Was quite sad that you thought for one person £18 was a reasonable price for fish and chips etc It made me realise that ,what was a cheap traditional dinner / takeaway has now become a total luxury if I’d paid £18 pounds I would of felt robbed
It's a joke this is why I and some others are getting fish and chips from the local do it all shops as I call them and some especially mine cook it better
£18 was definitely too expensive in my opinion. I've had fish and chips in Blackpool, eating in, with bread butter and pot of tea for £8. Absolutely delicious too.
Harry Ramsden opened its first fish and chip shop in White Cross in Guiseley in Yorkshire in 1928. Just up the road from where I lived. It was very posh inside, it had crystal Chandeliers and regular piano recitals. The tables were all set out like the Ritz with Silver cutlery. The very first shop was in a hut just next to the restaurant. They were the best fish and chips around and people were queuing out the door. The Haddock was massive. Then they sold out to someone else and it all went down hill. You can't even get Haddock!! Are they having a laugh!!?
We as a family normally support papa's in cleethorpes and sit inside but the issue we had apart from the price recently is the state of the restaurant. Toilets were disgusting with filthy walls failing taps, water and toilet paper all over the floor with no regular cleaning checks. Also now they operate a online self ordering system and for me when sitting indoors and paying over £50 for 4 it takes away the whole dining experience.You pay extra to be pampered when you sit in. The food was good although the portion size sitting in we noticed was far smaller in size to take outs. Also the condiments where served to us in card cups that you'd normally serve a Mr whippy ice cream in, very amauture. It's for those reasons we won't sit in now at papa's cleethorpes. They need to improve a lot of areas within their whole dining operation.
i am a cleethorpes resident and have been to papa's twice for a sit down, not recently though. even though we booked tables the waiting time was horrible, i am disabled. however i must say the fish was excellent when it arrived, sweet as a nut as my mum used to say. i liked that the skin had been removed but miffed that i had to ask for lemon.
The tram you saw was originally a Bolton tram that was restored by preservationists with the intention of donating it to the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire (just up the road from you!) but they were full at the time, so loaned it to Blackpool for a short period....that was back in 1981, and it's been there ever since! Built in 1901, it's the oldest tram in the Blackpool fleet!
10/10 to you Lee for a very fair and honest review. It would have been easy to be swayed by the staff and manager. Your guilt proves what a great bloke you are..... And we all love you the more for it. Cheers Phil
Yes you can tell Lee is a good bloke and you can see he found it difficult too be critical because the customer service was good. But he has too be honest, that’s what his channel is all about.
I wasn’t far off with 6/10. Overall they looked very dry those chips. Fish looked ok although when Lee cut into it there was little fish, all batter. Not the cheapest fish and chips either. Good honest review though Lee 😉👌
Again, love your scoring lately Lee, keep it real and keep those 9+ scores absolutely sacred, they need to be reserved for food that absolutely blow your mind, keep up the good work 👍🏽
Benidorm last week (Mallorca Bar), Massive thick fillet of Haddock in a light crispy batter, chips, mushy peas or curry sauce, a drink and a dessert. All for €8 (about £6.90). Looked far better than this supposed award winner and tasted delicious. I think Papa needs to come back and teach his children how to cook. Love the straight talking reviews, cheers.
During lockdown we use to order from Papa's in Hull every Friday night, They use to bring it out to you in the car park , it was always very busy and the fish and chips were always very good. They do a Big papa family meal for €15.99 , 4 small haddock, 2x chips, sausage, fishcake 4 x chicken nuggets and 2 large sides, good value. I think it really depends on which one you go to.
Hello Lee You're visiting Blackpool again , one of my favourite coastal resorts... Not!! But It was once , in the happy days of my Youth 1970/80s. If my dear parents, sadly no longer with us. Shouted we're off to Blackpool, I almost wetting myself with excitement & couldn't get to the car fast enough. The joy, the sounds, smell of sea salt, donkey sh*te, fish and Chip's, Ice-cream. Glorious weather. Playing on the beach, Mum in a deckchair, Dad putting up a colourful windbreaker to stop sand going on the butties. Lee, my friend Days like these are long gone and are as dead as disco. Blackpool Council has invested on the front, but away from this... I've felt safer in Central Park NYC at Night. It such a shame. Anyway back to your Fish & Chip's review, by the amount of food left on your plate.. This speaks volumes. Blackpool.. Poor food, poor day out!!😩
I went to the one in Whitby and the chips were massively over cooked but I then a few weeks later went to Scarborough and the haddock and chips were spot on I think a lot of it’s down to the fryer on the day I would give them another go
Agreed, James... but it should be consistent across the board, and the frier is literally THE tool of their trade (cooking-wise). If they're juggling too many balls (stores), they're at risk of dropping a few. Hope to see a redeeming review on this place in future.
The 1st Harry Ramsdens was in Guiesley, near Leeds. Started out as a wooden hut in 1928 & gradually expanded. It's also close to the original Emmetdale Farm set & village.
Very fair review in my opinion, it's all subjective and down to personal taste and preference . I had what was meant to be one of the best chippys in the north east on the day to me I had tasted better. Seafare in lynemouth is the best I have tasted others disagree! Great vlog .
Good to see you standing up for Blackpool. It gets so much undeserved negative comments. So much is being invested in Blackpool, good to see it moving with the times, outdoor restaurants, a new cinema, new hotels. Great to see.
I was there at the weekend for rebellion , it’s still an absolute shithole like I remember it being in the early 90s. One of the only places in the country I won’t walk around in at night , especially alone.
We go to Papa's in Hull and quite honestly I've never had a greasy fish and chips, skin or even thin fish (but I eat cod). It's generally the best fish and chips I've had around East Yorkshire. Including Whitby in that too.
We had to comment on your expertise! Vinegar first, even the cutting of the fish before the lemon. Know it’s it’s not this video but heights making ‘your willy go funny’ deserved a comment too. Keeping it real, man of the people. Nailed it 😀
Hi Lee, Just out of interest I think the First Harry Ramsdens was in Guisley outside Leeds the first shop was shed you may of already been told not read the reply’s but lived near Skipton for a lot of years and Leeds was one of our main places .
This is really surprising to me. I live in Beverley and there is a local papas in willerby. It’s some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had? Why don’t you try the one in willerby and compare. See if it’s anything based on location.
