[Falling Down]

London prices Tom.

I just checked online and at Mr Fish in posh Queens Park it’s £8.45 for the lunch special (small cod, chips, mushy peas and a drink).  Othewise it’s £10.95 for a medium fish and portion of chips - the medium’s are massive though and enough for me and W to share.

 Micky’s on Goldborne is 7 quid for the lunch deal  and £8.50 for a medium fish.

I’m starving now 

[tomtom]

(I meant to say the £4.55/2.75 lunch special price was in Hull..)

The place up the road from us in Dids used to serve the chips into a box with a high elbowed flourish from a stainless steel bowl (FFS). Got to know the owner a bit of a different one that re-opened in Dids Village - where they double fried the chips (lovely...). Covid has finished that off unfortunately.. had a proper bank of old friers!

My favourite chippy chips though are from a Korean owned chippy on Newland Ave in Hull, where they still fry the chips in lard. Sorry health fans/vegetarians - but they taste superb.

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

[moose]

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

I think 30p was the going rate when I was a young'un.  The cheapest option was a scallop for 10p (a battered potato cake, not a shellfish) - one of those with "scraps" and lots of salt and vinegar fuelled many a lunchbreak at the arcade - feeding the rest of my dinner money into Golden Axe or Shinobi.

[cowboyhat]

Closest to me in Stokey is Sutton & Sons which typically is more of a fish restaurant with prices to match, haddock 11 chips 3 for takeaway. I’ve been once years ago. The chips didn’t look cooked and the guy patronisingly informed me some nonsense about non fat clean eco recyclable oil which tasted how you’d imagine.

One I do really like is the laughing halibut on Strutton Ground market off Victoria st, it’s near the millbank office so I’ll go on Monday.

TBH with all the options for great cheap food it’s not something I think of in London very often. Usually get it at my parents in Wickersley when we’re there with the kids.

[webbo]

6 pence in old money when I had buy own after Cubs. We used to go to Bretts on Kirkstall lane in Headingley. However I got them for free if Charlie Brett was working as he used to drink in the Skyrack with my mum and dad before I appeared. It was a great place to see Yorkshire and England cricketers who used to go there after the matches.

[Andy W]

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

I think 30p was the going rate when I was a young'un.  The cheapest option was a scallop for 10p (a battered potato cake, not a shellfish) - one of those with "scraps" and lots of salt and vinegar fuelled many a lunchbreak at the arcade - feeding the rest of my dinner money into Golden Axe or Shinobi.

"scraps" haven't heard that for years 

[tomtom]

Other fish and chip faves..

Firstly - Frites - with frite sauce (Mayo) are amazing in Belgium. Somehow better than the same combo elsewhere in Europe.

Second - deep fried oysters (out of the shell obvs) from a chippy in Christchurch (NZ) looked like large deep fried ears. Ok - but a little tough :D

Barramundi is superb battered and deep fried - and I’ve had it a few times in chippies in NT Australia. Probably my favourite fish cooked that way.

Finally mushy or processed peas are actually grey. They have loads of green food colouring added to make them look - err - appetising.

[moose]

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

I think 30p was the going rate when I was a young'un.  The cheapest option was a scallop for 10p (a battered potato cake, not a shellfish) - one of those with "scraps" and lots of salt and vinegar fuelled many a lunchbreak at the arcade - feeding the rest of my dinner money into Golden Axe or Shinobi.

"scraps" haven't heard that for years 

I think Westies call them "bits" but they also refer to breadcakes / rolls as "teacakes" (which are glazed and contain currents in civilised parts), so their opinions clearly count for nothing.

[dunnyg]

scollop in a tea cake with curry sauce. You are welcome.

[webbo]

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

I think 30p was the going rate when I was a young'un.  The cheapest option was a scallop for 10p (a battered potato cake, not a shellfish) - one of those with "scraps" and lots of salt and vinegar fuelled many a lunchbreak at the arcade - feeding the rest of my dinner money into Golden Axe or Shinobi.

"scraps" haven't heard that for years 

I think Westies call them "bits" but they also refer to breadcakes / rolls as "teacakes" (which are glazed and contain currents in civilised parts), so their opinions clearly count for nothing.

Some of my fellow Cubs would ask for a “ bag of scraps” which was mainly bits of batter with a few chips thrown in.

[Anti]

 I used to love a beef cutlet with curry sauce as a kid but don't seem to find beef cutlet anymore. I don't know if they were beef, some breaded and fried grey/brown meat with a bit of a spice flavour.

