The Sad Decline of the British Fish and Chip Shop

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Fish and Chips. A meal so familiar with british culture that it's hard to imagine a town without a shop selling the food.
However, in recent years with rising energy costs and food supply issues, the cost of this once working class meal has risen to crazy levels, and become unafforable to those who used to look at this as a cheap meal.
I decided to hit the streets, and find the people running these shops to hear about the troubles first hand. And also ask the public, 'when was the last time you had fish and chips?'
It is estimated that in coming years there could be a drastic reduction in fish and chip shops all roun the UK.
A massive thank you to every who stopped and spoke to me, especially to Mr Thomas' at Hollingworth Lake and Tommyfield Chippy in Oldham market. Do check them out if you are near by.
Until Next Time,
W.T
#fishandchips #urban #decline #tradition #traditional

[@user-bk7to8gn5l]

Don't usually leave comments but just wanted to let you know that this made me walk 15 mins to my local chippy

[@wanderingturnip]

That’s the exact comment I wanted 😄 good on ya

[@DrJ4Y]

How much did it cost though? 😂

[@WendallExplores]

@@DrJ4Y I also went out and got £17 fish and chips

[@Targetbloodpressurezero-sc6po]

@@WendallExplores Historical evidence complements of google lol

[@Targetbloodpressurezero-sc6po]

@@wanderingturnip Bloody interesting after my initial scepticism thanks

[@Raptorsified]

"gentrification of a working class meal" as a Japanese citizen i feel this when i see what Westerners are being charged for ramen. Similar to fish and chips it was a cheap way to get at least some protein, particularly in the postwar era. Even when i was a kid in the 00s i could get a ramen& fried rice in Tokyo for 800 jpy, i reckon about 4 gbp at the time. Then i go to the West and pay $20 for no toppings or rice and it don't feel right

[@borrellipatrick]

Went to a place in Brooklyn over the weekend, Tamashii ramen. Went to their website to see what they charged for what I ordered and it was $16. Live in eastern Massachusetts and usually pay $20 for a bowl in lowell or Boston. They kinda skimp on the noodles and always have to order extra noodles 👀👉👈

[@Doodoofart725]

The issue with japanese food is that it's very trendy right now, which means restaurants can afford to charge a lot for it. In reality ramen is neither a work intensive food, nor are the ingredients especially expensive. It should be cheap.

[@Rill_1]

Restaurant food is just more expensive in the US in general. For the size of the meal, 14$ Bowls of Ramen are relative to other types of restaurant food.

[@cykablyat1466]

Yeah unless you live on the coasts of the US you get ripped off on the price of Japanese food. Especially the teppenyaki/hibachi places. Some of the smaller restaurants are competitive if they aren't selling you the experience of the hibachi style food.

[@cheesi]

definitely experienced the gouge on japanese food in the UK. It's trendy and there's not a ton of places doing it (at least near me), so it's easy for them to charge high prices. Often high quality and I'm happy to pay for it as a treat, but it's a lot for what you're getting. Tip to any Japanese food fans in the west though--shop at Asian supermarkets!! You can probably find all the ingredients you could want to make your own far, far cheaper.

[@DanielLichthart]

'What are you taking pictures for?' While filming a historic piece. What a lady, good way to attract business.

[@hazelleblanc8969]

My mom used to work in a fish and chips shop. She made us fish and chips in a bag the old-fashioned way - they weren't just put in the newspaper, they were put in a cone of waxed paper, then the newspaper was wrapped around the waxed paper to serve as insulation to keep the food hot. As a cone, you could eat the food from it while walking around, without burning your hands holding it. Thought you might like to know this.

[@unusedsub3003]

Don’t you mean your “mum”. We’re not American.

[@Patrick-tb9di]

@@unusedsub3003probably auto correct mine does it sometimes

[@godisbald784]

Informative indeed

[@johndrake2729]

When I was a kid, I used to think they just used newspaper, but of course, that was before I knew better.

[@somethingdifferentprobably]

​@@unusedsub3003could be from brum

[@beautybev]

My mum and dad owned a fish and chip shop back in the 80s which was also our home. The 1990s recession hit and they lost their lovely business and our home. I came home from school one day and the bailiff’s had taken everything from our house. I was only 15 and it was so upsetting to see my parents go through that. I used to go to school, then come home and put my apron on and help serve. My dad made the best fish and chips and I don’t think he ever recovered mentally from loosing his life. Keep up your great work ❤

[@boudika100]

I'm really sorry to read that I hope he finds comfort from the fact he worked hard and done his best....very unfair

[@beautybev]

@@boudika100 thank you for your kind words. He worked so hard for his family and for a good quality of living. The council gave us a flat and it reality hit us hard. He went back to being a plumber but he’s heart just wasn’t in it at all. I know he took it personally and he thought he was a failure. He’s now 83 years old and he is always talking about the ‘chip shop’ days!

[@Orwic1]

That’s such a sad story; I’m so sorry. Those times were tough for many of us - and it seems those times are with us again, sadly. I remember buying fish and chips when I was young in the mid 1960s: it was cheap food then. Now my local chippy sells fish and chips “OAP” portion of smaller fish & chips costs £6:50. To be fair it’s good value, but for folk on low incomes, it’s no longer cheap for, say, a family of 4. We don’t live in a well-off area, and I know a lot of my neighbours are struggling.

[@cgas7344]

Buy your fish & potatoes and cook it at home you twats

[@beautybev]

@@Orwic1 thank you. Yes agreed the 90s were tough. Back then we were selling fish and chips for £1.40 and people were queuing outside most tea times, the atmosphere was so nice. My dad struggled to get a job after as they just wasn’t any. I started a YTS a year later on £25 per week and I got a bill for poll tax! I never paid it! I know everything is expensive now and it’s a luxury to have a take away dinner now. My dad’s favourite dinner is fish and chips to this day and always criticises the quality 😂

[@finnmeister]

This video is absolute truth. My family have owned a fish & chip shop for 58 years and I can put it into perspective for you. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, we were paying around £80 for a freshly frozen (at sea) box of fish. After the war, that went up to £250 PER BOX. That then came down to about £170, but it was still double the price and that's only one of the commodities that skyrocketed. Add to that the fact that our electricity bill went up by THOUSANDS and it kinda tells you why fish & chip shops have had no choice but to raise prices. We HATE having to do it, but it's just necessary. Businesses like ours are dropping like flies. You're absolutely right. It's not profiteering - it's survival. Plain and simple.

[@wanderingturnip]

Hey thanks for this 👍 it’s been great to hear from people within the business. I am actually going to be doing a follow up just on fish and the fishing industry, if you would be up for a chat do get in touch

[@davidhargreaves1728]

Nice one, so your blaming the America backed war in Ukraine 👍 thought after you voted to leave Europe we could catch our own fish, in our own waters again?

[@mcrand7887]

I understand the pain. But here is the 'elephant in the room' that no one is admitting the fact, that 'Ukraine war is not a UK's war'.🤔

[@finnmeister]

@mcrand7887 no it isn't. But that doesn't stop it from having a global effect.

[@garvielloken4114]

I see no connection between the war in ukraine and raising fish price in britain. In germany fish is still cheap. But our most favourite food the döner kebap became also very expensive recently with 7 to 10 € per unit depending on where you live. 5 years ago we would pay 5€ and 10 years ago one huge döner would be 3€. There has to be a different reason or since when would britain get his cod from the krim? I say its Brexit and Brexit alone.

[@gavincooke3424]

That German guy and his appreciation for fish & chips, absolutely love it!

[@romber58]

He said "Remoulade sauce-which is French btw.A more accurate German equivalent would be Erbsenpuree which can be translated as mushy peas-Not the first time an English man like me has to teach a German correct use of his own language.haha.They even say "Home Office" to describe working from home-duh.

[@Anri6547]

⁠@@romber58?! He was right we eat Remoulade sauce with it and not erbsenpüree…

[@iambecomepaul]

KZbin just NOW decided to reveal this in the algorithm. How have I missed this?!? Some of the best content on the web! People ought watch this and learn.

