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Upton Chippy (DN21 area)


Guest Speedy23
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About a week ago I saw a write-up for this fine establishment...... http://www.uptonchippy.co.uk


Apparently UK's last remaining coal-fired frying range, shop been there since 1948, relatively unchanged since then. Only open Friday nights and Saturday lunchtimes. So as a keen student of social history (and fried food), I've booked myself a B&B just up the road for the night on 28th Sept, will get a fish supper from there and back home Saturday. Any recommendations for good local pubs? Anybody gonna be in the area?


Cheers


S23

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atherosclerosis in portion controlled servings... With added hypertension and vinegar being optional.


There's a reason the vast majority of beef dripping chip shops disappeared decades ago... With just a few remaining as relics. What amazes me is that they are coming back and actually win awards!! The best thing about them is their rarity and the fact that they are so easy to avoid by the stink they produce which acts as a warning while at the same time decimating local property values.


:up:

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There's a reason the vast majority of beef dripping chip shops disappeared decades ago... With just a few remaining as relics.

Obviously never been to Yorkshire, then......

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There's a reason the vast majority of beef dripping chip shops disappeared decades ago... With just a few remaining as relics.

Obviously never been to Yorkshire, then......

 

I've been to Yorkshire more times than I care to remember, it's the next county - north. I don't need to go so far to avoid a beef dripping chippy, there's one just over mile away. One that only opened a couple of years ago. They have a great gimmick, the women look like they belong in the 1940s and the men wear knotted hankies as headwear. And that place has won awards too.. Incredibly.

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A good dose of lard every now n then helps keep everything lubricated, that’s a fact.... ok it’s not.


Although the geekier among you may be interested to know they are in the midst of doing a 180 on saturated fat being bad due to the research it was based on being quite flawed. They now believe it’s the chemicals in the red meat that cause the damage. So if you’ve eaten lean meat to avoid fat you’ve ingested a disproportionate amount of the bad stuff! Quite interesting to read up on how saturated fat got a bad name- if nutrition floats your boat.


But you just can’t win can you?! Pass the salt.

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Everything in moderation is good! :lol:


I just struggle to define moderation especially where cider is concerned :lol: :cheers:

 

The fruit fusion ones catch me out, knock em back like Ribena & then wonder why the tellys blurred :shock:

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Everything in moderation is good! :lol:


I just struggle to define moderation especially where cider is concerned :lol: :cheers:

 

More dodgy facts from the SCM house of nutrition (diploma gained from ‘The School of No Sense Eating Habits) is that cider being apple juice is one of your five a day- carry on!


Disclaimer: Following any of this advice may cause a reduction in the number of days spent on this planet.

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Disclaimer: Following any of this advice may cause a reduction in the number of days spent on this planet.

 

Suits me....when are gonna buy our tickets outta here? Or have you gotta "thumb" handy?


"I have lived here before, the days of ice

And of course this is why I'm so concerned

And I come back to find the stars misplaced

And the smell of a world that has burned

The smell of a world that has burned

Well, maybe, maybe it's just a change of climate


I can dig it, I can dig it baby, I just want to see"

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Disclaimer: Following any of this advice may cause a reduction in the number of days spent on this planet.

 

Suits me....when are gonna buy our tickets outta here? Or have you gotta "thumb" handy?


"I have lived here before, the days of ice

And of course this is why I'm so concerned

And I come back to find the stars misplaced

And the smell of a world that has burned

The smell of a world that has burned

Well, maybe, maybe it's just a change of climate


I can dig it, I can dig it baby, I just want to see"

 

What’s that from?


I’m thinking a rocket, a massive sky rocket.

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  • 4 weeks later...

And so I went along to Upton. It turned out to be a pretty-out-of-this world experience one way or another. The plan was to go A46, round Coventry, M69, M1, pick up the A46 again to circumnavigate Leicester, thence up to and past Anagram and then turn left onto the A1133 and the A156 at Torksey Lock and then cross country to Upton.


First bummer was that there had been a lorry fire on the M40 Southbound between Hockley Heath and the Longbridge Roundabout, and the inevitable rubberneckers had then caused an accident on the Northbound side, resulting in the motorway being totally shut. This threw everyone who was heading for London onto the A46, presumably towards the A45/M45 and dear Old London Town. Everyone going to Brum also turned onto the A46 and it was jammed pretty solidly (but filterable), but this died down a bit after the Hatton turn off and progress was better after this point. Conditions were sunny and bright, but with a bit of a Northerly wind, the capacious FJR fairing doing a great job of keeping this off me.


Second bummer was that I noticed that the screen on my new(ish) Tomtom Rider had fogged up. This was the result of last Saturday's little outing with Mutley, which took place in a steady downpour. Now call me naive if you will, but I had assumed that a satnav marketed to motorcyclists would, of necessity, be waterproof but alas this was not the case. It dried out eventually, but I think it will be going back to the shop for a replacement (which will probably be exactly the same.....).