[moose]

My earliest chip shop memories were getting an 11p bag of chips after Cubs as a treat.... that will age me :D

I think 30p was the going rate when I was a young'un.  The cheapest option was a scallop for 10p (a battered potato cake, not a shellfish) - one of those with "scraps" and lots of salt and vinegar fuelled many a lunchbreak at the arcade - feeding the rest of my dinner money into Golden Axe or Shinobi.

"scraps" haven't heard that for years 

I think Westies call them "bits" but they also refer to breadcakes / rolls as "teacakes" (which are glazed and contain currents in civilised parts), so their opinions clearly count for nothing.

Some of my fellow Cubs would ask for a “ bag of scraps” which was mainly bits of batter with a few chips thrown in.

I loved scraps when I was a kid, probably more than I liked chips. For me, buying a scallop with scraps as an accompaniment was just the cheapest way of getting scraps. They were free with everything but just asking for scraps alone, which weren't priced, seemed a bit cheeky. Those were the days ... when chippies were so cheap they used newspaper to wrap, and had "non-brewed condiment" instead of vinegar."

[JamieG]

Firstly - Frites - with frite sauce (Mayo) are amazing in Belgium. Somehow better than the same combo elsewhere in Europe.

I lived in Belgium for six months and the chips were fantastic especially on the way home after a few trappist beers. I especially like all the other sauces you could have beyond just mayo. Although they are still mayo based.

https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/which-sauce-to-choose-with-your-fries

In particular I like the Andalusian and the Samurai. Definitely worth a try next time you are there.

[seankenny]

My grandad owned a couple of fish and chip shops both before and after the war. His new idea was to centralise and standardise production and eventually open several more, basically he’d dreamt up the fast food chain but alas post-war East Yorkshire was not ready for such innovation and he stuck with the day job.

[andy popp]

There used to be a chippy in Widnes that sold fish, chips, peas, and curry sauce - nothing else (maybe you could buy a pickled egg?). They opened for an hour or two at lunchtime Mon-Fri, and the same Friday teatime. Not at the weekend at all. There was always a queue and when you got inside the door you had to shout out your fish order or there'd be no fish for you. It was a chippy distilled to the most basic elements and very, very good. I think it was open for decades but closed maybe ten years ago when the elderly married couple who ran it retired.

[Will Hunt]

There used to be a chippy in Widnes that sold fish, chips, peas, and curry sauce - nothing else (maybe you could buy a pickled egg?). They opened for an hour or two at lunchtime Mon-Fri, and the same Friday teatime. Not at the weekend at all. There was always a queue and when you got inside the door you had to shout out your fish order or there'd be no fish for you. It was a chippy distilled to the most basic elements and very, very good. I think it was open for decades but closed maybe ten years ago when the elderly married couple who ran it retired.

Which one was that, Andy? I can remember when the very successful Cronton Fish Bar opened the imaginatively named Cronton Fish Bar 2 in the shops next to the Black House/Coterie. In fact, I'm sure that Rich Hession's mum worked at Cronton Fish Bar?

[andy popp]

Downtown, behind the town hall. Lacey Street I think.

[Falling Down]

Another great LRB piece by John Lanchester on Sam Bankman Fried and EA, FTX etc.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n21/john-lanchester/he-said-they-said

[Fultonius]

How much Ben? Regular cod and chips?

The place up the road from us in Didsbury is £7:40 (😱) and around the corner from my house is £4.55 (£2.75 mon - weds)

Anyone else? I’m always interested in the geographical spread of cost of things like this!

£7.40....bargain, often over £10 round here!  Even the Blue Lagoon, ever cheap and cheerful is now £8 for fish supper.  £2.75 is insane, how is that not losing money?

[petejh]

Another great LRB piece by John Lanchester on Sam Bankman Fried and EA, FTX etc.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n21/john-lanchester/he-said-they-said

Excellent, enjoyed that.

[andy popp]

I wish he's said much more Number Go Up.

[Falling Down]

More about? Yes, me too. Although if you scroll back up this thread there are a couple of his other great articles on Cryptocurrency, one called “What is money?” (I think).

[seankenny]

Weren’t some UKB posters lauding crypto a few years ago as a hedge against inflation? I wonder how that worked out… 

[andy popp]

More about? Yes, me too. Although if you scroll back up this thread there are a couple of his other great articles on Cryptocurrency, one called “What is money?” (I think).

Yes, sorry, more about. It's just that the article was headed as a review of both books, when it really wasn't. I've heard good things about Number Go Up from people in financial history etc.

[Falling Down]

It does sound good. I might get a copy.