Garstang Fish & Chips

You can’t beat a proper fish and chip dinner – especially if you’ve been cooped up in an office all morning.

Garstang Fish & Chips has only been open for a week, in a prime location in Stoops Weind, opposite Booths supermarket.

As I walked down the street, the tantalising aroma hit my nostrils long before I reached its entrance.

I have a feeling shoppers nipping into town for a few groceries will be returning home with more than they bargained for!

The building, previously a preparation unit for a butchers, has been transformed by father and son duo John and Jonathan Leech, whose family have run a fish and chip shop in Cornwall for more than 25 years.

The renovated premises is very smart, with a restaurant on one side (which was packed at around 1pm) and a large, gleaming, steel counter on the other.

The menu contains everything you would expect from a traditional fish and chip shop, with the addition of local cakes and ice creams.

But it was the staple goods I was interested in, opting for a regular sized piece of haddock at £3.45, regular chips at £1.70, and two large sachets of tartare sauce, at 20p each. There was a good selection of canned drinks, so I went for fizzy Vimto at 75p.

The fish and chips were served in an impressive cardboard tray, which was folded into a takeaway box. No polystyrene containers here!

The chips were a lovely golden colour and so was the fish, and it was clear neither had been sitting around for too long.

I couldn’t wait to tuck into them, and when I got back to the office I wasn’t disappointed.

The chips were just right – not too soggy and not too firm.

The fish didn’t look like a large piece length-wise, but it was thick and chunky and beneath the crispy batter it had a quality, meaty taste – more than enough for my considerable appetite.

If it maintains these high standards, Garstang’s newest chippy will take some beating.