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fish and chip shops

Fish and chips. Oooh yes please. The nearest I get is a polystyrene tray printed with part of a UK newspaper page. It contains a piece of battered fish (fish being a generic term for something that was alive in the sea once upon a time), and some 'chips'. This assembly is shrink wrapped, frozen and labelled 'Fish and Chips' (in English). Cook it yourself at home.
On the other hand, Julie sometimes does proper fish and chips as a treat. Wheee.
Fish over here in restaurants is not normally battered, and tends to be soggy if it is. Chips seem to be triple cooked.
And don't mention the bright orange cheese labelled as Cheddar in supermarkets. Makes a right mess of a cheeseburger.

Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Fish and chips. Oooh yes please. The nearest I get is a polystyrene tray printed with part of a UK newspaper page. It contains a piece of battered fish (fish being a generic term for something that was alive in the sea once upon a time), and some 'chips'. This assembly is shrink wrapped, frozen and labelled 'Fish and Chips' (in English). Cook it yourself at home.
On the other hand, Julie sometimes does proper fish and chips as a treat. Wheee.
Fish over here in restaurants is not normally battered, and tends to be soggy if it is. Chips seem to be triple cooked.
And don't mention the bright orange cheese labelled as Cheddar in supermarkets. Makes a right mess of a cheeseburger.

Andrew.
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Andrew, try a blue cheese burger! Outstanding and our grandchildren love them, the older ones including grandpa like to add a rasher of bacon as well! Just wish I had a pint of Flowers Keg Bitter, have my tankard at the ready :)
 
While I feel that the fish and chips in the UK are not as good as they used to be, at least that's my experience of the past 20 years or so, quite the opposite has been the case here in Ontario, Canada. I don't think anything can compare to the greasy fish & chips I remember as a kid, however, most of our visitors from back home feel they are just as good as what you get now. This is my local, and it's walking distance...
Dave A https://fishermansplaice.ca/fishermans-plaice-menu/
 
mw0njm. said:
there is a chippie here, it is a 27m round trip it is in the village where Lawrence of Arabia was born :yum the chips are brilliant and so is the fish, well worth the drive.:yum
shop cheese burgers yuk. bring back the old style kraft cheese slices
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Processed cheese is a big no no. I live near the sea so the fish is good & fresh, but i reckon chips fried in oil is no match for chips fried in lard. And don`t forget the yummy faggots & mushy peas. I haven`t a clue what they put in faggots & probably best not to know !
 
In the early 70s, the "Villa Chippie" in Mannor Rad Aston was a great fish & chips shop run by a nice family and I used to be friends with one of the sons who was around my age at the time until I left Aston to move to Bournemouth on 1st January 1975. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name so if you ever read this mate please drop me a line.

The fish was so big we called it whale & chips along with the customary scratchings of course!

Derek.
 
John Young said:
Mallosa quite correct O0 & Yes Rod ,, BEDDER,s still the Best Chip Shop in Birmingham

Quality of Fish & Chips remains their pride & joy,Traditionalists, Clean,,Crisp & Quality above all

Its the only chippie that i see with very long queues formed at Midday & early Evening,
Surely an endorsment of Their Worthiness,,, Cheers John :)
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Susan shaw said:
Hi sylviasayers: Only recently found this thread, it has been a great read. Apologies for the delay in responding.
In the sixties I worked in Aston Brook Street. I was a junior and would often run errands. From memory I would go to a chip shop in Newtown Row for our lunches. Unfortunately, I do not know if it was 26. I think it was going towards Miller Street. It was run by a Greek couple and they had two sons, Andy and Steve. Andy worked in the shop and Steve was a hairdresser/barber? He had a shop in the city centre. They were a lovely family.
In the early seventies, I was temping and had a placement in the Accounts department at the Birmingham Post & Mail, Colmore Circus. My cousin Christine worked in the cashiers department there, she had a friend Ingrid who worked in another part of the company. These two young ladies went on to marry the guys from the chip shop. Christine had a lovely Greek wedding at the Tower Ballroom.