I have a picture in my mind and find it difficult to what I am seeking for in a lot of fish and chip shops, when younger I loved the dark chips in the paper cone, hard to find now, curry sauce looked good, fish quite thin, like a meaty fish better, looked anemic to me, watch all your vids lee! You always put a smile on my face x
It's amazing to think how easily they are able to catch fish just the right size to fit the batter. (Only joking, I'm sure it's more challenging and the fisherman out at sea use tape measures, lol!)
Mister Macmaster I think you were very right in saying what you did as that is what you're there to do & that is rate the food..great that the staff were very helpful but its the food that counts & I have to say the cost of living is forcing everything up in price..my local chippy have increased everything on the menu...
My parents used to take me to Harry Ramsdens at Guiseley for a sit in chippy after we had visited Damart! ( it was my bribe!). When I got my first job I took them with my first pay packet. Loved the place. Went to Salford when they first set up the franchise and even the cats wouldn’t eat the fish!
Fish and chip special at my local chippy is £4.50, haddock, chips and choice of peas, curry sauce or gravey, it looks about the same size, fish is excellent, sounds expensive to me in Blackpool, come to Scallinis in Scunthorpe and try theirs. I would give that 5/10
I went to Blackpool last year for 5 days while the World Cup finals where on and the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing for the England games I really enjoyed there a lot more than I thought I would tbh also I remember seeing the sign for Papas up but it wasn't open yet then
Hi Lee good vlog as usual. I've been to papas in whitby and I didn't like them at all skin on fish, raw chips and a really strong greasy taste so won't be going again. Keep the videos coming pal. Steve from Cudworth
TBH looked a bit light for 16 notes, the batter looked good, prefer gravy myself. Sadly the fact is that many may go out of business eventually, I know that the wholesale prices for oil and fish have gone through the roof recently and they can only pass on the costs, bad thing. Still would have given it around 6 by sight. 🤷🏼♂️
Well I'm in the States and what you were served looks like what I get now in the supermarket that's called, snapper haddock, which is much smaller than regular haddock. It used to be much cheaper, around $8.99 per lb. and now is $18.99 per lb. this week. Haddock I've purchased in the past was also much whiter in color like cod but smaller in size. Sign of the times I guess. Hope the fishing stock is not being depleted by large factory ships pushing out the small family fishing boats going back generations in New England where I'm from. Those chips as you call them did look rather sad and not very appetizing. As for the peas and curry sauce, no help there never have had either. The review of a Yankee.
True Helen. We have small independent fishermen and their families who are struggling too survive because they have to compete against these big multimillion pound fishing mega trawlers that are draining British seas dry of fish stock. Especially places like Cornwall where families have fished the Cornish seas for hundreds of years. I can imagine the same is happening too fishing communities in America, especially New England.
@@matty6848 Yes they are. Gloucester Massachusetts, where I visited often, was a famous fishing city but not any more. I think "snapper" haddock are the result of that overfishing, smaller but now the same price as the larger size.
As mentioned previously when Darren and You reviewed another BBC "approved" spot in London, I usually take what the BBC says with a "pinch of salt", except I will put the vinegar on first, great tip. By the way out here in South Africa, Boulevard Fisheries will give you hake and chips for the equivalent of £4, the hake is so big that the have to fold it, and the small chips are enough for 3 😁 😁 😁, no steamrolled fish either...
I think almost all Haddock is quite thin nowadays (are they catching them to young or small?) It definitely needed less batter as at first it looked like it was going to be a decent piece of fish. Don’t you have salt and vinegar on your fish? I don’t think I could have it without when it’s battered. Well done for reviewing the meal as it was. It’s always good to see what a every day family would get. You could have easily complained and got a completely different meal. At least they got the curry right 😂
That's certainly expensive imo. I think there's loads of 'non chain' chippies that are brilliant in Blackpool. One of the remaining highlights of my hometown. The building where Papa's is now has been about five different things in the last ten years. I know it best as a Burger King when I was growing up in Blackpool. Maybe the building is cursed?!
6.7 is very generous Imo there’s nothing quite as annoying as service constantly asking you questions when you want to eat. Based on price and how you described the food, especially the chips…… 4/10
Firstly, love your honesty, Lee. Definitely looked like you wanted to give that at least a point off what you gave it, but makes things a bit awkward when the service is attentive, and the Manager is breathing down your neck and asking if everything is okay with the meal. 🙂 I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or lack of eating). You're spot on in what you say at around the 21m mark... you're there to review what they put out in front of you, not to give them a second chance. It's walking a fine tight-rope between honesty and not destroying the reputation of a venue... but as a food reviewer, you have to give an honest review of the food (free of malice, favouritism, etc.). I feel you absolutely did that. It might be an idea for someone (not you) to go back there within a year 'undercover', and see if things have changed. Hopefully there'll be a glowing report, and the venue has restored its place as a great chippy. Got to give them the second chance to improve. Also, some transparency would be nice on their part. I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the plaque out front... what year was it voted best chippy? Openness and transparency is the key. Anyway, enough of my waffle... great review, Lee! I'm going to give it a 5.5/10.
Hey bud have seen many articles as I’m involved in the angling community that haddock price has gone up 300% in the last two years doesn’t explain chips but everywhere reducing haddock size unfortunately I’m not involved with any eating establishment and love watching you videos as I’m from the midlands and have given me great hints at great places to eat keep it up bud
Hi Lee cheers for the Vlog pal, Harry Ramsdens' first shop was opened in Guiseley in 1928. I used to go regularly with mum & dad in the 1970's. Dad would drive up to Yeadon and we'd watch the planes take off and come in at LBA whilst tucking in to the best fish & chips. They went downhill in the following decades, however they did a wonderful mushy pea fritter on my last visit around 2004!
Oh no! I've eaten here a few times and it's been excellent 👌 Yes a little expensive but I really liked the place. Staff and food were great. Going soon so might have to rethink our fish n chips choice. Great review
I recommend trying Papas in Cleethorpes. It’s on the pier. Quite cheap. I got takeaway medium haddock, chips and peas for only £8.29. Very nice. Also nice to eat in the restaurant it’s only a few quid more to eat in there.
