Many tourists would like to try real fish & chips when they come to the UK. Unfortunately, in central London and other tourist spots, decent fish & chips are not easy to find According to the ‘Fry Magazine’ these are the 50 best fish & chips in the UK.

As you can see there is only one in London and it is in Harrow, not exactly in the centre of town. But on the list ( not by ranking) there are some shops in fairly touristy places like Alnwick, Norwich, Dorchester, Weymouth, Kendal and Penzance.

Finn’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Reading, Berkshire

Fintans Fish & Chip Co, Llanishen, Cardiff

Fish ‘n’ Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset

Fisherman’s Bay, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear

Fochabers Fish Bar, Fochabers, Moray

Fraser’s Fish and Chips, Penzance, Cornwall

Frydays of Kendal, Kendal, Cumbria

George’s Fish And Chips, Hanham, Bristol

Harlees Fish & Chips, Westbury, Wiltshire

Henley’s of Wivenhoe, Wivenhoe, Essex

Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, Glamorgan

Hooked On The Heath, Knutsford, Cheshire

Jason’s Fish And Chips, Rackheath , Norwich, Norfolk

Land & Sea, Sowerby, York, North Yorkshire

Linfords Traditional Fish and Chip Shop, Market Deeping, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Market Hill Fisheries, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire

McLeod’s Fish and Chips, Inverness 

Auckley Friery, Auckley, South Yorkshire

Callaways Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset

Carlo’s, Alnwick, Northumberland

Castiglio’s Fried Fish & Chips, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire

Chippy Chippy, Holyhead, Anglesey

Chips @ No. 8, Prestwich, Manchester Chish & Fips, Norwich, Norfolk

Cox’s At The Lighthouse, St Neots, Cambridgeshire

Croft Street Fisheries, Farsley, Leeds

Davenport’s Fish & Chips, Louth, Lincolnshire

David’s Fish And Chips, Brixham, Devon

Dhillons Fish Inn, Throckley, Newcastle

Dunkeld Fish Bar, Dunkeld,  Musselburgh, East Lothian

My Plaice Fish and Chips, Gorleston-on- Sea, Norfolk

Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate, Kent

Priory Plaice Fish and Chips, Ulverston, Cumbria

Sea Salt Sole, Dyce, Aberdeen

Seasmiths Fish Chips, Porthtowan, Truro, Cornwall

Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria

Shaw’s Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

Smith’s Chippy, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

Sykes, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester

The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfriesshire

The Cottage by Haddocks, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire

The Crescent Fish & Chip Shop, Flint, Flintshire

The Esk Cafe, Carlisle, Cumbria 

The Fish At Goose Green, Wigan, Lancashire

The Fish Bar, Crewe, Cheshire The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire

The Friary, Carrickfergus, County Antrim

The Golden Fry, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey

The Horseshoe Fish Bar, Pontnewynydd, Torfaen

The Little Chippy Tyldesley, Manchester The Plaice to Be, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

The Shire Fryer, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Tony’s, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire

Towngate Fisheries, Idle, Bradford , West Yorkshire

Valerio’s Fish And Chips, Lanark, South Lanarkshire

Yan’s Fish Bar, Cardiff Every Fish Bar, Harrow, London

Farnhams Fish And Chips, Boverton, Llantwit

Major Fiddlers Elbow Fish and Chips, Leintwardine, Herefordshire 

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On paper it seems like a great idea and I wanted to try it. This is the Too Good To Go app which would is a system to collect food that shops or supermarkets intend to throw away at the end of the day. It is good to know that food is not thrown away in this way, but there are also excellent bargains to be found.

Of course, the biggest problem with food is that it needs to be eaten right away and those who live alone may struggle to eat everything. Another problem is that once booked we do not know what the bag (Magic Bag) contains. Which for many is a positive aspect to have a surprise. Those with intolerances and allergies or a particular diet can have problems and must limit themselves to shops or restaurants that have everything gluten-free or vegan food.

When I tried this app, I first of all looked at what was next to me, because you have to go in person to get the mysterious bag. With restaurants closed during the pandemic, the choice is a bit limited, but I have a Greggs store very close to home and I decided to try this app.

The shop seems to give five bags a day to those on a first come first served basis, of course, yesterday I found a bag  on the app and reserved it, paid immediately with PayPal, at a cost of £ 2.59. I had to pick my bag up this afternoon and the app reminded me an hour before that it was nearly time to go. Once you arrive at the store, just show the cashier your phone with the order and then you have to swipe and confirm that you have had your bag, in front of the cashier. This done, I was given a paper bag.

Inside I found a baguette with cheese and salad, a tuna baguette, one of the famous vegan sausage rolls that made a lot of noise a couple of years ago, a kind of cheese and onion pasty, and a large biscuit with jam. . In all, if you think about the retail prices, the package is worthwhile, however, I have to eat it all  today. There are also supermarkets that offer food packages for a few pounds and these should last a little longer.

The whole procedure is very simple, at the shop they knew very well what it was and I had no problem. To conclude, I think this is a very efficient way to get cheap food and maybe try new restaurants that may be out of reach. Those lucky enough to live in central London will find a variety of famous restaurants that allow to eat delicious dishes for a few pounds. 

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