[@Finaldadoodle]

£4.90 is a steal for fish and chips! In and around my area they are probably £12 to £14 now.

[@beecee2205]

damn right its bloody unreal how much it costs nowadays

[@Trueo9re]

Depends on the fish though, it might have been a cheaper fish they were selling which is why the portion was the price it was. And yes the portion looked small but with the chips, peas and gravy, you'd be full in no time.

[@kaltenorden4278]

Less than a tenner in North Finchley, London. Good portions though

[@ArtJourneyUK]

£18 for Small Cod & Chips here in East London

[@grahampilkington252]

@@Finaldadoodle up north that’s a lunchtime offer of small fish and chips.

[@michaelhicks708]

I am 82 years old when I was a lad we used to knock on doors for used newspapers then take them to the local chip shop and they would give us 4 pence worth of chips for them, happy days !

[@ironhell813]

Great story, you earned your chops, and your chips!

[@randommodnar7141]

What a beautiful memory, thank you for sharing that with us

[@RedheadLondon]

I am in my sixties, and we used to get batter from the fish shop. It was pennies, and piping hot, so tasty and filling.

[@portalbuilder7021]

@@RedheadLondonjust straight batter?

[@RedheadLondon]

@@portalbuilder7021 Yes. I am from the north east, and as a kid in the 1960s, we would take our pennies to the fish shop, and they would give us scoops of batter, hot and wrapped in newspaper. We would sit outside, and eat it with our fingers. Deeeeeeeelih!

[@dunki-dunki-dawg]

The best Fish&Chips I ever had was from my aunties shop in Skegness. Her partner was a chef in the army. The fish was either Cod or Haddock and the batter was homemade beer batter made up and cooled right down to a set temperature. Their potatoes were picked out by himself and were an expensive highest graded. Their chips were then blanched in water until part cooked in their centres. Then they were dried out in an oven. When ready the Chips were fried in very hot Beef dripping until golden. The fish was dipped in their very cold homemade beer batter and again fried in very hot beef dripping until it turned golden. The batter would expand evenly and the fish would be evenly cooked in its own steam pocket trapped by the batter in just a couple of minutes. No knobbly hard ends or uneven cooking or trapped oil deposits on the fish. Then their peas were had popped out of their pods and could be prepared either whole or mushy with lemon and white sauce condiments ect...The meal was dunked and cooked in like two and a half minutes and it was delicious beyond words. I could also have potatoes with their peels still on which was also delicious. I am not a foodie type guy but I would give good money to have that meal again. This is all over 20 yrs ago now. I think I will go and make my own meals in this way from now on.

[@Quadrant14]

my mouth is watering as I am reading this post , yum

[@KnarfStein]

What a description!

[@charlessturgeon8408]

Best Fish i had was in Skegness, wonder if it was the place. (Pardon the pun)

[@eleanorwalmsley635]

I'm stealing the method.. 😂😂😂😂 Thank you for sharing ❤

[@shirohige291]

In Germany we had Currywurst Pommes for ages as a very cheap tasty fast food. It was about 2-3€ for a grilled Bratwurst with Ketchup plus Chips with mayo 10 years ago. Today it costs 8€ in most places. Ridiculously overprized for 15g of Protein

[@3_character_minimum]

I would agree somewhat. I live in Brandenburg amd go to berlin a lot. I would say that it's very venue dependent. There is some imbisses which a currywurst and pommes is still under 5euro. Bur go somewhere popular, or, like a venue where it's limited options. Then the prices can become stupid. But then that was always true. It's just do much more noticeable

[@davidwright8432]

Ah, but you aren't buying the protein! You're buying the experience! Cheap at twice the price.

[@donstewart5555]

This guy is more than a decent presenter, who would kick half the wannabee's on the box. Natural, engaging & genuinely authentic. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@wanderingturnip]

I really appreciate that thanks mate 😃

[@ChrisKirtley]

@@wanderingturnip Seconded - I watch all your videos!

[@shonkyboy]

Not bad that lad

[@andychapman3100]

Agreed.

[@12warrenpark]

Right on. Good on you, mate.

[@sbob17]

That 4.90 deal looks amazing.

[@Mounhas]

Doesn’t it just. Bet they have good custom…

[@Kodakcompactdisc]

Solid deal

[@t2p]

I would destroy that … getting a chippy tonight 🎉

[@CrispyNipsG]

4.90 for that is bonkers😮

[@bobrew461]

expensive tho. go to Iceland get two 1kg bags of McCain oven chips for £5 then go to Lidl and get their 4 Fish for £3 that will last a few weeks.

[@airypotty]

I'm glad I was a student in the UK during the 80s when a portion of chips wrapped in newspaper cost 20p and a fish and chips around a quid. But then, everything hovered around a quid. A pint of bitter, a donner kebab and egg fried rice. You could down 10 pints and have a curry after for a tenner up north. 😮

[@pimpozza]

🎉 665K views already.. Well done, David! This one's going to be up there with the boarded houses! 👏

[@wanderingturnip]

I know its bonkers. I didn't think people would be as interested in fish and chips as me

[@AA18F]

I used to own a chippy, but it shut down during covid. The price of fish was around 80 quid for a box, then it more than doubled to over 200 quid and sometimes hit 210. Everything was getting increasingly expensive. I couldn't keep up with it, so I had no choice but to hang the blue apron for the last time. It was fun to do, but the price increases forced me out, and I bet it's much worse for the people who have been running their shops until now. Thanks for the video. :)

[@MbisonBalrog]

At that point you should become fisherman. If fish can fetch that price

[@bryanobrien2726]

@@MbisonBalrog It would be tempting .

[@ageautistic6957]

I bet you worked very hard too for many hours...

[@AA18F]

@@ageautistic6957 Too many hours way below minimum wage.

[@AA18F]

@@MbisonBalrog haha, i should have :D

[@TimelordUK]

I've been waiting for someone to document this. Can't say cheap as chips anymore because it's no longer a poor man's meal, it's an absolute LUXURY

[@Beensash]

And the quality, the oils used nowadays etc. usually don't match those of yesteryear.

[@lookoutforchris]

Chips here before COVID were about $11-$12. Now they're $19-$20, or about £15.

[@OP10thNakama]

I really hate when people make reviews regarding fish and chip shops and leave behind lows scores primarily for the price. When they fail to realize that a piece of Cod or Haddock are ludciorusly expensive. Like these people just don't understand how expensive ingredients are now a days.

[@johnallen8860]

The first job I had was in a chippy in 1996 - left the UK forever in 2005 and love your videos for the memories they bring back, though I’m genuinely saddened by how much Britain has suffered in recent years.

[@yiannivenizelos4839]

As a fish & chips shop owner myself it's good to see someone shedding light on our industry rather than just complaining about prices without context. It's always been the go-to food for working class families, and still to this day the vast majority are owned/run by working class families, you will find very few chains/franchises. There is definitely no profiteering going on, hence why so many shops have closed. Unfortunately it's a severe case of cost push inflation and I'm hoping the labour party can give our industry the help it needs, as it's another thing that working class families are losing!

[@geoffpoole483]

I paid £11for fish and chips, mushy peas and a soft drink yesterday. It's become a treat; when I was a young child in the 70s my family had fish and chips for lunch every Saturday. Although the industry is struggling it's refreshing to know most of the fish and chip shops are independent family businesses.

[@ToniTerrier]

@@geoffpoole483 I said same in my comment too, it's crazy prices now, and I'm not blaming the chippies for it, I'm guessing they're having to put their prices up so much now to cover the cost of running the places, just a shame that it's pricing working class people out of having it now unless for a special occasions.

[@yiannivenizelos4839]

@@geoffpoole483 unfortunately those days are long gone and it's definitely more of a treat now. Though I still find ourselves to be cheaper than other takeaways like chinese, indian etc.