I think I'm a fish and chip conossieur and have eaten at Papas a couple of times. To us they are the one of the best we've tried. Totally delicious. Both the fish and the chips. A lot of shops are having to fillet the fish thinly due to the cost of it. In my opinion you had already decided you weren't going to like it before you were even served your feed. You were biased against the plaque so called franchise etc. In my opinion the fish and chips at Papas are on a par with those served at Rick Steins in Padstow. I haven't eaten fish from Mr Chips in Whitby but do agree they serve the best chips in he town.
From what I saw and what you described the food was not deserving of more than a 3 out of 10, but the service was a clearly much higher (although I don’t know if you were offered a refund or even partial refund?). Maybe give separate scores for the service and food in future, because if a restaurant/cafe gives great service but rubbish food I won’t be eating there.
Thats a good review as i am going to Blackpool in a couple of weeks with my family of four and your right Lee that would be expensive we normally go to the Coral Island chippy as kids eat free there and its always been good big fish in it, ive thought about going to Pappas with the newspaper menu is a nice touch but its priced just out of reach i will be trying the Yorkshire Fisheries place you reviewed that last time it always got good reviews so thanks for the heads up with this video, onwards my friend.
I used to enjoy Coral Island for a cheap meal but i went in a couple of weeks ago and it's over £9 for fish and chips and a coffee.At that price in future i'll be going to a real fish n chips place and maybe pay a couple of pounds more.
Lee I suppose this is why when reviewing, the question arises, whether to go in covert or with the camera visible. With the camera visible, the staff can be more attentive as they could be trying to make a good impression for the camera. With fish and chips at £10.95 + extra's, they need to get the food right first time, as some people will be to polite to complain. Batter can literally cover over a poor piece or small piece of fish and a portion of crispy golden brown chips shouldn't be difficult. They could easily include a cup of tea, or coffee with the meal for that price as well.
In Blackpool there is a general rule to follow. The nearer the chippy is to the sea-front - the worse it is plus the price is higher. If you want realy delicious, good value fish & chips - walk inland a 100 yards or so
When you're in the Blackpool area I can recommend the chippy in Bispham on the road opposite the tram stop. Skinless haddock with excellent chips and superb mushy peas
The thing about chains, love them or hate them, is that their product is consistent or should be, that's what they're trading on, their name. Now, I'm not saying they're great, because they're not, but when you go to McDonald's, you know exactly what you're going to get, you can recommend them to someone, knowing the experience they're going to have. Indeed, you can go to Australia, America, the UK and you know the Big Mac will be the same. Now, in any food establishment, It can't come down to the 'luck of the draw', whether you get good service or good food - you're giving them 'good money', regardless of the day you've had, they need to fulfil their end of the bargain and give you what you've paid for. In my experience, getting good service is the hardest aspect of the restaurant trade, good food, is just a matter of process and quality control. A 7 out of 10 from me, on looks alone.
Apple fritters in a bag with sugar. Yum! 😊 Best fish and chips is cooked in dripping, as you mentioned. I wish I could find a fish shop in London that still does it. If anyone knows of one please post on here. Also any shops that use dripping elsewhere in Britain. 😊
@@antwhite3899 Apple pieces deep fried in batter and put in a paper bag and sprinkled with sugar. I used to get them from a market vendor when I was a child.
Hi Lee, loved the honest review. Initially I thought your meal looked really good and then when you cut into the fish it looked really thin. I’m not a big fish and chip shop fan, however; I was told that the fish are being ‘half filleted’ to save/make money? If this is the case that would explain why a number of reviewers have quite rightly pointed out that the fish looks like ‘it was run over by a steam roller’?!? All the best to you and yours.
Harry Ramsdens ,need to check out ,not sure anymore if true ,many years ago herd all branches had frozen chips apart from Bourmouth branch ,is it the same ,maybe all ,maybe not ?like myself to revisit as as a kid my dad if we had pennies visit the SEA SHELL Lisson Grove London that used to have ques out the door for take away and you used to get a big cod and loads of chips ,not sure if the same anymore but loved the time going there ❤️
The cottage in Blackpool is where we always go when we visit it’s a little bit off the beaten track but absolutely worth it , you can eat in the licensed restaurant or go next door for takeaway. I highly recommend please try
I think someone already said the original Harry Ramsden's was in Guiseley, went there when I was young after a trip to Ilkley moor, It's a Weatherby Whaler now😕
Yet I had a great meal in Papas , Whitby on thurs. Seniors Special, £8.99 for Haddock and Chips and choice of desert. Upgraded to the larger fish for an extra £2.00. Pot of Yerkshure T - £13.28 in total and they didn't abuse me for taking a photo of it !! To answer your fish size question...The catches now reflect what is left in our oceans.....just young thin fish. We've eaten all the decent stuff ( well you have ).
Mr Mac, I'm off to Blackpool in a couple of weeks, and after a bit of research have sorted out a few of the best places to eat, and for Fish & Chips it is Yorkshire Fisheries which is just beyond the town centre, and for a traditional English roast, steak pudding etc, Bispham Kitchen, just opposite the tram stop. PaPa's like Ramsdens may be big and famous, but they are not very good. The last time I went to Ramsdens in Blackpool I sent the meal back and got a refund, it was that bad.
Very honest video - we did our own review over on our channel about papas in Cleethorpes and we found it to be very poor and has gone down hill quite considerably! Thanks for your honest reviews you inspire us to carry on doing the same thing ! Cheers !
@@TheMacMaster spot on mate they was ! It’s not usually like that but within the last few months it has gone downhill quite considerably and the fish isn’t sometimes the best either. And for the price you pay with people struggling etc it is a little sad 😞 Love watching all your videos though there brilliant !
