A surprise package

The Corner Plaice in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, was surprised to learn it had made Fry’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways – and even more surprised when an eight-piece utensil bundle from Hopkins arrived at the shop shortly afterwards

For nearly 50 years, The Corner Plaice has been serving traditional fish and chips to its local community. Owner Harry Kyriakou started there on his 13th birthday peeling potatoes and never really left. “That was my first job,” he says. “I went to frying at 16, took over at 18, and the rest is history.”

This year marked a major milestone for the shop, as The Corner Plaice made the Fry Magazine’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways Award for the first time after entering several times previously. Harry says the news came as a surprise, commenting: “I’d sort of forgotten about it all. The e-mail actually went into my spam folder, so I didn’t even see it at first. Then suppliers started messaging me on Instagram and customers were coming in saying we were in the papers.”

Harry believes a series of improvements over the last year helped push the shop into the 50 Best, adding: “We’ve made loads of changes. We updated the shop, added new décor and little bits and bobs, brought in new products and really pushed the social media.”

The menu has expanded too, while still keeping a traditional feel. “We don’t really go down the kebab route,” says Harry. “We try to keep things very traditional.” New additions include butcher-made sausages, homemade jumbo pigs in blankets, beef dripping gravy, homemade Scotch eggs and two types of curry sauce. 

The recognition has brought a noticeable boost to trade, with Harry explaining: “We got coverage in a couple of local papers and that definitely helped. You could see new faces coming through the door after that.”

As part of the making the 50 Best, Harry also received an eight piece utensils bundle from awards sponsor Hopkins worth around £200, including a skimmer, chip scoop, whisk and more. “I wasn’t expecting it,” he says. “Then this massive parcel turned up. No one gives you anything for nothing these days, so it was a nice feeling.”

The equipment has already gone straight into use. “I’ve got my whisk straight out,” Harry says. “The quality of the stainless steel is really good. You can tell it’s proper quality. The skimmer comes with a hand grip, which I’m hoping is going to make my life easier.”

He’s particularly interested in trying out the skimmer, which is larger than his current one, and the fish drainer. “I don’t use a fish drainer at the moment, so I’m looking forward to seeing what difference using that makes. There was a massive chip scoop in there too.”

With utensils regularly needing replacement, Harry says the prize will save the business money at a time when costs remain high. “We probably replace skimmers and scoops every year and that’s three or four at a time easily, and they’re not cheap. So this prize definitely helps.”

Hopkins 0113 257 7934 www.hopkins.biz