[@Narrowboat.and.offgrid.living]

I simply won't pay the inflated prices on fish and chips now

[@yiannivenizelos4839]

@@Narrowboat.and.offgrid.living good for you

[@MargaretUK]

I'm old enough to remember fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. I grew up in Birmingham in the 60's and sometimes my nan would send me to the chippy for fish and chips, though I can't remember how much they cost, but I do remember the newspaper. She would pop them still wrapped in the gas oven to keep warm, how they didn't catch fire I don't know! We haven't bought fish and chips for many years now, there's four of us so it's too expensive. Pre Covid there used to be a mobile chippy that would come round every Thursday evening, but Covid was the end of that. Great video, thank you 😊

[@missinterpreted4923]

I'm from Australia and I remember the newspaper - we never even considered the unhygienic aspect of the newspaper - We are not far behind you in terms of cost of fish and chips. Love from Australia.

[@paultaylor7082]

According to Paul McCartney in the song Penny Lane, the fish and finger pie was 4 old pence (around 1.5 new pence) in 1967, when the song was released. I'm old enough to remember when the fish was 1 shilling (5 new pence) and the chips were 6 old pence (2 1/2 new pence), thst would be around, or just after, decimalisation of the UK currency in February 1971. Fish and chips from the chippy are now a luxury for many. In the same way, people now drink more beer at home, as pub prices, even at 'Spoons, are still relatively high, and are pricing themselves out of the market. The takeaways for Chinese and curry houses are now better value for money than a chippy.

[@gordonlgb]

I am from Germany, but my mother has scottish roots. The best fish and chips you can get in Arbroath. Also the best smokie is made in Arbroath. I like this town so much.

[@3_character_minimum]

Bridge of Allan has a outstanding chippy

[@phredflypogger4425]

Fish 'n' chips used to be a staple here in Australia when I was a kid but now they export so much of our fish that prices are so high that it has become a luxury.

[@freeagent8225]

The Greeks are long gone too.😅

[@phredflypogger4425]

@@freeagent8225 So true.

[@johndell3642]

My memory of our nearest fish and chip shop in the early 1960s was that it only opened on a Friday and Saturday evening. They would put up a blackboard outside with "Frying Tonight" and a time - usually 6 or 7pm. - You went there at that time and there would be a queue of 50 to a hundred people outside. The owner would come out at opening time and quickly count up the number of people waiting and then go back inside. 5 minutes later the shutter would go up (you queued and were served outside, served through a hatch) and they'd start serving. The fish and chips were in two big cauldrons full of fat, heated by gas rings. Even with 100 people in the queue, everyone was served within 10 to 15 minutes because there were only three choices - Fish, Chips and a pickled egg. All wrapped in newspaper. No waiting around for strange orders or sauces or anything like that - it was really FAST food. At the back of the queue would always be a few lads hoping to scrounge the bits of batter left over, known as "bits", after that the shutter would come down and the shop would close up. Obviously, it cut costs because they were only open for half an hour at most and would have only had to heat the fat up for an hour, cutting fuel costs. Most people hurried off to eat their fish and chips at home, but youngsters in their late teens and 20s would sit on the benches nearby and eat theirs before getting the bus into town for a night out. They stacked the newspapers neatly by the side of a bin on the green nearby with a stone on top. The people from the prefabs nearby would come out and take them to put on their coal fires as extra fuel, an extra clean sheet might get torn up to use in the lavvy- nothing went to waste. I seem to remember Mum buying fish and chips for 3 with a ten shilling note (50p today) - but that still seemed an awful lot in those days, when a working man probably got only 15 to 20 pounds a week. It's certainly not something we could have afforded to do more than once a week.

[@gulfstream7235]

Nothing wasted back in the day...unlike today.

[@jeanpeuplu5570]

Awesome comment, thank you!

[@kenstevens5065]

Reminds me years ago of the time when my miserable but good local chippy was only 50 yards from the pub and it still closed at ten (pubs shut at 10.30 then). The landlady used to let the locals buy their supper and keep them warm in her oven so they could eat them when they got home after leaving at closing time. One Christmas day one of the locals wives stormed in with his Christmas dinner cos he was late for lunch! Who can afford Pub beer and chips nowadays though!

[@Shaker626]

If the ink from the paper hasn't left some absurd headline on that pickled egg, it really isn't the real thing. I presume as the economic decline of the UK continues, the old iron ladies are going to have to fire up those cauldrons again some day for 2-pound fish n' chips - wrapped it in advertising paper this time!

[@pimpozza]

@johndell3642 Wow, what a fantastic comment, John! I could really picture the scene.. thank you so much for sharing your memories with us..👍

[@DJ-Daz]

"Gentrification of a working class meal." Loved it!

[@carltonlambert7608]

Working class food has long been gentrified to be something that the wealthy can only afford and exotic poor man's dinner you from abroad you end paying a bomb for.

[@MissWeezeyUSA]

@@DJ-Daz I would go even further and say it’s a FETISHIZED version of the working class dish 🍲

[@chaosflower4892]

I coined that. Gentrification of fish n chips. You can blame high rents for shops for much of this. A stall on the high street not even a shop might be paying £700 or more per week. A small shop might be paying +£1000 per week on the high street or more than +£600 per week way out of town. After wages and electricity etc how is anyone making a profit? No wonder shops come and go. And why so many are empty. Real working class food? Houses that were built for the working class. Little 2 up 2 downs. Now house doctors. Professional childless couples with a labradoodle. And students and migrants living multioccupancy.

[@Thedarkknight2244]

That implies big business has driven the price up. It’s our deteriorated relationship with the eu that’s driven the price up. Also…chicken is better I’m sorry. It has to be said

[@user-ve7hn2dh8h]

​@@Thedarkknight2244oh really? So the prizes have been going down for the last couple of years huh?...you might wanna ask people in the fishing industry what they think of brexit

[@KMGliTChEZz]

Wow this had brightened my day. Such a well put together video and it's so nice seeing people interact and take the time to talk to you.

[@bradtyson]

When a chippy doubles in price you need to remember, their food has gone up 20%+, energy 10 to 20%, council rates/rent 10-40%, workers wages gone up 30%. It just doesnt make sense how they can still keep in business to me nevermind trying to say places are ripping you off.

[@danielschlo3479]

This argument doesn't make sense (at least the way it is formulated). The risen cost parts don't add up but they just contribute according to their share. If raw ingredients make 20% of my CostPerPortion and they rise 20%, my CostPerPortion rises 4%.

[@bradtyson]

@danielschlo3479 I guess that's why so many new chippies are opening up?🥴 What you are saying makes no sense. Are you a fan of terryology? Or maybe a politician?

[@EffMTee]

​@@danielschlo3479 LOL do you work in the industry? if not you have no clue.

[@MsMorgendorffer1]

I’m from Australia, but the cost of fish and chips here in Melbourne is ridiculously high! It’s almost $10 for a flake, when just a few years ago, you could get a flake, minimum chips, a potato cake and a dimmy for $10. Now it’ll cost around $20 for the exact same meal… $25 if you want to throw a soft drink in too. Fish and chips are no longer the , “poor man’s food” … it was a sad day, when I realised I’d been priced out of something I used to get once a week 😢

[@SeminarioMAE]

are koalas expensive

[@ChrisKirtley]

I pay $15 (£7) at my chippy on the Gold Coast, grilled hoki or flake (shark for Brits). I always have it grilled not battered.

[@Drobium77]

there are people further up in the chat, they say it's because of Brexit 😛

[@brendanhunter389]

Australia prices look crazy to me as someone from Scotland. Dominos in Oz is way cheaper than here for example

[@ChrisKirtley]

@@brendanhunter389 Used to be more expensive here, but from what I here the UK has caught up with us!

[@ChristopherNutt]

I'm born 83 and remember getting it in proper newspaper once. And they had fake newspaper for a while.

[@alangeorgebarstow]

There is a popular misconception about fish and chips being directly wrapped in newspaper. When I was a youngster, in the 1950s and 1960s, fish and chips were, indeed, wrapped in layers of newspaper but the food never came directly into contact with the newsprint. A sheet of clean, white food-safe paper was always placed between the food and the newspaper, which was then wrapped around this as an insulation, whether or not the chips were being eaten straight away or if you had them wrapped to take home.