Thin fish because it is very small Haddock that are being landed. No large, thick, fillets like the old days unfortunately, as the fish are not being given enough time to put weight on. The batter is making the fillet look better, but it is only a cover up. The chips, well, I would have left them (Looked grey and undercooked). Sides looked the best thing about that meal, but they seemed to let the side down too. Oh well onto the next. 6/10, and I'm being nice. Thanks for an honest review as usual. All the best
As a Blackpool lad, I have never ben to Papas or Harry Ramsdens, we have some superb chippys, but they are not on the promenade. Anyone visiting Blackpool don't go to the promenade chippys. Venture back a few streets. Superb ones out there but they are not on the front 😀
Maybe some of the fish thinness would have been avoided if you’d chosen cod. Haddock fillets are thinner. The fluffy batter hid the size of the fish. There were lots of chips (maybe too many - a plate filler?). Glad the curry sauce was good. It didn’t look too dark. I have no explanation why the peas tasted so strong. You need to talk to an old person (80 or 90) about why that may have been so. Someone who made them from scratch. Very interesting Lee. Glad to see you are taking your diet and health seriously. Cheers from Australia.
Wasn't Harry Ramsden's on a roundabout near Yeadon? I went there over 30 years ago, so my memory fails me but I don't think it was near Skipton. I could be wrong. (PS you don't need a Swiss army knife to open sachets; I revealed the fork spearing technique to you....you needn't do it on camera but practise, it does work sir!)
I went to the one at Cleethorpes once and it took us about an hour to get our food. It was crazy. They were queueing along the pier and they didn't have any prices of anything either! Don't think we'll be going back there again
At a glance the food looked nice but I think that the large amount of crispy batter was to bulk it out to hide the fact that the fish was a bit thin, so it looked like a 7 for me. I suppose everybody is different, I don’t necessarily think that serving lemon with the fish is trying to be posh, some of us prefer lemon, in the same way I don’t regard curry sauce as a necessity with fish & chips, although I do love a nice curry. I regularly have fish & chips in the Westfield Shopping Centre in West London and it always has lemon with it although sachets of vinegar are at hand. Sometimes it does make me shudder watching people lacing their fish & chips with a tidal wave of vinegar because what crispness they may have started with would be lost under the vinegar. Unfortunately the food at “Papa’s” appears to have been bitten by “the franchise bug”, if it was a family run business where good or bad results would be pointed at the individual rather than a faceless company, results would almost certainly have been very different, in a positive way.
A good honest review Macca 🙂 I have been to a few papas around Hull and never been disappointed. I have been to papas in Scarborough and it was also very good. I definitely will be visiting the Blackpool one when I'm next up there. All the best ☺️🍻👍
Looked ok, but thin fish, we have some chippys around here, look like they fillet the fish twice, as they are thin, but we have some super chip shops, Equis and Marinis here around the outskits of Glasgow, good thick fish in great batter, if you eat in, comes in huge plate with salad (if wanted) and homemand coleslaw, finish it off with Equis famous ice cream.
When everyone was ripping out their electric trams Blackpool kept theirs - I guess it's true what they say - if you keep it long enough, it will come back into fashion ! Oh & good honest review mate - shame about the food when the menu & staff are top drawer !
We have eaten here a few times.. we went to the takeaway side on Saturday night, my wife and I both had small haddock and chips, within an hour or so we both had food poisoning. So that was fun!
When in Blackpool please do not eat at any chippy on front, it's nasty, best chippys are on Whitegate Drive and Coronation Street, 7 squid at Dale's, the best 👌 😀 One more is the most famous in Blackpool is on Topping Street, Yorkshire fisheries, try these 3 😁👍
My great granddaughter was with that group of girls. Incidentally Harrowside fish and chips on Harrowside South Shore do the best fish and chips. Downside is that they put the fish in a box. Don't know about the curry sauce as the wife says it doesn't belong on fish and chips. Took her years to accept cheesy chips
Hi lee,you mention at the beginning of your blog that you mention we are living in a world of super ‘inflation’please excuse me to having a dig,I think you are doing not bad ,electric car&bike looks like a decent house,fair play if you make a nice living out of what you do ,and you enjoy it that’s the main thing.I’m a pensioner but have worked all my life.I wish all the best!!
Was quite sad that you thought for one person £18 was a reasonable price for fish and chips etc It made me realise that ,what was a cheap traditional dinner / takeaway has now become a total luxury if I’d paid £18 pounds I would of felt robbed
It's a joke this is why I and some others are getting fish and chips from the local do it all shops as I call them and some especially mine cook it better
£7.00 Great Yarmouth. Better fish in most instances. Sod the franchises, get it in paper and sit on the beach or a bench.
That's well dear. I could feed three for that at my local chippy.
£18 was definitely too expensive in my opinion. I've had fish and chips in Blackpool, eating in, with bread butter and pot of tea for £8. Absolutely delicious too.
Absolutely!
Harry Ramsden opened its first fish and chip shop in White Cross in Guiseley in Yorkshire in 1928.
Just up the road from where I lived.
It was very posh inside, it had crystal Chandeliers and regular piano recitals.
The tables were all set out like the Ritz with Silver cutlery.
The very first shop was in a hut just next to the restaurant.
They were the best fish and chips around and people were queuing out the door. The Haddock was massive.
Then they sold out to someone else and it all went down hill.
You can't even get Haddock!!
Are they having a laugh!!?
We as a family normally support papa's in cleethorpes and sit inside but the issue we had apart from the price recently is the state of the restaurant. Toilets were disgusting with filthy walls failing taps, water and toilet paper all over the floor with no regular cleaning checks. Also now they operate a online self ordering system and for me when sitting indoors and paying over £50 for 4 it takes away the whole dining experience.You pay extra to be pampered when you sit in. The food was good although the portion size sitting in we noticed was far smaller in size to take outs. Also the condiments where served to us in card cups that you'd normally serve a Mr whippy ice cream in, very amauture. It's for those reasons we won't sit in now at papa's cleethorpes. They need to improve a lot of areas within their whole dining operation.
i am a cleethorpes resident and have been to papa's twice for a sit down, not recently though. even though we booked tables the waiting time was horrible, i am disabled. however i must say the fish was excellent when it arrived, sweet as a nut as my mum used to say. i liked that the skin had been removed but miffed that i had to ask for lemon.
@Coin Slot Best stick with mcdonalds then chap
The tram you saw was originally a Bolton tram that was restored by preservationists with the intention of donating it to the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire (just up the road from you!) but they were full at the time, so loaned it to Blackpool for a short period....that was back in 1981, and it's been there ever since!
Built in 1901, it's the oldest tram in the Blackpool fleet!
10/10 to you Lee for a very fair and honest review.
It would have been easy to be swayed by the staff and manager.
