UKC

Local telly news was full of fish shop owners saying they may go out of business due to increase in the cost of fish and oil.

So eat fish and chips to preserve society? 

I'm doing my best.

Mind you the greens have said we need to move away from an oil based society for years. 

Last time I went to the chippy here the wait was 40 minutes and the queue had doubled by the time I got my suppers. 

I can't see them going out of business due to a lack of demand, so as long as they adjust prices to protect their margins they will be fine. That said, I do not envy those business owners dealing with so many different risks and increased costs all in a short timespan (strains on fishing supply chain from Brexit changes and overfishing, increase in staple costs for cooking oil and other ingredients, changes in labour market, loss of earnings from closures over last two years, investment in COVID safety measures, gaps in staffing from self isolation, etc)

So yes, please do go out and support your chippy and other local businesses, but I don't think _demand_ is the issue.

As prices go up demand will go down though. Our local has put the price up by a very modest amount in my opinion and has got quieter. It might be the price rise, it might be the increase in cost of living.

Probably a combination of both. 

It can also be the product of increased options for socialising leading to a shift to in-restaurant experience from takeaway/at-home dining. Although, a recent article I read cited concerns from restaurants that the last two years would lead to an overall shift in favour of home dining. On a macro scale, the takeaway and fast food market is still forecast to grow in the UK, despite a small drop in annual growth from 2020-to-2021 for obvious reasons. 

I'm sure some people will be put off by price increases, but unfortunately they are likely to see them wherever they go, not just at the chippy.  Personally, I'm happy to support small businesses putting up prices by a reasonable amount, but will be wary of places that either make a significant and unjustified price hike, or try something manipulative (e.g. shrinkflation tactics).

I'd actually prefer them to reduce the quantity of chips per portion. I always find I've got too much, but they never seem to want to reduce the amount even when I ask them to.

There's definitely a general tightening of belts going on.  Every day there's a new article in the news from manufacturer x saying the food they make (chocolate bar / pint of beer / pizza) is going up in price because of Brexit / covid / Ukraine. Manufacturers of goods are saying the same.  Anyone going out for a birthday meal who hasn't been for 6months+ is going to have a massive shock at the till and refuse to go out again for another year.  Cost of cars is bonkers. Cost of housing is bonkers. Inflation is massive compared to recent years. What's more, there are no real signs of any improvements in anything.

On the rare occasions I have fish and chips I always find there's never enough chips and have to get an extra portion.

Food of the gods.

Come to my local, I always get 1 small chips with 2 fish for myself and the Mrs and even small chips between 2 people is too much. Their standard chips could feed a family of 4.

Just about all the manufacturers we represent have gone up by 6 to 14% and that is if you can get the machines in the first place, we are seeing 3 to 6 month lead times on things that were stock items in 2019. Our stock is all but gone and what we have left I'm withholding for for our customers on the critical list, water, power, food and pharma.

We have been placing stock orders for 6 to 9 months now based on what I think we might need just to keep that trickle of equipment coming in. 

Beamish shouldn't be affected; coal fired and cooked in beef dripping.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. 

Rings a familiar bell.  

I was reading today that wood pallet supply is now running out with rampant price inflation - a one-way flux of pallets in to Ukraine as their pallet factories sit idle and humanitarian and military aid flood inwards.  Returning pallets not being top of anyones priorities right now.

Thing have gone full circle. That's how the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool (CHEP) started out: “What do we do with the millions of these blue wooden things the Americans dumped on us at the end of the war?”

Seems very likely food prices are going to get worse. Russia and Ukraine are big suppliers of sunflower oil, wheat and fertiliser. 

9 times out of 10 when I fancy fish and chips it’s a lazy Sunday evening but it seems just about every chippy closes on Sunday

You're supposed to eat fish 'n chips on Fridays.

You either love huge amounts of chips or you're going to weird chippy's.

Our local shop uses beet dripping too, as it should be. From time to time someone will complain and say he should be using oil and he would get more customers if he did.

After the recent down turn in customer numbers there is still a que outside of the shop most nights. 

Always impresses me how purple your* stools are after eating lots of beets.

* I don’t mean your stools Dax, I’ve never checked your stools. I’m not that weird.  

I might have seen yours if they have passed through any sewage works I have been on.

Stick a flag in tomorrow's and I will look out for it. 

40 Minutes is that all. I   Queued that just for the  vinegar in Stavely on a Sunday evening 

I think it is more that I need to be pretty hungry to be desperate enough to justify forking out for fish and chips.

Just done it. It was a good one this morning, more of a floatila, each will a skull and crossbones. 

Picked up a pie & chips last night after climbing on Dartmoor. Only £4.35 which was good I thought. Asked for a small portion of chips (watching the weight) and was gobsmacked when the lady emptied a mass of chips next to the pie. I'm glad I didnt order a 'large' chips. Anyway my wife was very pleased when I arrived home with steaming hot food!