[@xlncy]

The ink in which the newspaper was printed is not good for health They should not be allowed to get in contact with the food. 🐟

[@Luckydog661]

I’ve been running chip shops for twenty five years or so. Thanks for making this. You’ve nailed it. As an extra note, cod and haddock prices went through the roof post Brexit. Both the UK and EU had to renegotiate quotas with Greenland and Norway which is where a lot of it comes from. The only super trawler left in Hull was stuck in port for months and prices nearly tripled.

[@shelldie8523]

Yea well Europe helped UK with the war, and post war redevelopment and the citizenry forgot all that and the massive trade benifit and opted for brexit. Enjoy.

[@zootius]

EXACTLY, you don't see Farage now mentioning the crap he talked about how Brexit was going to be great for our fishing industry - or anybody holding any of those Brexiteers to task about it.

[@ramengurung9913]

@@shelldie8523I’m convinced Brexiteers voted out of pure racism or misinformation. I genuinely see no other reason why anyone could have voted for Brexit

[@enigmadrath1780]

​@@ramengurung9913They absolutely did. They tried to downplay it by saying it was about trade, but since Brexit they're all going "Oh we had no idea there would be economic downsides!" So they knew nothing about the economic side when they voted. They only cared about "keep foreigners out" and now they're stuffed

[@theredlake9660]

​@@ramengurung9913 It's not "racism" when 30% of your country's children are born to foreign mothers and over 40% of your capital city is made up of non-English/British ethnic groups. The Cockneys are all but gone and we all know it's because they've been pushed out by migrants coming into London.

[@jordanrose8443]

"It's all work, work, work, just to pay the bills, and there's nothing at the end of it, is there?" This holds true here in the states also. It's horrible how much everything has gone up and keeps going up, but wages are mostly stagnating.

[@Mjp11111]

Aye its the same everywhere. Probably even worse for you guys in the US as employers can get away with treating people worse.

[@FilthyGaijin]

I'm mexican and I live at the border, last time i went to the US was in December 2019, then i went again on this year and I was baffled at the prices, some things even doubled in price and shrunk in size.

[@ao-111]

@@Mjp11111 Depends, it's a weird comparison. It's probably better to be working class in the UK but it's definitely better to be middle class in the states.

[@curiousnomadic]

Then reverse Brexit damnit

[@louisbarningham]

It all stems down to corporate greed, there is no inflation! These costs could all be absorbed by multi billion dollar companies but they are too greedy to do so, so they pass it down to small business and us

[@josephiarocci245]

Fantastic content, really enjoyed the video. I live in the states and we are of course experiencing the same dramatic increases in price. Some of my favorite cheap meals aren't so cheap anymore. This was validating and informative.

[@Campaigner937]

These types of videos need to be made, cheers mate.

[@jackstokes]

“A gentrification of the working class meal” is a great way to put it

[@sobolanul96]

Cheap fast/street food meant to fill one's gut, on the run to/from work has become some sort of exquisite gourmet shit. Hot dogs, fish&chips, hamburgers, Turkish kebabs and all the other stuff are meant to stop hunger, not be an expensive delicacy. They are for the working man, to keep him going through the day. We don't have many places like that remaining. In my country McDonalds which used to be obscenely expensive was surpassed in prices by the local market. Part of it is ingredient prices, part of it is greed.

[@ryanbales8116]

@@sobolanul96I mourn the days where I could buy tacos at any truck and spend $1.50 per taco.

[@BoreasCastel]

It's not gentrification. It's multiple wars against you that you fail to grasp. Covid tyranny was a war against you. Climate hysteria is a war against you. Globalization is a war against you. Censorship of "hate speech" is a war against you. Letting countless people into your country who hate you is a war against you. You're being destroyed and you call it "gentrification"?!

[@ishabrown]

£15 for Fish, chips and curry sauce is expensive. I normally pay £8 or £10. Normally, tourist areas are that pricey. Glad you went back to the market chip shop, they were so friendly and £4.90 for fish n chips is a bargain 👌 😋

[@phann860]

My brother worked for years as a manager of fish and chip shops. He did quite well (1970s to the 2000s) and was kept busy, certainly hard and long hours but he enjoyed chatting with people. Sadly he is no longer around but he would have talked your head off. He did say that the late seventies inflation cut his business, but he later worked in a seaside resort, open from dawn to dusk, as he put it, washing the potatoes and using a chipper to prepare supplies for the day ahead.

[@MosAchillesJourney24]

Really good work this. Brings back memories of my youth where our whole family were able to go into town and have some chips and maybe share some fish and chips too, wrapped in newspaper! Our local chippy is always busy which is good. Can’t see it ever declining.

[@catxls1835]

We (the humble working class) are being driven into the ground by the cost of everything. The Government has broken the UK and it's people beyond repair my friend. It's awful to say but, there's nothing great about Britain anymore. Once again David, thanks for highlighting what the UK has become.

[@akashchandrabehera7667]

I am an Indian. It's quite sad to see one of the greatest industrial countries being driven into poverty by the elite. Just sad, says volumes about the current state of the West.

[@rebornshitposter]

ok brexit geezer

[@naoyanaraharjo4693]

​@@akashchandrabehera7667 to think it all began with an American diplomat thinking its a good idea tp befriend a probable competitor and give him everything just to spite the Soviets Clue, this country invaded India at 1962

[@partyguinness]

But yet the humble working class happily voted Tory en masse in 2019. The party that would happily wipe them off the face of the earth. Idiots.

[@amrittoor44]

Destroying the working class is occurring all over the world. All political parties poop on the working class while claiming they helping us.

[@JohnnyinCLE]

This saddens me. I don't know if you know this, but in the United States, we also have regions that are heavily influenced by the "UK Chip Shops". Famous Chef Marco Pierre White made a point to show "Fish and Chips" in The UK. And I think the mainstaple of Fish & Chips is what keeps us all going, be it here or there. In the United States, the cost of fish had also risen. It costs us about three times the amount of price that it used to pre-Covid. And it's not nearly the quality that you get in the UK (I love your Chip Shops). All the best from across the pond...

[@Devinn504]

Yea don’t speak for us on the gulf coast lol

[@SerreNameless]

Im from the US and don't know much about this dish but this video was a great and candid look into things. I also wanted to point out big respect to you for respecting the Mr Thomas owners' wish to be off camera. You're a great host.

[@125ZJK]

I was born In Brum 1967. Fish & Chips in News Paper I do remember. The idea of F&C is great and appetising. The reality. I've never finished a portion , I always end up throwing mainly Chips away..... thanks for this trip down memory lane.

[@asdreww]

£4.60 that's a bargain

[@Kodakcompactdisc]

€4.90

[@kutter_ttl6786]

​@@Kodakcompactdisc £4.90.

[@grahampilkington252]

There is no better meal than fish and chips when they are made to crispy perfection. Trouble is you can go to most fish and chip shops hoping for a high standard and it is generally nowhere near. Greasy and stodgy and regret eating once finished

[@contactjd]

The batter on the lake one looked terrible, almost burnt on top then other parts bare

[@geoffas]

I like my haddock batter crispy and my chips soggy :-O

[@MKRM27]

Agree. Soggy batter, greasy and slimey undercooked fish. Of course it’s not going to seem good value, when the quality of low and the price is high.

[@Beensash]

Yep. When you find a good one, enjoy it while it lasts.

[@professormcclaine5738]

SQUIRES in Braunton best I've ever had and still reasonably priced considering 'super inflation'.

[@johnboy423]

Excellent presentation and very informative. I'm in my early 70s and fish & chips was our staple diet in our Nth Lincs village! Very affordable for our family. Local chippy was run by 'Greasy Grace' - the clue is in the name! Also available in her facility, meat pies rotating endlessly in a heated glass box - famous for having almost no meat in them. Sweet memories indeed!