Your guilt proves what a great bloke you are..... And we all love you the more for it.
Cheers
Phil
Yes you can tell Lee is a good bloke and you can see he found it difficult too be critical because the customer service was good. But he has too be honest, that’s what his channel is all about.
I wasn’t far off with 6/10. Overall they looked very dry those chips. Fish looked ok although when Lee cut into it there was little fish, all batter. Not the cheapest fish and chips either. Good honest review though Lee 😉👌
£17 for fish & chips what has this world come too
Its really a rediculous price especially for Blackpool.
He did order the Pepsi £2,79, get some glasses.
And the extras
Fish & chips was £10.99
My pub , burger and chips £18.50 !!, I don’t eat there
Again, love your scoring lately Lee, keep it real and keep those 9+ scores absolutely sacred, they need to be reserved for food that absolutely blow your mind, keep up the good work 👍🏽
Benidorm last week (Mallorca Bar), Massive thick fillet of Haddock in a light crispy batter, chips, mushy peas or curry sauce, a drink and a dessert. All for €8 (about £6.90).
Looked far better than this supposed award winner and tasted delicious.
I think Papa needs to come back and teach his children how to cook.
Love the straight talking reviews, cheers.
Harry Ramsdens was in Guisley, I believe it’s the Wetherby Whaler now.
Mother Hubbards i think now
Once a franchise, it becomes crap! Harry Ramsdens at the mcarthur glen off the m1 is total shite!!
No. It's definitely the Wetherby Whaler .I live 5 minutes away from it.
We used to drive from Leeds to that one but then stopped as it went bad before it became anything else
During lockdown we use to order from Papa's in Hull every Friday night, They use to bring it out to you in the car park , it was always very busy and the fish and chips were always very good. They do a Big papa family meal for €15.99 , 4 small haddock, 2x chips, sausage, fishcake 4 x chicken nuggets and 2 large sides, good value. I think it really depends on which one you go to.
Hello Lee
You're visiting Blackpool again , one of my favourite coastal resorts... Not!!
But It was once , in the happy days of my Youth 1970/80s.
If my dear parents, sadly no longer with us.
Shouted we're off to Blackpool,
I almost wetting myself with excitement & couldn't get to the
car fast enough.
The joy, the sounds, smell of sea salt, donkey sh*te, fish and Chip's,
Ice-cream.
Glorious weather.
Playing on the beach, Mum in a deckchair, Dad putting up
a colourful windbreaker to stop sand going on the butties.
Lee, my friend
Days like these are long gone and are as dead as disco.
Blackpool Council has invested on the front, but away from this...
I've felt safer in Central Park NYC
at Night.
It such a shame.
Anyway back to your Fish & Chip's
review, by the amount of food left on your plate.. This speaks volumes.
Blackpool.. Poor food, poor day out!!😩
I went to the one in Whitby and the chips were massively over cooked but I then a few weeks later went to Scarborough and the haddock and chips were spot on I think a lot of it’s down to the fryer on the day I would give them another go
Agreed, James... but it should be consistent across the board, and the frier is literally THE tool of their trade (cooking-wise). If they're juggling too many balls (stores), they're at risk of dropping a few.
Hope to see a redeeming review on this place in future.
Good point.
The 1st Harry Ramsdens was in Guiesley, near Leeds. Started out as a wooden hut in 1928 & gradually expanded. It's also close to the original Emmetdale Farm set & village.
Yeh I remember going as a kid arcade at back in 70s 👍
Very fair review in my opinion, it's all subjective and down to personal taste and preference .
I had what was meant to be one of the best chippys in the north east on the day to me I had tasted better.
Seafare in lynemouth is the best I have tasted others disagree! Great vlog .
Good to see you standing up for Blackpool. It gets so much undeserved negative comments. So much is being invested in Blackpool, good to see it moving with the times, outdoor restaurants, a new cinema, new hotels. Great to see.
I was there at the weekend for rebellion , it’s still an absolute shithole like I remember it being in the early 90s. One of the only places in the country I won’t walk around in at night , especially alone.
We go to Papa's in Hull and quite honestly I've never had a greasy fish and chips, skin or even thin fish (but I eat cod). It's generally the best fish and chips I've had around East Yorkshire. Including Whitby in that too.
Very fair and informative vlog,so Lee when are you doing one in Sunny Southport, outtakes keep them coming Take care
We had to comment on your expertise! Vinegar first, even the cutting of the fish before the lemon. Know it’s it’s not this video but heights making ‘your willy go funny’ deserved a comment too. Keeping it real, man of the people. Nailed it 😀
Hi Lee,
Just out of interest I think the First Harry Ramsdens was in Guisley outside Leeds the first shop was shed you may of already been told not read the reply’s but lived near Skipton for a lot of years and Leeds was one of our main places .
This is really surprising to me. I live in Beverley and there is a local papas in willerby. It’s some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had? Why don’t you try the one in willerby and compare. See if it’s anything based on location.
I have a picture in my mind and find it difficult to what I am seeking for in a lot of fish and chip shops, when younger I loved the dark chips in the paper cone, hard to find now, curry sauce looked good, fish quite thin, like a meaty fish better, looked anemic to me, watch all your vids lee! You always put a smile on my face x
Great honest review Lee , as always. Most times I eat in Blackpool I’m drunk so all tastes nice 😊
Harry Ramsdens was originally in Guisley which opened in 1928 but is now the Wetherby Whaler
Tenerife , New York, Nashville, London and Blackpool ! Never short of variety on this channel
It's amazing to think how easily they are able to catch fish just the right size to fit the batter.
(Only joking, I'm sure it's more challenging and the fisherman out at sea use tape measures, lol!)
Coral Island Chippy Restaurant is a good 1 to try, we always go there when we visit Blackpool, it's BANGIN' !! 👍
Mister Macmaster I think you were very right in saying what you did as that is what you're there to do & that is rate the food..great that the staff were very helpful but its the food that counts & I have to say the cost of living is forcing everything up in price..my local chippy have increased everything on the menu...
My parents used to take me to Harry Ramsdens at Guiseley for a sit in chippy after we had visited Damart! ( it was my bribe!). When I got my first job I took them with my first pay packet. Loved the place. Went to Salford when they first set up the franchise and even the cats wouldn’t eat the fish!
