Fish and chips on this coast, honestly

By Ruth Ardsley · 5 min read

There is a particular kind of argument that happens on this coast and it is about chips. Everyone has a shop. Everyone's shop is the best one. The nationally famous ones, of which this coast has several, are generally not in anybody's actual list.

What matters

Haddock, not cod, if you are being local about it. Batter that is dry rather than greasy. Chips that have been cooked twice. Scraps, if they are offered, and they usually are.

What does not matter: the queue, the awards in the window, whether it says traditional over the door.

Mushy peas

Non-negotiable, and they should be a proper green, not the bright colour you get from a tin. If a place makes its own you will taste it.

Where

Off the front. Always off the front. The rule is that the further a chip shop is from the sea view, the more it has to compete on the chips.