Coming from the North of England as I do, one of the staples of my diet as a boy was Fish & Chips. Not that my family would eat them on a daily basis, but perhaps once a week, and nearly always on a Friday – it was a sort of tradition. In those days it was not that expensive, and I clearly remember that chips, for example, could be bought for a few pennies, and that the fish on offer was nearly always cod. The other, most significant feature of a Fish & Chip supper was the wrapping – to carry your meal home from the shop, and to help keep it warm, it was always covered with a layer of greaseproof paper and then completely swathed in old newspapers! (Today’s hygiene inspectors would, no doubt, be handing out fines, left, right and centre)

As you can see from the photo – newspaper has been replaced by polystyrene, and they even provide a plastic fork! In my era it was always newspaper and eating with fingers (this may sound a bit crude and uncivilised, but it sure tasted good!)

So the reason for today’s story is the shocking news that the world famous Harry Ramsden’s chip shop in Guiseley, near Leeds, could be about to close. A ‘cathedral’ of Fish & Chips, which traditionally had a permanent queue at the restaurant door, was built in 1931, replacing a small wooden hut where Ramsden started frying in 1928. He chose his site at the junction of two roads leading from Leeds and Bradford to the Yorkshire Dales. His business made the Guinness Book of Records when seating reached 250 and made the building the largest chippy in the world. In 1952 Ramsden celebrated the restaurant’s 21st anniversary by serving 10,000 portions in one single day.

Unfortunately, a series of takeovers and franchises diluted the unique atmosphere, and to be brutally honest, the quality also plummeted, so much so that the queues have long since dried up. Now the writing is on the wall, and the doors could close later this month…..

This tale might not seem completely relevant to our wine business (except that Albariño does go well with fish), but even so, there are still lessons to be learned for any small business – biggest does not always mean best, and maintaining quality should always be paramount.

Coming from the North of England as I do, one of the staples of my diet as a boy was Fish & Chips. Not that my family would eat them on a daily basis, but perhaps once a week, and nearly always on a Friday – it was a sort of tradition. In those days it was not that expensive, and I clearly remember that chips, for example, could be bought for a few pennies, and that the fish on offer was nearly always cod. The other, most significant feature of a Fish & Chip supper was the wrapping – to carry your meal home from the shop, and to help keep it warm, it was always covered with a layer of greaseproof paper and then completely swathed in old newspapers! (Today’s hygiene inspectors would, no doubt, be handing out fines, left, right and centre)

As you can see from the photo – newspaper has been replaced by polystyrene, and they even provide a plastic fork! In my era it was always newspaper and eating with fingers (this may sound a bit crude and uncivilised, but it sure tasted good!)

So the reason for today’s story is the shocking news that the world famous Harry Ramsden’s chip shop in Guiseley, near Leeds, could be about to close. A ‘cathedral’ of Fish & Chips, which traditionally had a permanent queue at the restaurant door, was built in 1931, replacing a small wooden hut where Ramsden started frying in 1928. He chose his site at the junction of two roads leading from Leeds and Bradford to the Yorkshire Dales. His business made the Guinness Book of Records when seating reached 250 and made the building the largest chippy in the world. In 1952 Ramsden celebrated the restaurant’s 21st anniversary by serving 10,000 portions in one single day.

Unfortunately, a series of takeovers and franchises diluted the unique atmosphere, and to be brutally honest, the quality also plummeted, so much so that the queues have long since dried up. Now the writing is on the wall, and the doors could close later this month…..

This tale might not seem completely relevant to our wine business (except that Albariño does go well with fish), but even so, there are still lessons to be learned for any small business – biggest does not always mean best, and maintaining quality should always be paramount.