Fish and chip special at my local chippy is £4.50, haddock, chips and choice of peas, curry sauce or gravey, it looks about the same size, fish is excellent, sounds expensive to me in Blackpool, come to Scallinis in Scunthorpe and try theirs. I would give that 5/10
I went to Blackpool last year for 5 days while the World Cup finals where on and the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing for the England games I really enjoyed there a lot more than I thought I would tbh also I remember seeing the sign for Papas up but it wasn't open yet then
I tried to visit a fortune teller last week. There was a notice on the door saying ''closed due to unforeseen circumstances.''
Hi Lee good vlog as usual. I've been to papas in whitby and I didn't like them at all skin on fish, raw chips and a really strong greasy taste so won't be going again. Keep the videos coming pal. Steve from Cudworth
Would u have any recommendations for me visiting London next year for fish & chips??! Thanks 🙏 Keith 😎👍
TBH looked a bit light for 16 notes, the batter looked good, prefer gravy myself. Sadly the fact is that many may go out of business eventually, I know that the wholesale prices for oil and fish have gone through the roof recently and they can only pass on the costs, bad thing. Still would have given it around 6 by sight. 🤷🏼♂️
Well I'm in the States and what you were served looks like what I get now in the supermarket that's called, snapper haddock, which is much smaller than regular haddock. It used to be much cheaper, around $8.99 per lb. and now is $18.99 per lb. this week. Haddock I've purchased in the past was also much whiter in color like cod but smaller in size. Sign of the times I guess. Hope the fishing stock is not being depleted by large factory ships pushing out the small family fishing boats going back generations in New England where I'm from. Those chips as you call them did look rather sad and not very appetizing. As for the peas and curry sauce, no help there never have had either. The review of a Yankee.
True Helen. We have small independent fishermen and their families who are struggling too survive because they have to compete against these big multimillion pound fishing mega trawlers that are draining British seas dry of fish stock. Especially places like Cornwall where families have fished the Cornish seas for hundreds of years. I can imagine the same is happening too fishing communities in America, especially New England.
@@matty6848 Yes they are. Gloucester Massachusetts, where I visited often, was a famous fishing city but not any more. I think "snapper" haddock are the result of that overfishing, smaller but now the same price as the larger size.
As mentioned previously when Darren and You reviewed another BBC "approved" spot in London, I usually take what the BBC says with a "pinch of salt", except I will put the vinegar on first, great tip. By the way out here in South Africa, Boulevard Fisheries will give you hake and chips for the equivalent of £4, the hake is so big that the have to fold it, and the small chips are enough for 3 😁 😁 😁, no steamrolled fish either...
I do indeed remember Roy Jay born in Oslo, sadly died in 2007.
I think almost all Haddock is quite thin nowadays (are they catching them to young or small?)
It definitely needed less batter as at first it looked like it was going to be a decent piece of fish.
Don’t you have salt and vinegar on your fish? I don’t think I could have it without when it’s battered.
Well done for reviewing the meal as it was. It’s always good to see what a every day family would get. You could have easily complained and got a completely different meal.
At least they got the curry right 😂
I am guessing they still have a picture on the wall of Peter levy from the bbc look north in Hull.love that place going in September
That's certainly expensive imo.
I think there's loads of 'non chain' chippies that are brilliant in Blackpool. One of the remaining highlights of my hometown.
The building where Papa's is now has been about five different things in the last ten years. I know it best as a Burger King when I was growing up in Blackpool. Maybe the building is cursed?!
Hey hun how was fish and chips hopefully eatable. Haveing a good time here in Tenerife weather is in the 30c today Sunday xx
6.7 is very generous
Imo there’s nothing quite as annoying as service constantly asking you questions when you want to eat.
Based on price and how you described the food, especially the chips…… 4/10
Firstly, love your honesty, Lee. Definitely looked like you wanted to give that at least a point off what you gave it, but makes things a bit awkward when the service is attentive, and the Manager is breathing down your neck and asking if everything is okay with the meal. 🙂
I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or lack of eating). You're spot on in what you say at around the 21m mark... you're there to review what they put out in front of you, not to give them a second chance.
It's walking a fine tight-rope between honesty and not destroying the reputation of a venue... but as a food reviewer, you have to give an honest review of the food (free of malice, favouritism, etc.). I feel you absolutely did that. It might be an idea for someone (not you) to go back there within a year 'undercover', and see if things have changed. Hopefully there'll be a glowing report, and the venue has restored its place as a great chippy. Got to give them the second chance to improve.
Also, some transparency would be nice on their part. I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the plaque out front... what year was it voted best chippy? Openness and transparency is the key.
Anyway, enough of my waffle... great review, Lee! I'm going to give it a 5.5/10.
I agree
2017
Hey bud have seen many articles as I’m involved in the angling community that haddock price has gone up 300% in the last two years doesn’t explain chips but everywhere reducing haddock size unfortunately I’m not involved with any eating establishment and love watching you videos as I’m from the midlands and have given me great hints at great places to eat keep it up bud
£0.39p for a slice of bread and butter....Bloody Hell!
Hi Lee cheers for the Vlog pal, Harry Ramsdens' first shop was opened in Guiseley in 1928. I used to go regularly with mum & dad in the 1970's. Dad would drive up to Yeadon and we'd watch the planes take off and come in at LBA whilst tucking in to the best fish & chips. They went downhill in the following decades, however they did a wonderful mushy pea fritter on my last visit around 2004!
Snap, did exactly the same, but with my mum....
@@nicholasodonnell9501 good times, I cherish them, I'm sure you do too Nicholas 👍
I lived years in Yeadon and never used Harry Ramsdens. Preferred the local chippy
Chapel St Leonards. Cherry Park Skegness. Huge cod and chips. £7. Just saying!
Have been there a couple of times Lee, and the fish was a lot thicker than the one you got. I prefer Yorkshire Fisheries myself.
Oh no! I've eaten here a few times and it's been excellent 👌
Yes a little expensive but I really liked the place. Staff and food were great.
Going soon so might have to rethink our fish n chips choice.
Great review
Harry Ramsdens was in Guisley where I used to take away fish and chips while attending college there in 1968.
I’ve been to the one at Willerby near Hull. It was a few years ago, but it was underwhelming. Maybe it’s improved.