I'm fond of fish and chips and probably have them once a week. For some reason they seem to be cheaper here than anywhere else in the country. Just over a fiver for fish and small chips (plenty) in my usual place, less than £6 with standard chips. £7-8 seems the norm around most of the rest of the country.

The epicentre of fish and chips is the Crispy Cod, New Mills.

Anybody who tries to argue otherwise is deluded. Or ignorant. Or both.

You may need to move

In the west country a normal cod & chips is good for two people, or one person who has done a solid day's labour and is desperate for carbs. A large cod & chips feeds a family of four.

Our local chippie is from Glasgow, and looks after our town; there are no official discounts, but those who need it get a good sized meal for what they can afford. I try to support him as best I can

Doesn't that imply that fish and chips happen under ground?  Which is fine with the potato part, but raises some disturbing questions about what's inside the batter of the nominally "fish" part

So you make it even worse by buying even more expensive chips?

Yeah, that makes sense...

The chips are cheap relative to the fish. I eat the extra portion of chips first to take the edge off my hunger. This means I enjoy the expensive fish supper more since I'm not then wolfing it down in a frenzy (as I say, I only buy fish and chips if pretty hungry).

Entirely logical.

One of my local chippies does small and large.  Small is only fit for a kid, large would do even a big eater like me two days.  I'm hoping for a bit of downsizing of large to a sensible adult portion rather than the price going up.

One of my all time favourite meals, we had it every Saturday when I was growing up. Despite being an east coaster I'm a solid salt 'n' vinegar man, and I won't patronise any chippy that doesn't sell pickled eggs.

My favourite take away by far, and it needs mushy peas, a barm cake and a can of dandelion and burdock to be truly Fit For a King  

This came up in the weekend Grauniad's food supplement recently, in the regular column on how to use up leftovers. Apparently yesterday's chips are great (if they've been stored in the fridge overnight) reheated just like you would with oven chips. Or, even better, in a frying pan with a beaten egg to make an excellent spanish omelette. 

You're welcome.

“Leftover Chips!”  Guardian sales are very, very low in Wigan. 

At the moment I am quite happy with large portion sizes. I'll let you know if I feel any differently in 30 years.

No it doesn't, that Is Not The Yorkshire Way, and therefore ruled out. 

I can see this leading to a trip to Bosworth Field. Again. 

Do they serve fish and chips? 

Yes.

You are almost correct but it should be a bread cake and a can of coke.

On the subject of bread cakes, what do the collective on here think of the long ones?

A lot of shops now do the long breadcakes for fish butties but to me it's wrong, a fish butties should be in a round bread cake and the fish should be cut in two to fit it in. 

Regarding butties, Ken Dodd, who knew his shit, said a buttie is made from the end crust of a loaf and is what the modern day hipsters would say is ‘open’. It should have Stork Magerine and Mixed Fruit Jam as it’s topping. 

Oh, and coke round here is a white powder you snort up your nose. You probably use Vim instead, being poorer, but cleaner, than us Lancastrian’s .

Mixed fruit jam for a fish butty? Dear God in heaven. 

Not salt n sauce then?

Never had a pickled egg, never will.

Strange lad.

Now, a white pudding, that’s a different matter, although never that keen on the red pudding - hmm, do they still do them, haven’t seen one in years

Red puddings are great, haven't seen one in many years. I love white puddings and occasionally buy one from the local butcher, but not keen on them deep friend in batter.

Pickled eggs are divine. I could easily eat many more than would be wise.

Sa'n'sos is de riguer round here, it's ok on chips but never on the fish. 

I wonder why fish and chips from a chippie are often soggy and the chips are horrible, whereas it is all crisp and lovely from a good pub? 

Barm cake? You mean a muffin?

If you got the chippy to put your fish and chips straight onto a plate you'd probably find they were crisp and lovely. But as soon as you wrap or cover them in any way they start to absorb the steam coming off them back into the crispy surfaces.

I read a book about sharks last week and it was so depressing that I've given up eating fish to preserve sharks.

They're widely available here in The Kingdom. 

because the paper they wrap it in traps the steam coming off the food, so by the time you get home its all soaked.

It's where I'm fae. Valentes on Overton Road on a Saturday, Caira's on Links St when I had the spare pocket money. l'll treat myself next time I pass through.

c.5 years ago, after I'd popped the keys to my late parent's house though the solicitor's letterbox thus closing my chapter with the Lang Toun, I went to Valente's for the first time in decades, just to remember. It wasn't that good.

I like soggy chips; I sometimes drive on for twenty minutes or so to let them soggify properly before eating them.