[@calymnis2204]

Had my first fish and chip roughly 20 years ago back when i was an uni student in US. Been eating it at least twice a week on local shop run by pair of seniors nearby my apartment. It's very simple lovely dishes with enough protein needed. Still fond in my mind the fresh fish with squish of lemon and tartar sauce. I'm not sure how it serves in UK but god this bring all the memories..

[@Gabaja21]

From someone who remembers very well when fish and chips came wrapped in newspaper (long before they were colorised) you’re doing a grand job and keeping my faith in the next generations. Your positivity, obvious love of tradition and history of your local and wider areas are infectious. Keep up the good work! Here’s to a slightly brighter next 5 years 🫡

[@pimpozza]

What a great comment! 👍

[@pixie706]

We could ask for sixpence worth of chips. Curry sauce isn't traditional.

[@rob5197]

Health trumple traditions or haven't you noticed ? - - fried food especially one cooked endless time in the same oil untill it's dark no GOOD

[@charlesedwards7214]

Thing is you can get food from 33 different cultures delivered to your home in 30 minutes now. I wish chippy was still asleep cheap as it used to be. '99 grabbing a big bag with all my mates chipping in 30p each between five of us😂 but i do understand the general way its progressed. If Britain kept the fish from its waters rather than selling the majority of them I think that'd help.

[@geraldleuven169]

You can't keep your traditions alive if the native English become the absolute minority.

[@mrdeafa25]

Fish and chip shops, like pubs, are in the last throes of existence. Great Britain isn't so great anymore.

[@sneedmasterflsh]

Britain isnt Britain anymore

[@oaga71625e]

Diversity is our strength

[@johnmitchell2269]

Because most of them are overpriced. Fish and chips is supposed to be cheap, it's very basic food, but now it seems to be a luxury. £15 for haddock and chips in Eyemouth (admittedly it's quite good). I'd rather pay £10 for a chicken tikka calzone from Waffles & Chill.

[@llamedosr7843]

Dont worry, it all gets better from today 😂

[@johnmitchell2269]

@@llamedosr7843 Yeah we all get to pay more taxes on our wages in April next year. 😭

[@stevenclarke5606]

I grew up in the sixties and chips cost 6 pence, 2.5 p Chip pie tea was a cheap meal, now it’s unaffordable

[@michaelbullen3104]

Newfoundlander here. Fish and chips is as integral to us as it is to you guys, and fish and chip shops are having a downfall here too…

[@phanhuyduc2395]

I am a Vietnamese educated for 6 year in the UK. Fish and chips was one of my finest memory about my time there. It is sadden me alot knowing this, fish and chips shop were everywhere in the 2000s with very affordable price😢

[@rob5197]

There are worse thing in life - - majority of people drunk tea now is cappuccino - _it was mainly beer drinking now wine and prosecco - -

[@paultaylor7082]

@@rob5197 The reverse happened in the mid to late 1970s as regards tea and coffee. The harvest of coffee beans was terrible in 1976 and the price of coffee doubled in a year, so many people reverted back to tea. As I've always preferred tea to coffee, it didn't bother me. People now pay £3 plus for a cup of coffee, for something that can't cost 15% of that to make, rather than do the drink themselves.

[@nyan-cp5du]

Enjoy pho while you can. Who knows if maybe in ten, or twenty, or thirty, years the same will happen in Vietnam...

[@Lepocoloco]

I was in Vietnam and a banh mi was twice as cheap as now. Can barely afford my fake adidas bag there.

[@nyan-cp5du]

@@Lepocoloco I was in Vietnam earlier this year and a good flat white, whilst still cheaper than in London (3 quid and some), was about 65000 VND and rising

[@garlicandchilipreppers8533]

My Grandad was a Widower with 5 children, his wife died in Childbirth, he was a Coal Miner and after his shifts he walked the streets selling chips from a barrow, his nickname was Chips.

[@Victoria-gq8gt]

Wow

[@stardancer4077]

❤

[@danieldurchtechnik6804]

Edgy banter that, mate.

[@MIGHTYRIVERS19]

WHAT A SWEET MAN HE WAS , MUCH LOVE

[@justinr9784]

Sounds like a madlad :p

[@buckshotaaa]

When i was growing up in the countryside many years ago the guy who owned the fish and chip shop in the next village used to come round once a week in his Bedford HA van that had a s/s heated container that filled the entire load area of the little van. It was cram full of individual portions of cod and chips that were parcelled up in newspaper prior to delivery, when we unwrapped them the fish batter stuck to the newspaper. It was all greasy with no crunch to the batter and the chips were all soggy.....and we absolutely loved them, it was a rare treat we all looked forward to on a Friday teatime and enjoyed. It was quite interesting to be able to "read" the newsprint on the fish batter, well it would have been if i could read the reverse print! LOL. Those were truly happy days sadly never to return.

[@robingreen9086]

In our village in the 1960s, we had a chip van came around 5;30pm on the day Corry was on so you could get the fish, chips and scratchings for about threepence or at the most sixpence, and be able to get home and watch it. great times..

[@andrewjackson8089]

I remember the queues outside the chippy. I could buy chips and jumbo sausage with my school lunch money 😮

[@freemason4979]

Funny how nobody notices that as government gets bigger, life gets harder and vice versa ( up to a point of course)

[@bo_of3112]

@@freemason4979 thats true, but its also just the complete mismanagement of the government, and all of the mp's being in the pockets of gas / electric companies, while also doing nothing to combat the cost of living crisis, even though large retailers were making record profits during this period

[@stephenrochester6309]

I used to buy sausage and chips school lunch special for £1.

[@AapVanDieKaap]

I remember as a small child in the 90s in South Africa we would buy sweets with coins we found lying by the roadside

[@Slaking_]

​@@freemason4979the problem ain't "big government" the problem is the tories are corrupt wankers who spent 14 years siphoning away taxpayer money into the pockets of themselves and foreign billionaires

[@adonissherlock]

The same is happening here in Quebec. In Montreal, you used to be able to get a poutine with two steamed hot dogs (very cheap food aside from the cheese) for like 6-7 CAD (5 GBP) not even 10 years ago, and now you're lucky to find that for 15 bucks in many places. Just crazy

[@samt.1369]

Fish and chips ain't dog food

[@adonissherlock]

@@samt.1369 Well you can think what you want about poutine, but the point is that foods that are objectively cheap are becoming overly expensive.

[@vitacit]

I am from Slovakia, I am quite often in England (actually, I am going there next week again) and everytime I am behind the Channel I am into fish and chips ! Regardless where, fish and chips is the must ! With vinegar, tartar sauce and beer in the other hand. Best served somewhere at the seaside, sitting on the bench, looking at the sea, some rain is fine, seagulls flying above... Yeah, can´t be more british !

[@boxfan6656]

I remember after scouts going to the chippy and getting newspaper wrapped small chips for 12p. I made the mistake of getting the large the first time for 20p. The small was enough. Times most certainly have changed. But the Beano was also 10p at the time. Tom Baker was the Doctor back then.

[@patrickdemarcevol]

I'm French but I have an English mum, back in the 60's we used to spend a lot of time with grandma in Tenterden Kent. The fish and chip shop was just off high street towards the train station, we used to go there and wait for our fish and chips to be ready and wrapped in a piece of newspaper which got greasy immediately. But it was heaven when we ate it back at grandma's. Great memories. Now I cook my own :)

[@DARKINBLADE.]

Wow, never thought I’d see my literal home town be mentioned here. That fish and chip shop near the train station is still there by the way! I go there every few months.

[@patrickdemarcevol]

@@DARKINBLADE. Great! Our house was Chancery house, down High street on the left a few yards before the old pub that used to be there (the William Caxton, if it still is?). Had a huge towering cedar tree that was chopped down by the following owners in the early 80's. Long long time ago...

[@DARKINBLADE.]

@@patrickdemarcevol William Caxton went a few years ago, there's a new pub there now but I haven't tried it. Really unique houses honestly, they always caught my attention when driving past. Should definitely make a visit here again, it's not really the thriving place it once was but then again what is in Britain haha

[@ChrisKirtley]

I recall eating fish & chips with my fingers out of paper in front of a Frenchman. At the end he looked totally disgusted and exclaimed "I can't believe you just... ate it!"