I love your channel, hope you are well buddy. I will try the challenge when I do. The blackpool branch of Papa's opened i think in July of 2021.
I recommend trying Papas in Cleethorpes. It’s on the pier. Quite cheap. I got takeaway medium haddock, chips and peas for only £8.29. Very nice. Also nice to eat in the restaurant it’s only a few quid more to eat in there.
I think I'm a fish and chip conossieur and have eaten at Papas a couple of times. To us they are the one of the best we've tried. Totally delicious. Both the fish and the chips. A lot of shops are having to fillet the fish thinly due to the cost of it. In my opinion you had already decided you weren't going to like it before you were even served your feed. You were biased against the plaque so called franchise etc. In my opinion the fish and chips at Papas are on a par with those served at Rick Steins in Padstow. I haven't eaten fish from Mr Chips in Whitby but do agree they serve the best chips in he town.
From what I saw and what you described the food was not deserving of more than a 3 out of 10, but the service was a clearly much higher (although I don’t know if you were offered a refund or even partial refund?). Maybe give separate scores for the service and food in future, because if a restaurant/cafe gives great service but rubbish food I won’t be eating there.
Thats a good review as i am going to Blackpool in a couple of weeks with my family of four and your right Lee that would be expensive we normally go to the Coral Island chippy as kids eat free there and its always been good big fish in it, ive thought about going to Pappas with the newspaper menu is a nice touch but its priced just out of reach i will be trying the Yorkshire Fisheries place you reviewed that last time it always got good reviews so thanks for the heads up with this video, onwards my friend.
I used to enjoy Coral Island for a cheap meal but i went in a couple of weeks ago and it's over £9 for fish and chips and a coffee.At that price in future i'll be going to a real fish n chips place and maybe pay a couple of pounds more.
Hi Lee great vid ,it's nice to see you giving ,avoid shout ,out for blackpool ,brilliant see yea keith and Jayne Liverpool 😀
Lee I suppose this is why when reviewing, the question arises, whether to go in covert or with the camera visible. With the camera visible, the staff can be more attentive as they could be trying to make a good impression for the camera. With fish and chips at £10.95 + extra's, they need to get the food right first time, as some people will be to polite to complain. Batter can literally cover over a poor piece or small piece of fish and a portion of crispy golden brown chips shouldn't be difficult. They could easily include a cup of tea, or coffee with the meal for that price as well.
Glad you were honest!
In Blackpool there is a general rule to follow.
The nearer the chippy is to the sea-front - the worse it is plus the price is higher.
If you want realy delicious, good value fish & chips - walk inland a 100 yards or so
When you're in the Blackpool area I can recommend the chippy in Bispham on the road opposite the tram stop. Skinless haddock with excellent chips and superb mushy peas
The thing about chains, love them or hate them, is that their product is consistent or should be, that's what they're trading on, their name. Now, I'm not saying they're great, because they're not, but when you go to McDonald's, you know exactly what you're going to get, you can recommend them to someone, knowing the experience they're going to have. Indeed, you can go to Australia, America, the UK and you know the Big Mac will be the same. Now, in any food establishment, It can't come down to the 'luck of the draw', whether you get good service or good food - you're giving them 'good money', regardless of the day you've had, they need to fulfil their end of the bargain and give you what you've paid for. In my experience, getting good service is the hardest aspect of the restaurant trade, good food, is just a matter of process and quality control. A 7 out of 10 from me, on looks alone.
Apple fritters in a bag with sugar. Yum! 😊 Best fish and chips is cooked in dripping, as you mentioned. I wish I could find a fish shop in London that still does it. If anyone knows of one please post on here. Also any shops that use dripping elsewhere in Britain. 😊
"Apple fitters in a bag with sugar " what on Eru's earth is that?!!!
@@antwhite3899 Apple pieces deep fried in batter and put in a paper bag and sprinkled with sugar. I used to get them from a market vendor when I was a child.
MacMaster vlog on 11 July - he visits Upton fish & chips in Gainsborough where they cook in dripping on a coal fired range !
"And would Sir like some fish with his batter?"
Looked not too bad Lee. Although the fish was all batter and very little fish,but again very expensive 6.4 x
Hi Lee, loved the honest review. Initially I thought your meal looked really good and then when you cut into the fish it looked really thin. I’m not a big fish and chip shop fan, however; I was told that the fish are being ‘half filleted’ to save/make money? If this is the case that would explain why a number of reviewers have quite rightly pointed out that the fish looks like ‘it was run over by a steam roller’?!? All the best to you and yours.
Spot on, John Whyte[ing]... sorry, couldn't resist! ;)
Completely agree with you.
British fish!
doesn't happen here in Australia, we get big thick fillets
Harry Ramsdens ,need to check out ,not sure anymore if true ,many years ago herd all branches had frozen chips apart from Bourmouth branch ,is it the same ,maybe all ,maybe not ?like myself to revisit as as a kid my dad if we had pennies visit the SEA SHELL Lisson Grove London that used to have ques out the door for take away and you used to get a big cod and loads of chips ,not sure if the same anymore but loved the time going there ❤️
The cottage in Blackpool is where we always go when we visit it’s a little bit off the beaten track but absolutely worth it , you can eat in the licensed restaurant or go next door for takeaway. I highly recommend please try
I think someone already said the original Harry Ramsden's was in Guiseley, went there when I was young after a trip to Ilkley moor, It's a Weatherby Whaler now😕
Couldn't see if there was skin on the fish because you couldn't see the fish. Sad, but logical.
Harry Ramsdens was in Guiseley 🤗 I remember passing by and seeing the huge queues!
Actually, Lee, the lemon slice is probably to help remove the grease from your fingers. Haha!
Yet I had a great meal in Papas , Whitby on thurs. Seniors Special, £8.99 for Haddock and Chips and choice of desert. Upgraded to the larger fish for an extra £2.00. Pot of Yerkshure T - £13.28 in total and they didn't abuse me for taking a photo of it !! To answer your fish size question...The catches now reflect what is left in our oceans.....just young thin fish. We've eaten all the decent stuff ( well you have ).
