This fishy tale was a tasty one

From the lows of fire and roadworks, making it harder for customers to drop in, to the highs of being an LEP award finalist, Umberto’s has seen plenty of drama in the last couple of years.

But away from all the news, the most important thing for me and my friend was – can they deliver on taste?

Usually we ring a takeaway, and they deliver.

But this time we made the effort to get into the car and – being in the mood for chips – drove to a chippie, namely Umberto’s in Ashton.

I was worried about parking but there was plenty of space available on nearby side streets.

The traditional chippie was pleasantly busy, showing it was popular but, happily for us and our peckish stomachs, there was no delay for us in receiving our meal. I’d say it probably took 10 minutes, maybe less.

The moment we arrived, the smell of cooked food greeted us, making us feel even more hungry.

The service was friendly and prompt.

There was a good choice of food – the ‘naughty and fried’ type you’d expect at a chip shop – fish, chips, pies, sausages, and so on.

My friend opted for fish and chips and a can of Diet Coke, costing £5.98.

I had a cheese and onion pie (£1.50), chip barm (£1.99) and a can of Coke (90p).

The last time I ate a chip barm was on a day out in Chorley some years ago. So a very infrequent treat for me.

The barm was warm and overfilling with hot chips, sprinkled with salt and vinegar.

The cheese and onion pie was just the right size for one person, and creamy with cheese with the onion giving extra flavour.

Caroline gave her fish and chips the thumbs up, saying it was delicious.

Unlike some places where you get more batter than flesh, there was plenty of fish.

Taking to the road for food on this occasion was definitely worth it – even if my car did smell of fish and chips for a while!

Clare Kelly

Star rating: 9/10