You've had your chips in Leeds

[Domestique]

or the one I visited in Westcliff-on-Sea.

On the seafront? Should've asked me and I'd have sent you to Oldham's (northern by name only  ).

Oldhams is good, price though 
Seafront, thought it was all foriegn kebabs and shite down there 

[Wowbagger]

Oldham's is very good, but the one next to Prittlewell Church, run by a Greek guy and which serves the Southend United crowd, is also excellent. Some year ago, I am reliably informed, a football fanzine called "90 minutes" awarded this chip shop the accolade of the best fish & chip shop serving any Football League ground. These days we go for the "Special", a "smaller" portion of F&C but plenty for us. Costs £3.30.

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

[Efrogwr]

Of course, Whitby has the best chippy in the country.

I've found two!
Trenchers is good and The Magpie is brilliant.

[Cudzoziemiec]

What was special about them anyway?

I was going to say dripping, but then I saw they switched to vegetable oil: nothing special.

I thought dripping was pretty much the standard chip frying material north of Brum-ish anyway?

[clarion]

Not so much any more. 

[redshift]

Dennis's* on Harper St in Leeds city centre, if it's still there.








*Now "Oliver Jakes" it would appear.  I'll try it out when I nip over there next week, and see if it's still as good as it used to be.

[Polar Bear]

The Pierowall Hotel chippy on Westray is the best chippy that I've ever munched from.

[Regulator]

Mr Chippy, London Road, West Thurrock, Essex. Best fish and chips I've ever had in the UK. 

Stoby's in Salisbury is also rather good - but unfortunately out of action at the moment following a fire.

Ramsdens was overpriced cack - the fish was stale and the chips were nasty.  Trencher's was OK - but nothing special.

The fish and chips from Rick Stein's place in Padstow are rather good as well...

[vorsprung]

My great aunt used to live in Guiseley

I agree with Wow, the chips from there were not that good

[Regulator]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

[Wowbagger]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

That was precisely why I said it, since there was no argument when it was suggested that Oldham was "oop north". Grimsby is marginally to the north Oldham and besides, all the Grimsbyites talk with Yorkshire accents.

[Regulator]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

That was precisely why I said it, since there was no argument when it was suggested that Oldham was "oop north". Grimsby is marginally to the north Oldham and besides, all the Grimsbyites talk with Yorkshire accents.

 


I think the Yeller Bellies might be offended by their mellifluous tones being described as the uncouth and grating to the ear 'Yorkshire accent'. 

[clarion]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

That was precisely why I said it, since there was no argument when it was suggested that Oldham was "oop north". Grimsby is marginally to the north Oldham and besides, all the Grimsbyites talk with Yorkshire accents.

You got a tin ear?

[Efrogwr]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

That was precisely why I said it, since there was no argument when it was suggested that Oldham was "oop north". Grimsby is marginally to the north Oldham and besides, all the Grimsbyites talk with Yorkshire accents.

You got a tin ear?

He must have.

And Grimsby's in the south. The clue's in the name; first syllable?

[David Martin]

Well the best chippie is in the North - Astruther to be precise (and very nice they are too). Long way to go for a poke of chips or a fish supper though.

[Wowbagger]

I think the best fish & chips I ever had was at Steel's, in Grimsby. The piece of cod I had on my plate was about a yard long. Mind you, Grimsby's "oop north" so perhaps I shouldn't be praising its fish. 

I think you'll find most Professional Northerners^TM consider Grimsby to be the Midlands.  After all it's Lincolnshire...

That was precisely why I said it, since there was no argument when it was suggested that Oldham was "oop north". Grimsby is marginally to the north Oldham and besides, all the Grimsbyites talk with Yorkshire accents.

You got a tin ear?

It was something that was brought home to me a couple of years ago when I cycled across the vast wasteland which is the Lincolnshire Wolds. To the north of the Wolds, people speak with northern accents; to the south around Boston they speak with East Anglian accents.