Papas is good a whitby and Scarborough, been to the blackpool one and not the best , it must be just blackpool not good one
Mr Mac, I'm off to Blackpool in a couple of weeks, and after a bit of research have sorted out a few of the best places to eat, and for Fish & Chips it is Yorkshire Fisheries which is just beyond the town centre, and for a traditional English roast, steak pudding etc, Bispham Kitchen, just opposite the tram stop. PaPa's like Ramsdens may be big and famous, but they are not very good. The last time I went to Ramsdens in Blackpool I sent the meal back and got a refund, it was that bad.
Very honest video - we did our own review over on our channel about papas in Cleethorpes and we found it to be very poor and has gone down hill quite considerably! Thanks for your honest reviews you inspire us to carry on doing the same thing ! Cheers !
Thank you. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
You said exactly the same as me. The chips were hard. Undercooked.
@@TheMacMaster spot on mate they was ! It’s not usually like that but within the last few months it has gone downhill quite considerably and the fish isn’t sometimes the best either. And for the price you pay with people struggling etc it is a little sad 😞
Love watching all your videos though there brilliant !
Thin fish because it is very small Haddock that are being landed. No large, thick, fillets like the old days unfortunately, as the fish are not being given enough time to put weight on. The batter is making the fillet look better, but it is only a cover up. The chips, well, I would have left them (Looked grey and undercooked). Sides looked the best thing about that meal, but they seemed to let the side down too. Oh well onto the next. 6/10, and I'm being nice. Thanks for an honest review as usual. All the best
Matching cagools x
I remember there was a bit of a posh restaurant in the 1970’s. It was called the Lobster Pot. Anyone remember it?
Interesting videos well filmed and honest review.
What product are you using to dye your hair?
Ronseal :0)
As a Blackpool lad, I have never ben to Papas or Harry Ramsdens, we have some superb chippys, but they are not on the promenade. Anyone visiting Blackpool don't go to the promenade chippys. Venture back a few streets. Superb ones out there but they are not on the front 😀
Maybe some of the fish thinness would have been avoided if you’d chosen cod. Haddock fillets are thinner. The fluffy batter hid the size of the fish. There were lots of chips (maybe too many - a plate filler?). Glad the curry sauce was good. It didn’t look too dark. I have no explanation why the peas tasted so strong. You need to talk to an old person (80 or 90) about why that may have been so. Someone who made them from scratch. Very interesting Lee. Glad to see you are taking your diet and health seriously. Cheers from Australia.
The original Harry Ramsdens was in Guiseley. The original Blackpool branch, now the Viva diner, was the second branch to open.
Hi Lee wot days were you in Blackpool
I allways use York
Kshire fishiers on Topping street, can’t see past them.
Seniors was good also, but had to get a bus there.
MAC ! For the money you paid you could have had 6 HIGGITS BURGERS, 6 HIGGITS HOT DOGS, and 5 HIGGITS SPAM BURGERS, and enjoyed the lot.
Wasn't Harry Ramsden's on a roundabout near Yeadon? I went there over 30 years ago, so my memory fails me but I don't think it was near Skipton. I could be wrong.
(PS you don't need a Swiss army knife to open sachets; I revealed the fork spearing technique to you....you needn't do it on camera but practise, it does work sir!)
To be honest that looked quite good. I would give it a 7
I went to the one at Cleethorpes once and it took us about an hour to get our food. It was crazy. They were queueing along the pier and they didn't have any prices of anything either!
Don't think we'll be going back there again
Harry Ramsdens was found in guiseley a few miles from Skipton it's now the wetherby whaler
At a glance the food looked nice but I think that the large amount of crispy batter was to bulk it out to hide the fact that the fish was a bit thin, so it looked like a 7 for me. I suppose everybody is different, I don’t necessarily think that serving lemon with the fish is trying to be posh, some of us prefer lemon, in the same way I don’t regard curry sauce as a necessity with fish & chips, although I do love a nice curry. I regularly have fish & chips in the Westfield Shopping Centre in West London and it always has lemon with it although sachets of vinegar are at hand. Sometimes it does make me shudder watching people lacing their fish & chips with a tidal wave of vinegar because what crispness they may have started with would be lost under the vinegar. Unfortunately the food at “Papa’s” appears to have been bitten by “the franchise bug”, if it was a family run business where good or bad results would be pointed at the individual rather than a faceless company, results would almost certainly have been very different, in a positive way.
A good honest review Macca 🙂
I have been to a few papas around Hull and never been disappointed.
I have been to papas in Scarborough and it was also very good.
I definitely will be visiting the Blackpool one when I'm next up there.
All the best
☺️🍻👍
Looked ok, but thin fish, we have some chippys around here, look like they fillet the fish twice, as they are thin, but we have some super chip shops, Equis and Marinis here around the outskits of Glasgow, good thick fish in great batter, if you eat in, comes in huge plate with salad (if wanted) and homemand coleslaw, finish it off with Equis famous ice cream.
I agree, C Fresh is definitely the best. Have been going there for years.
When everyone was ripping out their electric trams Blackpool kept theirs - I guess it's true what they say - if you keep it long enough, it will come back into fashion ! Oh & good honest review mate - shame about the food when the menu & staff are top drawer !
We have eaten here a few times.. we went to the takeaway side on Saturday night, my wife and I both had small haddock and chips, within an hour or so we both had food poisoning. So that was fun!
IMHO the best fish and chips in Blackpool is "C Fresh" ( or were the last time I visited Blackpool )on Lytham Road, just up from the Manchester Pub
When in Blackpool please do not eat at any chippy on front, it's nasty, best chippys are on Whitegate Drive and Coronation Street, 7 squid at Dale's, the best 👌 😀
One more is the most famous in Blackpool is on Topping Street, Yorkshire fisheries, try these 3 😁👍
My great granddaughter was with that group of girls. Incidentally Harrowside fish and chips on Harrowside South Shore do the best fish and chips. Downside is that they put the fish in a box. Don't know about the curry sauce as the wife says it doesn't belong on fish and chips. Took her years to accept cheesy chips
Hi lee,you mention at the beginning of your blog that you mention we are living in a world of super ‘inflation’please excuse me to having a dig,I think you are doing not bad ,electric car&bike looks like a decent house,fair play if you make a nice living out of what you do ,and you enjoy it that’s the main thing.I’m a pensioner but have worked all my life.I wish all the best!!