When I was a youngster our local fish and chip shop was in Coleshill Street, Birmingham 4. This too was run by a lovely Greek family, think it was called The Blackpool. It was opposite the post office. Further along on the opposite side by the Gaiety, was Bob's. Their uniform was starch white overalls with hat to match. This is where we would get our bag of scratchings, as we called them. Mmmmmm. In the opposite direction but still in Coleshill Street and going towards Ashted Row was yet another chip shop. Think this one may have been called Hughes' (or not). I have no bad memories of any of these shops, so the fish and chips must have been okay. It has been lovely walking down memory lane again. I wish I had some pics of Coleshill Street in the late fifties and early sixties, to share with you. I hope that most things I have said are correct. Apologies if not. It was a long time ago. Kind regards , Sue
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I worked at the Post Office in Coleshill Street from 1962 until I got moved on in 1964 and well remember Blackpool fish and chip shop on the opposite side of the road by Gaskell and Chambers. It must have been almost directly opposite the Gaiety cinema. The name always intrigued me and still does. It was an interesting area in those days. A recent visit down memory lane found it all to have changed though. Still, it was sixty years ago.
 
I was born in West Heath, and our Chippy was Wick's. Real chips, cooked in lard. Cod, Plaice, or Fish Cake. That was the choice until Fluer de Lys pies arrived.

We now live about two hundred yards from the sea, and I buy my fish from Downies.

Fresh fish supplier, Downies of Whitehills, supplier of fresh, frozen & smoked fish

Fresh Scottish fish direct from our award winning factory - outstanding value on fresh, frozen, smoked fish and fish pies; scottish salmon, kippers, mackeral, haddock and co
www.downiefish.co.uk

They have their own smokehouse. Real smoked haddock, with a poached egg on top, makes a superb breakfast.

My fish of choice is Haddock, freshly landed every day. Cooked in crumb, not batter.


Steve.
 
Does anyone know what has happened to the Chip Shop that was at the Yew Tree (Yardley)? It closed "for renovations" and we were told it would take six weeks. That was way back in February. In fact I think it closed way before that.
 
Best fish and chips this summer was unsurprisingly at the seaside.https://www.no1cromer.com. A choice of fish, haddock, cod, hake or plaice. We sat inside in the cheaper downstairs and watched a woman walk her cat on a lead. They do take away too and you could eat it on the beach.

In the old days we had hake, plaice or proper roe with real vinegar, from Bearwood. I don't remember the names of the shops. There was one near the Red Cow too. We didn't have much money and mom usually bought wet fish from Dalloways on Three Shires Oak Rd and cooked it herself. Harry Ramsden's on Cov. Rd was good at a later time as he still fried in animal fat. Derek
 
Stokkie said:
Best fish and chips this summer was unsurprisingly at the seaside.https://www.no1cromer.com. A choice of fish, haddock, cod, hake or plaice. We sat inside in the cheaper downstairs and watched a woman walk her cat on a lead. They do take away too and you could eat it on the beach.

In the old days we had hake, plaice or proper roe with real vinegar, from Bearwood. I don't remember the names of the shops. There was one near the Red Cow too. We didn't have much money and mom usually bought wet fish from Dalloways on Three Shires Oak Rd and cooked it herself. Harry Ramsden's on Cov. Rd was good at a later time as he still fried in animal fat. Derek
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Derek,
I do remember Cromer but not the fish & chip shop!
 
NOTSHARP said:
I was born in West Heath, and our Chippy was Wick's. Real chips, cooked in lard. Cod, Plaice, or Fish Cake. That was the choice until Fluer de Lys pies arrived.

We now live about two hundred yards from the sea, and I buy my fish from Downies.

Fresh fish supplier, Downies of Whitehills, supplier of fresh, frozen & smoked fish

Fresh Scottish fish direct from our award winning factory - outstanding value on fresh, frozen, smoked fish and fish pies; scottish salmon, kippers, mackeral, haddock and co
www.downiefish.co.uk

They have their own smokehouse. Real smoked haddock, with a poached egg on top, makes a superb breakfast.

