With rising prices everywhere, it's getting trickier and trickier to find a cheap meal out - even for a traditional takeaway of fish and chips. According to new research, the average cost of a portion of fish and chips in the UK has risen to £11.05 due to the hike in fish wholesale prices and soaring energy bills.
But for those heading to Blackpool at this time of year for a day out to the Pier, or to see the world-famous Illuminations, a fish and chip supper is an absolute must. There's simply nothing like the combo of sea air and a steaming pile of deep-fried potato doused in a sharp hit of salt and vinegar.
So our colleagues at Lancs Live headed to test out the Blackpool venue hailed "the cheapest chippy" in the town centre. Here's how they got on.
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Hailed on social media as the cheapest chippy in Blackpool Town Centre, Tower Fisheries can be found on Topping Street. It's just a short walk from the North Pier and seafront.
It serves fish, chips and mushy peas for £5.25 on its takeaway menu, but also offers a three course special which includes soup, cod and chips and ice-cream or a fruit cocktail for £7.50.
This comes in a whopping 71 per cent cheaper than the national average price for the dish, and is claimed to be the cheapest town centre chippy. So that was the cue for LancsLive reviewer Alice Suffield to give it a whirl.
She said: "On a quite Thursday evening, I was the only person waiting to be served when I went in. Like most chip shops in Blackpool, Tower Fisheries had the option to sit in as well as take away.
"I chose to to eat on the go, but was very tempted by the aforementioned three course special. The person behind the counter took my order and informed me I'd have to wait a few minutes as he'd just put a new batch of chips in the fryer.
"I went for the £5.25 cod and chips and mushy peas, which is not my usual order but at that price I couldn't resist. Just a few minutes later, I'd paid and was walking back to my car with my steaming hot order.
"Just a couple of weeks ago, I'd taste tested TripAdvisor's top rated chippy in Blackpool, Yorkshire Fisheries, and I loved it, so my expectations weren't high for this. But when I looked at my order, my hopes lifted.
"I got a huge piece of fish and plenty of chips, which on first inspection seemed a bit soggy, but they turned out to be perfect. The chips were fluffy and hot, and the batter on the cod was crispy with crunchy ends, and the cod itself was flaked to perfection.
"The mushy peas were also nice, but admittedly not my favourite part of the dish (if they hasn't been part of the deal I probably wouldn't have ordered them).
"The whole meal tasted exactly the same as if I'd paid £10 for it, which isn't uncommon in Blackpool chippies in the current climate.
"The food was hot, cooked to perfection and you could practically taste the value for money."
Alice's final verdict? "In a world where it costs over a tenner for a fish supper, Tower Fisheries is a light in the dark."
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