We went behind the scenes at one of UK’s last coal fired fish and chip shops
Nestled into the Lincolnshire countryside is one of the last coal fired fish and chip shops in the UK. The Upton Fish and Chip Shop near Gainsborough is believed to be one of only two businesses still using a coal range to cook, with the other working range being in County Durham.The takeaway is only open for six hours a week, but each week without fail it has long queues of customers who travel from all over the UK to have what is described as one of the best fish and chip meals. The business is currently run by Sally Clarke, who took it over around 20 years ago.She explained: “Mrs Longden started the shop in 1947, so 78 years it has been going.” The original owners grandson took over the shop and ran it for around 18 months before he put it up for sale in 2005, which is when Sally made the move to Lincolnshire and took it on.She was in her early thirties at the time and had never done anything like it before, but says she and her now husband saw it and “we just thought, lets buy a fish and chip shop.” Sally added: “We knew it was something special.”The takeaway has a limited but popular menu which helps keep things running smoothly. All of the fish comes from Grimsby, the potatoes are grown locally and the sausages are made in Lincolnshire. Sally still uses the original chipper machine to make chips, and has mastered the coal range. She explained that unlike a modern range, the coal means the temperature is always going up or down, and so she has to carefully stoke it to keep the heat consistent.Sally shared that “the coal must do something” as her husband tried to open another fish and chip business at one point, and despite doing everything the same except the range, they were good but just didn’t taste the same.Speaking about her job, Sally said: “I love everything about it. I’ve got really good staff, so I love them and the customers.” She says many of the regulars are now “old friends” and she loves seeing them come in over the years, especially when they started visiting as kids and now bring their own in.The business is open from 4.30pm to 8pm on Fridays and from 11am to 1.30pm on Saturdays, or until they run out of fish. Sally said: “We are supposed to close at 8pm, but it was 10.15pm the other week as the queue was so long.”She shared that the business has had a lot of attention lately on social media so they have been busier than usual, but that “It’s a great problem to have.” Janet Gillespie has worked at the business for 63 years, starting when she was just a teenager.Now 80-years-old, Janet said: “I’ve never ever not wanted to come. We have lovely customers, we really do. I treat them all as friends.”In addition to all the regulars from across Lincolnshire, Retford, Sheffield and other nearby areas, the takeaway also gets people travelling further afield.Sally shared that one man used to come every Friday from Oxford and there was another who would fly up from the south of England to a local airport just for his fish and chips. She said: “It’s crazy.”People also visit the takeaway when they are on holiday in the UK, so the business has had visitors from Australia and even Bermuda.
You may also like
Leave a Reply