[@mikko1360]

I live in a village and theres a travelling fish and chip van that does the rounds every wedsnesday, highlight of my week. Stroll down to the village hall at 6pm, chat with the locals whilst it's cooking, take it home and eat it infront of the tellie. Nothing better for your sanity than a midweek takeaway, fair prices too.

[@OnefiveATrappo]

😂😂

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

I dunno how big your "village" is, but it is fantastic that the folks of the village support the travelling Chippy Van, and helps to keep that running as a financially viable business. It is important to maintain human "connections" like that as you describe, as local folks congregate outside the village hall and hang out together for awhile. We don't have "mushy peas" as a thing here in New Zealand though. Sometime I hope to visit England and give them a try.

[@stephnewman1357]

Snobs in the village we moved to got rid of the travelling fish and chips van. 😢

[@jerrywhitfill2236]

A “Chippy Van” swayed this yank to fall in love with this meal in 69-71 in Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell. Very fond memories and Benny Hill and Steptoe & Son also!

[@philiplbrown]

That's a great idea having a travelling chippie. Yes, there's petrol/diesel costs on top, but I fail to believe anyone cannot make money selling fish and chips. That lady at the market on this video must be making a profit selling at 4.90, so goes to show all those fish and chip shop owners complaining about their lot in life should go and take a few basic budgetting and pricing lessons from your travelling fish and chip van owner and the lady at the market.

[@odyshopody9387]

My Mom was born in Scotland in the 1940's, and told me her and her sister would deliver old newspapers to the local fish and chips shops and they would get those fried pieces of left over batter as compensation! When I saw the one owner scoop those out of the fryer, it reminded me of her story!

[@smalldoggymike]

The way she asked, "what are you taking pictures for?" was enough to put me off that place.

[@James_Be]

Yh completely unfriendly demeanor

[@newpham957]

Scared me

[@bill9163]

And then businesses that talk to people like that will be like “NoBoDy BuYs OuR StUfF”.

[@xtommox]

I'm now fully convinced the first chippy was in London based off her attitude.

[@ayenul]

Right? Like okay, guess I won’t spend money and give you a free shoutout then 😂

[@helvete983]

I'm an ex pat living in Sweden, I'll say right now I have yet to have fish and chips that are better than those served at most English chip shops. The "local" is actually about 70km away and they do a decent fish and chips, although don't expect any Sarsons at the table. The price is around 15 quid and it's a decent serving. The fish is freshly caught and it's the closest to English I've found in Sweden. One thing I do miss is the old bag of chips with gravy or curry sauce.

[@80s_Film_Fan]

I vividly remember getting fish and chips in newspaper. I was born in 1978. I honestly think it was better out of newspaper. Those cartons they use now trap the steam and everything goes soggy. This fish batter used to keep its crisp in newspaper

[@mgthestrange9098]

Yes, the last time I had a chippie it was in a cardboard box and the silly cow put it in a plastic bag! It was a pizza crunch which was more of a pizza squidg when I got it home, I’ll know next time to make sure they don’t put it in a plastic bag.

[@80s_Film_Fan]

@@dansharpe2364 I assure you I did. You are absolutely incorrect

[@80s_Film_Fan]

@@dansharpe2364 now you're making it painfully obvious you're a troll with nothing better to do. I'm telling you for a fact I had it in newspaper. Its absolutely possible that was just the outer layers and there was grease proof paper on the inside. But it's not a manufactured memory. Done indulging you now. You're probably a 90s or 2000s kid who's going purely on what you read. But anyone who was around in the early 80s will confirm what I am saying. Fish and chips was definitely still coming in newspaper (even if there was Grease proof paper on the inner layer) well into the early to mid 80s. Enjoy the rest if your day

[@80s_Film_Fan]

@@dansharpe2364 I'm actually pretty sure I had fish and chips in newspaper in the late 80s to early 90s too when I did some work for my dad at the weekends. I have a memory of one of his van drivers fetching them and bringing back multiple bundles of fish and chips in newspaper for all guys. But again, it could be the outer layers which were newspaper for insulation.

[@dansharpe2364]

@@80s_Film_Fan If you were born in 1978 you can't possibly have had chips in newspaper because by then it was illegal. You daft muppet.

[@charlieeinzig-pilling8495]

I was on holiday in Cornwall this year, so went to a local Fish and chips takeaway/restaurant with myself, my wife and my 3 year old. The bill came to £72 pounds for Large Haddock and Chips, Medium cod and chips and cod bites and chips. Plus the Haddock hadn't been skinned or boned and wasn't fresh, sadly I got the feeling they were trying to profiteer on the back tourists!

[@kitezzz360]

be cheaper to order caviar, what a joke

[@tonywozere909]

I live half way between London and Portsmouth, must be half a dozen chippies within ten miles. Approx £13 fandc. My preferred takeaway or choice in a pub. Love it. Favourite, Fishcoteque near Waterloo train station, fill up journey home.

[@nicklunness6862]

Well done for making a really interesting video. I like watching your content It is always interesting and informative. Please keep wandering and I will keep following you.

[@UncalBertExcretes]

I miss that smell of vinegar and newspaper when unwrapping a portion of chips.

[@CrispyNipsG]

Omg i remember when they was wrapped in newspaper😮😢

[@MsMesem]

I know people buy less newspapers but why not or just the newsprint paper rather than those horrible polystyrene plates? Very ugly.

[@AapVanDieKaap]

@@MsMesem I live in Cape Town. We love our fish and chips and they also used to wrap it in newspaper. But the ink comes off and it's actually toxic. Some places replaced it with fake newspaper but I think that was a bit expensive so they all use the polystyrene stuff.

[@RiceCubeTech]

@@AapVanDieKaapshould just use newspaper blanks with no printing on it. Probably cheaper in that case.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

@RiceCubeTech there was a fish and chips shop in Pietermartizburg in South afrca that used to do that, might still do it but I haven't lived there in years.

[@rajneeldin9581]

Growing up in Fiji and being part of the British commonwealth, fish and chips was an amazing experience for $2 wrapped in new paper. This was early 90s where my dad used to get this on our weekend market trip in Suva . When we lived in Australia , we used to get 1 kg of chips from Coles for $5 and make sandwiches of it with white bread with the cousins after a cricket or footie game with neighborhood kids in black town (western Sydney ) . My first trip to London in 2014, this was my first meal at the Heathrow Airport coming in from US. It is a shame how the cost of everything has gone up everywhere and everyone is struggling , thanks for the sharing this and this video definitely brought back memories - cheers

[@seanmurphy2365]

Everyone isn't struggling to eat judging by your obesity rate

[@SerAnsbach]

@@seanmurphy2365 ?

[@Naftoor]

@@seanmurphy2365Same could be said about America but the majority of Americans would tell you they’re struggling over the past 10-20 years. Obesity is caused in large e part by ultra processed foods, which people don’t rely on when they’re doing well.

[@eleanorwalmsley635]

Wishing you all the very best.. Fish and chips all the way out in Fiji.. They get about those fish and chips, don't they 😂 Food of the Gods.. 😂😂😂😂😂 💖💖💖💖💖

[@malecus7664]

I grew up in Lakenheath village area between ‘79-‘86 and remember picking meals up for the family on my bicycle from the local chipee wrapped in newspaper. When my family moved to San Antonio, TX (USA) there were no fishnchips to be found much less a chippee although I cannot understate how wonderful fried catfish, hush puppies, and macncheese is. Two decades later, I moved to Stuttgart (Germany) and although there was fantastic cod, it was not prepared the same , not fried rather cooked but cold on a bun with skin and no mushie peas (Nordsea). I was able to get some fried cod eventually at the Hamburg fish fest which set up downtown once a year so a rare treat. After 9 years I moved to Charleston, SC (USA) and found a proper chippe run by two English men called “The Cod Father”. They eventually moved to a larger location closer to my house that could support a small pub where one could watch a football match. 5 years later I moved to Williamsburg, Virginia (USA) and most seafood restaurants have decent fishnchips (No mushy peas) but not a proper chippee which is truly a shame because I think one would do very well here being a tourist town with deep historical ties to England and the colonial period as Charleston. Yorktown, Gloucester, and Norfolk are all in the area. Can’t say I recall curry at any back in the 80s but could be that I lived in small sleepy village. Imagine my shock when I got to Germany and had curry wurst for the first time 😝

[@tommee10533]

Im from the states , and I LOVE FISH N CHIPS! The prices have gone up here also. I can remember 12,13 years ago you could got to an all can eat night like a Friday for $10. Now a single setting is around 15.