My fish of choice is Haddock, freshly landed every day. Cooked in crumb, not batter.


Steve.
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We have been smoking meats for about 5 years and recently purchased a large smoker, so far just smoked pork and beef. My next try is salmon but you whet my appetite with the haddock1 I am moving carefully so as not to mess too much up, thanks for the idea!
 
This is an image of Pistolas fish and chip shop on the lefthand side of Hobmoor Rd travelling towards the Yew Tree. The ground on the right is where the river Cole runs so we are near the junction with Heybarnes Rd. Clearly before descimalisation and with an Austin Cambridge? out front. I am interested if anyone can help me with details of previous owners pre/ during the war.
 

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Stokkie said:
Richard,
Cromer still has excellent crab. I expect the fish and chip shop is new. The lad ordered cockle popcorn fried and dusted with spices. Derek
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Derek,
I do remember the crab there, used to down to the waterfront where they would be selling it. Never had anything better!
 
Tinpot said:
This is an image of Pistolas fish and chip shop on the lefthand side of Hobmoor Rd travelling towards the Yew Tree. The ground on the right is where the river Cole runs so we are near the junction with Heybarnes Rd. Clearly before descimalisation and with an Austin Cambridge? out front. I am interested if anyone can help me with details of previous owners pre/ during the war.
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In 1955 it was owned by Mrs Gladys Layton still Fish & Chips
In 1930 it was owned by Herbert Fellows still Fish & chips
Pistolas shown there in 1967/68, they were all at 326 Hobmoor rd.
 
mw0njm. said:
just been to a chippy,and we ordered chips and fish. the worst i have ever had the chips were hard and the fish had been re heated. £15. grrrrrr. wont go there again.
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Wow, I am assuming that was two orders for £15! We just had a sit down lunch fish, chips two sides and southern biscuits $12.49 each. Everything was great, even had malt vinegar which is not usual here.
 
Astoness said:
apart from at the black country museum i do not have many chips from chip shops...always have home made...cant beat them with a couple of saugages.. fried egg..beans and a round of bread and butter to make a chip butty :)

lyn
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wot no black pudding:grinning:

Richard the "15 was for the f/chips and a small sausage. i sat out side the shop eating some but put 70 percent in the bin, i was in two minds to go in the shop and say these are mankyfied before doing so.

​

​

:grinning:
 
Does anyone know if the chippy at the corner of Abbey Road and Slade Road Erdington still exists? That was our local and I still remember taking the Birmingham Mails to them for wrapping the fish and chips in
 
I recall Winnies on Streetly Road by the 65-bus terminus. They had this hand chipping device with a long lever. In the early 60’s it became the Blue Lagoon. One that started well, then went downhill very quickly selling coley instead of cod. Looks like its called Binny’s now.

Pete’s Pan on Yardley Wood and Trittiford Road is a decent chippy. Super large portions. Another decent one is Flakes on St Marys Row, Moseley.
 
NOTSHARP said:
I was born in West Heath, and our Chippy was Wick's. Real chips, cooked in lard. Cod, Plaice, or Fish Cake. That was the choice until Fluer de Lys pies arrived.

We now live about two hundred yards from the sea, and I buy my fish from Downies.

Fresh fish supplier, Downies of Whitehills, supplier of fresh, frozen & smoked fish

Fresh Scottish fish direct from our award winning factory - outstanding value on fresh, frozen, smoked fish and fish pies; scottish salmon, kippers, mackeral, haddock and co
www.downiefish.co.uk

They have their own smokehouse. Real smoked haddock, with a poached egg on top, makes a superb breakfast.

My fish of choice is Haddock, freshly landed every day. Cooked in crumb, not batter.


Steve.
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If ever we were around West Heath we would use a shop that I recall as "Fairfax" probably 1970's.
 
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