.

So will the cheaper end of chippy’s though!

 

[E27007]

Retail Fish and Chips too expensive? Not if yoy are an MP. As a visitor to the House of Commons, the fish and chips served with peas lunchserved to us in the MPs canteen was about £4, the best fresh cod , wonderful taste, and the size of the cod portion too!

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others".....George Orwell

 

[WelshBluebird]

What other takeaway could you feed four people with, for substantially less money than that though?

McDonalds, KFC etc.
Most "local" fried chicken / kebab / pizza shops.
Even the likes of dominos when you have a deal.

Don't get me wrong, I agree takeaway prices have increased a fair whack in general, but as the article that kicked off this topic was showing, fish and chip shops seem to have pushed their prices up more than other places have.

 

[Gloster]

McDonalds, KFC etc.
Most "local" fried chicken / kebab / pizza shops.
Even the likes of dominos when you have a deal.

Don't get me wrong, I agree takeaway prices have increased a fair whack in general, but as the article that kicked off this topic was showing, fish and chip shops seem to have pushed their prices up more than other places have.

As a personal opinion, I would say that this is, at least in part, because fish and chips have long had and maintained a minimum level of quality of ingredient below which it is difficult to go. The other outlets often provide rubbish and the rubbish has become even rubbishier, but relatively cheaper.

 

[DM352]

Where in Calgary do you get take a way fish and chips? Never saw it when we lived there, Although that was a very long time ago.

There are several now in each city quadrant but http://www.thebritishchippy.com/ is one run by some expats since 2003. There has been one much longer called halibut house north of downtown which is one of those places you never knew about unless going down Edmonton trail and get stuck at a traffic light!

Back visiting the UK, I seemed to find the portions got bigger for the rough same cost the further north of London for non chain places.

 

[Spamcan81]

Vegetable oil in the UK is almost always rapeseed oil. Going back 20 or 30 years a lot of Yorkshire shops still used lard, which was delicious.

Not in the fish and chips industry. Rapeseed is available but most chippies who fry in vegetable oil use either groundnut or palm oil.

 

[takno]

Not in the fish and chips industry. Rapeseed is available but most chippies who fry in vegetable oil use either groundnut or palm oil.

Interesting. Tbh I can't really spot the difference, but always nice to know what I'm consuming!

 

[trainophile]

Vegetarians wouldn't be happy with their chips cooked in lard!

 

[takno]

Vegetarians wouldn't be happy with their chips cooked in lard!

I believe that's why McDonald's stopped using it. Given that not much apart from the chips in a traditional chippy is vegetarian-friendly anyway, it was less of a factor there.

 

[800001]

We do similar when we have f&c. The one by the pier in Saltburn is the best - we ask for two fish and one chips split across two takeaway boxes and nine times in ten we get pretty much a full portion of chips in each box. And loads of scraps, obviously

Catnabs at Saltburn I find the best for Fish and Chips

 

[Spamcan81]

Vegetarians wouldn't be happy with their chips cooked in lard!

I'm not vegetarian and I'm not happy either if they're cooked in lard.

 

[GusB]

Don't get me wrong, I agree takeaway prices have increased a fair whack in general, but as the article that kicked off this topic was showing, fish and chip shops seem to have pushed their prices up more than other places have.

Fish and chip shops are usually independent businesses and they simply don't have the same economies of scale. The average local chippy won't have the benefit of central buying that the fast-food chains have. Fish is expensive anyway, but the price of tatties has also increased:

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-02-22/why-are-potatoes-more-expensive-at-the-moment

Potato prices have soared, with some lines up by as much as 22% over the last month.

The terrible weather is to blame - it has affected potato supply, analysis of Assosia data by The Grocer has revealed.

Core lines of maris piper potatoes across the major multiple supermarkets between January 8 and February 12 saw significant rises, including in Lidl, Waitrose, Aldi, Tesco, and Sainsbury's.

Sainsbury’s British Maris Piper Potatoes (2kg) saw the biggest monthly price hike, up 22.2%, from £1.35 per bag in the second week of January to £1.65 per bag last week.

I was rather saddened to read that one of my local chippies is about to close soon:

Northern Fish Restaurant owner makes 'heartbreaking' decision to close much-loved 101-year-old Elgin takeaway

Michael Miele, 70, says his advancing years mean he can no longer continue running the popular fish and chip shop.

www.pressandjournal.co.uk

The Northern Fish Restaurant in Elgin will close later this month after owner Michael Miele made the “heartbreaking” decision to shut the 101-year-old business.

Generations of diners have tucked into fish suppers from the back booths and spun tunes on its 1950s jukebox.

Mr Miele, 70, has worked in the Elgin High Street takeaway since he was in primary school, started full-time in 1970 and has run it since his father John retired in 1995.

However, he told the Press and Journal his advancing years had forced him to call time on the business that has been loved by generations of diners.


Michael Miele says he can no longer manage the long hours in the Northern Fish Restaurant.

“It’s getting harder on my knees and my mind. The day after I told the staff I got a phone call to say I needed a knee replacement.

“The staff were in tears when I told them. If I felt I could, I would 100% continue. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, it’s been my life.”

‘I don’t want to close Northern Fish Restaurant’​

Mr Miele put the Northern Fish Restaurant on the market last year, but without a buyer in sight has decided to close the Elgin business.

The final day of business will be August 31.

He explained: “It’s been pretty hard going. I start work at 9am and don’t finish until 10pm, it was 11.30pm until Covid so it’s come down a little bit.

While the article doesn't mention anything about increasing prices, the fact that there is a lack of a buyer for the business says it all. I used to go there for a bag of chips on the way home from various evening activities. It was literally just around the corner from what was the bus station and on a cold night it was a nice place to gain some warmth before waiting out in the cold before the bus arrived!

I don't know if they ever tried to get on the delivery bandwagon, but perhaps that could have driven sales a bit more.

I believe that's why McDonald's stopped using it. Given that not much apart from the chips in a traditional chippy is vegetarian-friendly anyway, it was less of a factor there.

As far as I'm aware, McDonald's hasn't used animal fats for years. When I worked there some 30 years ago, the "shortening" that was used was vegetable-based

 

[Andyh82]

The best Fish and Chips are generally at those traditional village/suburb shops, you can always spot them

They will only serve fish and chips, you can’t order a pizza, or a Chinese, the only curry on offer will be curry sauce. All their focus is on making the best fish and chips (and battered sausage etc)

They will have limited opening hours, based on the traditional meal items people would want fish and chips. You wouldn’t be able to buy a fish on a Monday, or at 3pm on any day as that’s neither lunch time nor tea time

On a Friday night people will be queuing up, often out into the street in all weathers. Associated with this, they are probably not on Just Eat etc.

The cashier will be a formidable woman who has unwritten rules where you have to make yourself known from back in the queue if you want something unusual, or stand in a certain place, or push in if you only want chips. They will only have started accepting cards during COVID