[@frankiewilde7791]

Same here in Ireland, the price of fish in take aways is so expensive compared to everything else on the menu. Can't remember the last time I had it. Its crazy that like the UK we are surrounded by seas but fish is so expensive.

[@MrSloika]

Yes, your not surrounded by seas but you're not surrounded by petroleum. You know who is up to their eyeballs in petroleum? Russia. Europe used to have nice gas pipeline that brought in cheap Russian gas, that is until the Americans blew it up. Enjoy being poor.

[@person.X.]

Enjoy the opportunity to eat fish at all while you can. It will all be fished out in a few more years.

[@hmu05366]

@@person.X.the stocks have apparently increased in recent years

[@hmu05366]

Most of the fish we catch is exported to mainland eu. Brits and Irish don’t eat anywhere near as much seafood as continentals. It’s a shame

[@ElBandito]

Mate, here in Mongolia we got cattle and sheep in tens of millions, enough to feed the 3.5 million population, yet the price of dairy foods is so damn expensive and still rising. Something needs to be done.

[@grahambunton377]

Back in my day fish and chips was always wrapped in newspaper. Newspaper [clean] was a waste product so virtually free to the chippy owner and it had two very important advantages. Being virtually free they used plenty of it to wrap your meal so it provided excellent insulation to keep everything hot. Secondly it absorbed all the excess oil so your chips stayed crisp. I can assure you all , as an ex-printer, a bit of ink never hurt anybody !!!!!!!!!

[@quacker998]

It was the ink that made that special flavour! Yum!

[@Fazzmania64]

It's funny to think that there was all that paranoia about the ink and now we're getting regularly dosed with microplastics from all the 'safe and hygienic' packaging , meanwhile scientists can't find a human sperm sample on earth that doesn't have microplastics. We know it's happening and nothing changes

[@audiophool864]

All I can say is we Americans feel your pain. All of our working class mom and pop (independent) restaurants are disappearing for the exact same reasons. My family just recently went to las vegas were I had fish and chips at an affordable restaurant and the price was 20 dollars not including any drinks. The portions were small compared to the ones in the video.

[@louisbarningham]

Here in New Zealand, some of our fish n chip chops still use newspaper to wrap it up, if they don’t use that then they use grey paper.

[@bluegoose7832]

I've not had proper fish and chips in around 10 years. Thanks to this video, tonight I'm going to go down to my local chippy. It's gloomy weather but there's nothing more British than walking out of a chippy, with the classic blue (or sometimes white) chippy bag in hand, and then speed-walking home in the rain, hoping that the paper-wrapped food in the bag doesn't get completely soaked before you get home. I did check their menu online and a portion of fish and chips is £9. I specifically remember being able to go into that same chippy with a fiver and come out with a large portion of chips, battered fish, a pie and a drink. So that's a shame that its so expensive now, but nonetheless I WILL get me a classic chippy meal

[@BeardedGuy_Tawhid]

The most popular/common food in the UK now is curry and rice.

[@doggomoredoggo6547]

that just sounds fucking misreable

[@anonymousanonym450]

​@@BeardedGuy_Tawhid🕋

[@BeardedGuy_Tawhid]

@@anonymousanonym450 assalam alikom, when will brits realise that their foood is bland and boring. It wasn’t until eastern spice started cooking that any food in UK became edible

[@einsam_aber_frei]

Sadly a lot of fish and chips are owned by Asian or Middle Eastern owners. Some of them are okay, but lots of them don’t know how to cook it. The batter is not crispy and chips are oily and mushy.

[@haydenbretton2990]

FACT< Fish & Chips in our local area and town cost £18 for two slivers of fish and a few chips for we OAP's. Both me and my wife now buy at one of our local seaside fish markets great quality fish of our choice. Then we both have what we call "A Fry In", mix our own batter, and fry our fish and chips in beef dripping, not chuffing oil.

[@philiplbrown]

Good on you. I love fish and chips and I won't pay 12 quid here on pure principle. The sooner people vote with their feet the sooner these profiteering fish and chip shop owners will lower their prices, develop some work ethic and lower their prices. Many (not all) have used this cost of living crisis and the COVID pandemic as a tool of pure extortion, and they deserve to go out of business. That fish and chip shop owner says he pays 18-19 quid for a sack of potatoes, if that's true he deserves to shut up shop. I can buy from my local Co-op 2kg of Maris Piper potatoes for 1.35, so imagine the buying power he should have. So I can buy 12 x 2kg bags of Maris Piper cheaper than that fish and chip shop owner. He must think we were born yesterday. You're doing the right thing. We know these guys are just extorting us so we vote with our feet. Sooner or later they will wake up and lower their prices and folk like us will go back.

[@AJ-ku9jz]

Contrary to popular (and inaccurate) belief, using dripping is so much healthier than any vegetables or seed oil. Dripping has a high smoke point which makes it healthier to fry with than olive oil. Olive oil is healthy if unheated, when heated it changes the structure and turns into something I wouldn't even allow my dog to eat.

[@SanderBelt-qz2ue]

Same. Since lockdown I learned to do by own hand beer battered cod with triple cooked Maris piper chips. I’ve gotten a bit of a name for myself locally as the only place that’s better even by my own admission is a gastro pub that charges £19. However saying that, there’s many good quality fish and chips to be had across the UK for around a fiver. Rhyl in particular is littered with them.

[@dannyhamilton7683]

​@philiplbrown ,I do the same,.chippy once a month maybe.

[@philiplbrown]

@@SanderBelt-qz2ue That's very good value. I think most in the south and east are really ripping customers off. I can't see how fish and chips can be 2-3 times more expensive here. Sure, business rates may be higher, but that's a fixed cost so the answer is to open longer hours just as we ordinary folk had to make ends meet. My local opens 20-25hrs a week, so when they complain about how expensive things are, I have no sympathy for them. Frankly they desere to shut up shop.

[@dipyaman93]

A fish that size, chips that portion, and a can of pop for a tenner is legendary. I mean that same meal would cost me somwhere around 12-15 in london

[@AndrewWingrove]

This video, being relatively new, caught my interest as a former restaurant owner and hotel operator. I wondered how thoroughly the pricing had been evaluated. Based on current commercial prices, I found that potatoes suitable for chips are approximately £1.00 per kilogram, while cod is around £14.90 per kilogram. The fish and chip industry typically uses a regular fish portion of 170 grams and 284 grams for chips. Calculating the costs, we get a total of £3.22. Adding 28p for batter and oil, and 12p for the takeaway tray, we arrive at a total of £3.62. The guideline in the restaurant industry suggests that food costs should ideally be around 30-35% of the selling price, which means we should be looking at around £10.35 per portion. In Whitby, a popular tourist town, the Magpie Café charges £11.95 for takeaway fish and chips. It’s renowned throughout North Yorkshire and beyond as one of the finest fish restaurants in the area, so we can accept the additional £1.30. The point of this exercise is to evaluate the Wandering Turnip's pricing based on his charges for chips and curry sauce. The cost price for a portion of chips is 30p, the sauce is about 75p for 100 grams, and 12p for the box, totalling £1.17. Allowing for cooking oil, let's round this up to £1.25. Using standard industry markups, the expected price should be around £3.75. Thus, starting with £6.00 for his chips and curry suggests that some fish and chip shops may indeed be profiteering.

[@dboyyarris4811]

I'm 47 and this just brought back memories of sitting at my grandparents house every weekend getting fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, bring back the 80s✌️ Cheers for that mate.