Anyway, once Leicester had been successfully negotiated, fairly brisk progress was made until Anagram was reached, where the usual congestion was met in the 2 way section that links those infernal roundabouts. Once past Anagram, the A1133 was picked up and the ride got a lot better, with some nice twisty bits and pleasant scenery. Up past Torksey Lock and the final leg into Upton also on some very narrow, but very pretty, country lanes.


Entered Upton at about 1615, and people were already queuing up at the chippy - got to be a good sign, I thought. Passing this establishment, I then travelled to my lodgings for the night, the Brampton Dales Farm B&B. The accommodation was in converted outbuildings set in a working farm, so there were loads of chickens pecking about, a cockerel, a couple of ginormous farm cats and a brace of amorous turkeys, whose main preoccupation seemed to be with "getting it on"...anytime, anyplace, anywhere. I was met by the owner Hugh, who turned out to be an experienced ex-biker himelf (Guzzi and Pan Fan), so we had a bit of the usual chit-chat and he showed me to my litlle suite. As you went through the front door, there was a small vestibule cum changing-room with a shower and then through that into the bedroom. All this looked out onto the farmyard so you could see everything that was going on. Hugh said that I could park the bike near to my room door, as there was hard standing and it certainly made unpacking a lot easier.

 

Bike_opt.jpg.5cfe835a5ef08c209d91a771a0351c2d.jpg

Roost for the night, madam?


He even offered me the use of a bike cover, as some of the chickens were eyeing up the bike as a possible roosting-place for the evening, as the engine was still warm. Having got changed, I then set off on the 10 minute easy walk to the village for the reason for my visit - the fish and chips. As I said earlier, the fish shop was installed in 1947 and has remained essentially unchanged to this day.

 

Sign_opt.jpg.34c34ce951c68187914b05000b108df0.jpg

(For some unknown reason, I feel that it should say "K.West" on it.)


The frying range is coal fired and is believed to be the last one in England. I arrived at about 1650 and by that time there were already a substantial number of people in the queue. As you queued up you could see the smoke from the range billowing from the chimney. A bit like the Vatican, I suppose, as all the attention of the hungry queuers seemed to be focussed on it.

 

Smoke_opt.jpg.2a4e194c6d7cdbe61f53ae851983f5ba.jpg

Is it the Cod, or the Haddock?


The shop itself is tiny, holding about 4 people at most. Together with the length of the queue, this made for some interesting interactions with one's fellow-diners. The ladies working the shop were going like the clappers, putting the orders together, stoking the range and serving the customers.

 

Chippy_opt.jpg.4d3276cd1c59dd7450528c185e3740fb.jpg

Busy Busy Busy!


Talk about earning your money, or what? After I had been in the queue for 45 minutes, I was near enough to the front to order my "jumbo" haddock, chips and curry sauce. They like you to order specials in advance, so that it can be ready by the time you reach the fromt of the queue.


There was also cod and halibut available to go with your chips, and (what else?) battered Lincolnshire sausages, curry sauce and mushy peas. All proper grub, cooked in only the finest beef dripping, whose delightful perfume wafted through the evening air, scenting all before it with the promise of untold cullinary delights for the connoiseur of fried food. After collecting my meal, it was over the road to an enchanting outdoor seating area, where one's meal could be consumed while communing with nature.

 

Fish_opt.jpg.d530c24b86ee64f4d818e8be929e4b3a.jpg

Yum Yum.


And what a meal! The "Jumbo" haddock was every bit as good as I had been expecting, the chips were a delight - you never get the same flavour when they have been fried in oil - and the curry sauce was home-made and complimented the fish and chips perfectly. As you may know, there has been a lot of hype published about the Upton Chippy - well, it did not live up to the hype - it exceeded it by a mile! I can confidently say that the Upton Chippy is one of the best fish and chip shops I have ever been in, period.


Dinner consumed, I then made my way down the road for a couple of pints at the Rose and Crown which were much appreciated. Then it was time for the walk back to Brampton Dales, and as the evening darkened, I could see the bats fluttering along overhead silhouetted against the sky as they left their roosts for the night's fun. Got back to my room and had a really good night's sleep. Went to breakfast the next morning - what a spread! Hugh's speciality is home-made bread, which he bakes freshly every day. There was loads of this, oats, cereals, fruit and the obligatory Full English to keep me going until next week, probably.

 

breakfast_opt.jpg.3892b27d30b218e4888da01686f6934e.jpg

This'll keep you going, sir.


So, was it worth it? An emphatic "yes". A great place to stay, a slice of social history, some brilliant (proper) British food and a great ride out.


I'm already planning the return visit. Any takers?

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Dunno.....we could do a Saturday lunchtime but t'would be dependent on good forecast as you have to sit outside to eat. But up to end of October would be good. @JRH would you be up for this?

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How about this Saturday (6th) for lunch. Forecast is for showers but that could change for better or worse.

 

Unfortunately....... got.....errr........a cat show, would you believe (steps back and watches credibility recede up the road......).


This actually accounts for the somewhat felo-centric nature of some of my posts.... Miaow!

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