My pals, who live in Brigg, both have very clear Yorkshire accents. That might be something to do with them living in Bradford for the first 30 or 40 years of their lives though.

[pcolbeck]

I've never really rated Trencher either. The Magpie however is divine.
There is a little shack on Bridlington harbour that does fantastic fish and chips. Petergate Fisheries in the middle of York used to be brilliant in a sit down pot of tea and sliced white bread kind of way but I haven't been for years.  On a less Yorkshire bias I found one in Kent years ago that was in a big wooden hut kind of place (like a Scout hut) that was ace cant remember its name though but it was near Dungeness.
I tried Ramsdons a couple of years ago when passing and it was a shadow of its former self. Not worth a visit. Nice old building though.

Edit oops nearly forgot the excellent chip shops in Stamford Bridge and Wetwang.

[Frere]

FWIW the chippy in Headingley was way way better (to my mind anyway), different company, smaller premises, but much better than HR.

It's still there!

Bryan's is better than Ramsden's, no doubt about it.  They went through a rocky patch financially, but I think they're OK now.

Much preferred Bretts to Bryans.

Frere

[Exit Stage Left]

What was special about them anyway?

I was going to say dripping, but then I saw they switched to vegetable oil: nothing special.

I thought dripping was pretty much the standard chip frying material north of Brum-ish anyway?

Beef Dripping has always been a Yorkshire thing. Lancashire uses vegetable oils, I've never really liked the way that Yorkshire chips coat your lips and teeth with grease. I suppose it's something you're born to. The best fish I ever had was in the Fisherman's Mission in Kinlochbervie. Southern chippies try their best, but they have odd opening hours, poor pies and no gravy, which may suit the locals, but not me.

[citoyen]

In my first year as a student in Leeds (early '90s), Bryan's was my local chippy - just a couple of minutes walk away. Went there often. Also saw Jim Bowen in there once. And if money was tight, you could just get a bag of crispy batter bits for 50p.

My housemates and I also used to go to Harry Ramsden's for a fun outing on the bus (the 655, if I recall correctly). There was a decent pub across the road too. Happy days.

Both Harry Ramsden's and Bryan's were consistently excellent IME. I'm not sure I'd say one was better than the other. Good fish and chips is good fish and chips. Regional differences aside (oil vs dripping, cod vs haddock), good fish and chips are much of a muchness. Obviously, there are plenty of bad chippies around, but it's nonsense to say any particular chippy is "the best".

If there's a real difference between one good chippy and another, it's the context. One of the things that makes our local chippy great is that it's 30 seconds walk from the beach, so you can sit and watch the legendary Whitstable sunset while you eat.

Those trips to Harry Ramsden's were great because of the company and the sense of occasion. Even if the fish and chips are perfectly cooked, they'll never taste as good in a branded franchise in a soulless shopping mall. I'm sorry to hear about the original HR closing, but I doubt it would live up to my memory of it anyway.

d.

[LEE]

That's a Lancashire one.  And I don't rate it.  But there's another in Walsden (arguably Lancashire too) called Ma Pollards, which is brilliant, and they have tables out back by the cut (and a bus you can sit in).

Todmorden also has the Tudor Chippy, and Hebden Bridge AJ's.

Skipton has Busy Lizzie's, and Eastwoods - contrasting styles, and both very good in their way.

Of course, Whitby has the best chippy in the country.

Not sure which chippy that is but I had some superb Fish and Chips in Whitby on my one and only visit there (some decades ago now).

Howling gales were blowing sea spray right across the town whilst I was huddled in a bus shelter with my huge fish and perfect chips keeping my hands warm. Possibly the best way to eat them I reckon.  A lot of my memories of eating Fish & Chips involve me using them as a hand-warmer just as much as a meal.

[DrMekon]

Don't eat fish any more, but when I did and Bardsley's in Brighton was 5 minutes from my front door, I felt very lucky.

http://www.bardsleys-fishandchips.co.uk/reviews.htm

[CrinklyLion]

Is that the one just off the Level?  Blinking good chippy, that!