In reply to 

Ah...I moved here to be with AFWWFF. My 93 year old FIL grew up with the Valente's, knows them personally, and always wants his chippy from them. But as you say, standards have slipped and they're a bit hit n miss these days. But the Anster fish bar is still really good, best around. 

Also the Links in Burntisland is pretty consistent.

But then the soggy batter on the fish is horrible and sticking to the paper.

I like that too.

In that case I want to say well done and celebrate your choices! Weirdo.

Down in Sennen for the weekend and found out that 190deg fish and chips has closed down.  Citing lack of staff and increasing costs. Very sad.

My Mum knew some of the Valentes well, I knew them a little. Lovely family. Aye, Ainster chippy is still the business.

AFWWFF?

Do you know the Parish family?

On holiday in Cornwall last summer the Mrs and I came across a chippy called Fission Chips. We got one large portion... and split it.

Well run, fresh fish from the harbour, eating it at the harbour, fantastic! 

A funny wee wife fae Fife 😁

Can't say I've heard of the Parish family, but I'm from the Links and left c.1987. 

Oh yeh.

Will it be a danger to shipping?

Our government have yet to indicate that they have any appreciation of the sheer enormity of the situation.

Inflation on farm inputs is currently running at 27% and looks likely to rise further. Even at those prices there is not always any guarantee that supplies are available.

The cash flow implications mean that many farm businesses are going to have to reduce inputs, accept lower yields and hope that increased farmgate prices fill the gap. We are already committed for this year's cropping and stocking cycles but things look stark for next year.

Ah, I remember when a fish supper cost half a crown! ( 12.5p).

PS Thought all you youngsters ate haddock wraps these days!

As others have said the paper / carton makes them soggy but it might just be that you have been to poor chippies.

I have had fish and chips all over this country, some good and some bad and some truly awful (I'm looking at you Mr chippy that also does pizza, kebabs, burgers and the like)

You could say I'm fortunate to have an excellent local chippy, big fresh flaky white haddock with deep golden brown crispy batter cooked in dripping but there was no fortune involved, the chippy was sampled before we committed on the house. 

I hate to say it but in general English chippies are superior to Scottish ones, with the exception of Aberdeenshire where there was, and in some maybe still is, a tradition of leaving the skin on the fish.

Beef dripping is a must. There was a chippy near where I used to live who announced that they were switching to "healthier sunflower oil."  The quality plummeted, as did my custom. My local chippy is rubbish, for which I'm quite grateful as it's located between my local pub and home.

The big revelation for me in English chippies though was gravy on the chips. You won't find that in Scotland and the first time I heard of it was in a Macc Lads song. First time I had it was in the Keswickian Fry opposite the Moot Hall. Heaven.

Just a plate of chips and gravy used to be  a favourite order in the days when you could "sit in". And a glass of dandy, of course.

You more than make up for it though with the mighty haggis supper, with brown sauce! 😛

Chips and gravy isn’t an English thing, it’s a northern English thing, to be honest I’m not even sure they do it east of the Pennines. They call the Police if you ask for it in London.

My apologies, yes, you're almost certainly correct.

Maggot: yes a haggis supper on a Friday will keep you going for the whole weekend.

Northern England fish and chips are generally better than Scotland but a Scottish fish supper beats fish and chips in the south of England. Some of the best I have ever had was somewhere between Tarbert and Oban. I can't say where because we were just following the coast north on out motorbikes and stopped at a road side restaurant they were that fresh I swear they were fress off the boat that morning. 

Many a person has walked out of my local because they use beef dripping. The owners attitude is see you later. The shop os owned and run by a Greek guy, normally a recipe for disaster but he cooks proper Yorkshire fish and chips to perfection. 

Update... Just had fish and chips from local chippie. £5.50. Yum. Two other customers. 

Muffin? Surely you mean bap

Nope.

youtube.com/watch?v=O98qd7-dAaU&

Hmmm.  Fish and chips.

When hungry, it sounds fabulous.

Having eaten what feels like your own body weight in oil, it seems hideous.

I never learn

No, I mean a muffin and an oven bottomer for preference.

The items in the video are tea cakes in my world . If they had currants in them they'd be currant tea cakes.

A muffin is very different in texture, being much denser. In a decent baker's shop the muffins are subdivided into "risen" ( still not as fluffy as a tea cake) and "oven bottom" which are flat and heavy . They smell much more of yeast than tea cakes and usually have a floury coating.

I think tea cakes, barm cakes and baps might be the same as each other but muffins are totally different.

Barmcakes are technically different, barm refers to the scum left on top of brewing beer containing yeast which was used to leaven them.  But in practice in Old Lancashire (i.e. including Manchester and Merseyside) the term is used to describe any soft bread roll.  "Crusty cob" was always what you heard in Merseyside for a "crunchy" one.

I think it is generally the case that these regional terms used to refer to different products (e.g. a stottie is larger and you have 1/4 of it) but have become more generic.