[@Verdoux007]

I'm amazed at how natural and relaxed you are in front of the camera, even when there are loads of people around.

[@benwinter2420]

A study was done that found most people would prefer death to public speaking . . true story

[@pimpozza]

@@benwinter2420 Very NOT TRUE story, like all your comments.. SMH

[@andyh5666]

Fish and chips are a staple in Australia too, not surprising given the UK connection. It probably varies plenty but avg price seems to be around AUD$18 for a serve of fish and chips (GBP 9.40).

[@innotech]

as a Louisiana cajun we have something similar but it uses catfish and is heavily seasoned including the fries. It also can come with sweet red beans and potato salad. Also we have some asian cajun fusion places that offer chinese fried rice and battered catfish. Such a comfort meal

[@user-gh7wb2fu6e]

I'm in the deep south US, but I've made it a point all my life to shop local. Even if it's a little more expensive than the big box stores. I'd rather my money to go to people from my town, people that I know, who's children I went to school with, than into the pockets of shareholders at large corporations. That being said, if I had a local chippy down here they'd have to shoo me out with a broom every night. It's one of my favorite meals of all time. Fried cod, fries, drowned in vinegar, little bit of homemade mayo on the side for the fries.

[@Wildcat220]

Great video, not just the eating part which was great but the well researched history. And the rude old woman with a face like a bag of spanners has been called out for everyone to see. Brilliant

[@Pearl-2099]

Face like a bag of spanners 😂👍

[@robertsmelt6638]

What really great presentation. Down to earth and fluent. Fish and chips are no longer cheap but portion sizes are also much larger than when I was young. I find chip portions are often excessive.

[@nukeacitrus883]

Swede here, Fish and Chips is one of my favorite meals! Thanks for making a interesting video on this love of mine!

[@richardcrowell284]

My eldest son was coerced in to buying his mother's second fish and chip shop in a small town on the coast just north of Sydney in Australia. He ended up in all sorts of financial trouble, he was trying to juggle part time university with the shop and play in a startup band. The cost of having a full time employee was out of the question but casuals are on a higher hourly rate, the next blow was the cost of electricity (in the thousands of AUD per month) . As is with most fish and chip shops he also had to sell hamburgers and all the other foods that most takeaway shops sell. As a fish and chip shop he used to keep some stock of local fish (flat head, barramundi and others) but these were expensive and the customers rarely wanted to pay the extra. His main supply of fish was commonly called bassa or nile perch. Imported cheap fish from the Mekong Delta. The busiest day of the year was Good Friday and the shop would run out of fish.

[@janusjones6519]

Shouls be using flake

[@Dazulolwarrior]

Who coerced him? The mom? That's shitty

[@andrewdunbar828]

@@janusjones6519 I love flake but it only seems to be sold in Victoria and Western Australia. Never see it in Queensland or New South Wales. Or when you do it's more expensive that whatever the regular fish is. Can't afford fish at all these days anyway!

[@MaxwellTornado]

​@@DazulolwarriorHe *did* say "his mother", and not "my wife".

[@hannes8835]

I would love to have some fish and chips now... The last time was 23 years ago, when we were on an excursion from school. We stayed five days in England. Is was great. Greetings from Germany.

[@808v1]

great viewpoint and subject to assess - well thought, appreciate it.

[@TheJemShuffle]

Hey! I used to live in Oldham only a year or so ago. This video is absolutely correct and Oldham has always been quite depressing, but at least the food was cheap but nowadays due to the economic crisis occurring, we can't even enjoy these simple pleasures. It's one of the many reasons I moved on and it's disheartening to see.

[@kennethausten]

Finding decent cooked fish and chips is a problem. Last lot was undercooked. Bland fish. Doughy batter. Hard chips. For Cods Sake, what has gone wrong.

[@chucky2316]

They are using coley or pollack and frying in cheap and nasty oil. Not lard or beef dripping

[@ponyboycurtis9345]

@@chucky2316 Hake News

[@Pearl-2099]

Undercooked? Yes, that's it! I don't go to my local chippy anymore as the fish was always undercooked. It ate half my chips before I unwrapped them 🤭

[@robtyman4281]

The Chippy is dying - but Fish n' Chips as a dish, is as popular as ever. The reason why the traditional fish n chip shop is now so rare, is because most pubs now do fish n chips. So if you want to blame anyone for the demise of our chippy - look no further than your local. But also supermarkets have played a part in this decline, aswell. As people realise they can get frozen fish and chips for less, and cook it themselves at home. Especially so as many are having to spend less on meals because of the ongoing C of L crisis.

[@davewalker7126]

The £4.90 chippy meal looked proper good. I remember being sent out to fetch chips on Friday nights for the family - queues were huge but you had a choice of several chippies to go to. Yes it was wrapped in newspaper, in fact if you took a pile of old papers with you, you might have got a bonus portion. Chips were 8/10/12 pence, the whole order for the family was less than £1. This would have been about 1978

[@grahampilkington252]

That was when an average manual wage was approx £30 per week.

[@davewalker7126]

@@grahampilkington252 Think it would have been more than that, I had left school and gone on the dole for a few months before my apprenticeship started, and that was £16 a week.

[@Soundboy817]

Wow😮

[@philipjones9458]

Bargain

[@WhackMcStuff]

You at least got the choice of the least busy one! As the bearer of similar responsibilities in my family, I'd get a clip around the ear from the old man or our kid if I didn't go to the one they preferred. (Laus Chippy off the High Street) Was probably only waiting ten or so minutes but it's different as a kid. Felt like I spent hours, days, weeks! waiting my turn in that chippy. Memories.

[@lafluerpeter9]

Same with pie & mash, used to be a staple for me growing up in London. I moved away down south, not many/any places doing P&M near me, but the last time I had some (maybe 5 years ago) prices were creeping then.

[@chrisjarvis4449]

i was in the uk back in 1991 going about by rail pass and i love the fact that for a fast meal in a station i could step off a train and from a vendor in a paper cone i could get some chips , mushy peas [ English guacamole as i call it ] and a Gherkin and in less then 2-1/2 minuets be back on the train now that was living

[@Anon-mk4ms]

Business rates have killed a lot of F&C shops around my way. I'm from London and it's really sad how many pie and mash shops have closed, almost every high street in working class areas used to have one and now your lucky to see any still open.

[@boudika100]

Goddards in Greenwich is still holding the Fort and well worth a visit opp the park....also does a lovely cherry pie dessert

[@Anon-mk4ms]

@@boudika100 Can confirm about that cherry pie at Goddards, I live in Eltham and we still have a pie shop.... just about!

[@Ahmed-gg4oz]

You say it's sad, but you don't support them.

[@Orwic1]

Deptford had them - I used to live there when I was younger.

[@Anon-mk4ms]

@@Ahmed-gg4oz I go to my local one every week, I don't know where you got that I don't support them from!

[@abbeyclock4650]

We had two chippies in St. Andrews with long lines of students every Sunday evening. We got two generous pieces of fish, a generous portion of chips, all fried in lard, a little salt, a lot of vinegar, wrapped in brown paper, then wrapped in newspaper, for GBP 1.00 (one Pound). The year was 1984. Thank you for the video. It sure brought back memories! So much has changed in the UK since I was there.

[@astroboirap]

lard? YUK

[@Viva-Cristo-Rey-]

@@astroboirap much better than the disgusting oxidised seed oils they use today

[@djscottdog1]

​@@astroboirapno it tastes better trust me

[@djscottdog1]

St andrews one is still ok

[@abbeyclock4650]

@@magpiefrogfrom2556 What I remember was how angry so many people were about the miners' strike. I remember the miners' strike as Thatcher's legacy.

[@Suspxcious]

I never thought I'd find a video of a man going around and talking about chip shops to be so interesting.

[@artawhirler]

I live in the US, but I'm lucky enough to have a fish and chips shop nearby. A big basket of fish and chips costs about $18 USD (about £14). Thanks for doing this video! I just found your channel today and I'm a new subscriber!