Scampi sales increase three fold for the wee chippy after switching to Amity

The Wee Chippy has a fantastic location. Not only is it housed in a former jail, but it’s right on the seafront in the renowned fishing village of Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife, overlooking the marina and the Firth of Forth. With a steady local trade seeing it through the winter, day-trippers and holidaymakers boost trade six-fold in the summer.

Owner Chris Lewis prides himself on offering something for all his customers and recently added a gluten and dairy free menu, which he says already has a steady stream of customers thankful to have found a chip shop going above and beyond the cause.

Another success story has been the addition of Amity Panko Breaded Single Wholetail Scampi from Amity Fish Company in Peterhead. A keen supporter of small, Scottish producers, Chris’s attention was drawn to them when another chip shop, The Bay in Stonehaven, advertised them on its menu.

“I try and use as many local producers as I can, especially smaller guys, and we’re always looking for Scottish products to add to the menu,” he explains.

“I contacted Amity and Jimmy Buchan came down with some samples and, to be fair, everything was good but the Panko Scampi was my favourite.

“It’s probably the best product I’ve ever tasted scampi-wise. The breadcrumbs are seasoned nicely, the meat inside is lovely, they crisp up brilliantly and they cook in a decent time too. It’s magic and we now sell three times as much scampi than we used to, which is fantastic.”

Chris knows he could bread his own scampi but says he’d be wasting his time when he has a ready made product available that is far superior.

Selling 10 scampi pieces to a portion, the takeaway charges £9 and customers often add chips plus The Wee Chippy’s homemade tartare sauce. Chris says the quality shines through and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by customers, adding: “We all know people are quick to complain but we’ve found people are also quick to e-mail us or contact us via Facebook to tell us our scampi is the best they’ve ever tasted.”

As well as providing a great product, Chris enjoys dealing with Amity as a company, adding: “Jimmy is just so approachable, as are all the staff in the office. If I’m ever really stuck and I’ve run out of something they will always sort it for me.

“Amity Scampi is one of those products you get and you think I’m going to hold onto this. We’ve been working with a lot of the same suppliers for many years now and it’s because as well as supplying a good product they are great guys to do business with. We’re busier than we’ve ever been and I think that’s partly because we source great products from great local suppliers.”