A golden opportunity

Home » Features » Batter » A golden opportunity
Carvers Fish & Chips

Carvers in Scunthorpe relies on Goldensheaf Gold Batter and Dinaclass curry sauce for quality and consistency

At eight-years-old, Vas Nikolaidis would help his father in his fish and chip shop, dutifully filling up the chip bucket and watching him fry. Now 45, he is in charge of Carvers, a busy 52-seater restaurant and takeaway, and one of three chip shops the family owns in Scunthorpe. 

Driven by a commitment to fresh, homemade produce, Vas has honed not only the art of frying but also the importance of using high quality ingredients to maintain quality and consistency. It’s why Vas uses Goldensheaf Gold Batter Mix across all three shops. 

“I think different areas of the country are used to different kinds of batters,” explains Vas. “Around this area, customers like it light, crispy and golden, which is exactly what Goldensheaf Gold gives. It’s nice and golden, but not too brown. It coats the fish nicely and when it’s cooked it has just got that nice crisp on it. It’s absolutely brilliant.”

Used across the menu to batter everything from fish and sausages to fishcakes and spam, Vas finds Goldensheaf so consistent that he can prepare a batch ready for when the shop opens and then make more as and when he starts running low, knowing that it will always fry the same. He adds: “I try not to make up more than I need because I’ve always found the longer the batter stays, it starts to lose its colour a little bit. When I make my batter, I put some in my dish and the rest will go in the fridge until I need it, which keeps it a bit fresher.”

Sides are a big seller at Carvers, especially curry sauce which is available in two different varieties to cater for a wider range of customers. Vas comments: “For a long time I was just serving Dinaclass Curry Sauce but after being sent some samples of the Irish Curry Sauce, I thought I would free up a bain marie and try it. It wasn’t long before I had to phone up and order some more! Having the two gives customers that extra option because some like it a little bit spicier with a bit of a kick to it.”

Carvers now sells as many portions of curry sauce as mushy peas. 

As with his batter, Vas makes curry sauce in batches to save having any excess leftover. “If we’re really busy, say on a Friday, and one of the girls shouts out that we’ve run out of curry sauce, it’s quite easy to make up a little bit there and then. What is really great about Dinaclass curry sauces is that you can make them to the consistency that suits you. Just boil the water, add the curry mix to it and thicken it up or thin it down as you go.”

Kerry Foodservice 0800 138 1938 eu.kerryfoodservice.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Shopping Basket