The humble 'chippy tea' is a quintessentially British dish which has long been regarded as an affordable treat. However, with many chippies having to raise prices, customers can often now expect to pay more than before for a large cod and chips at their usual chippy.
It seems 'cheap as chips' is now a thing of the past and business owners are feeling the heat.
Like many other chip shop owners, Fran Jones and Jo Clements, 52, of 'The Bay Chippy' in Swansea, have been forced to raise their prices over the past few months. A large cod and chips there will now cost you £7.80 in the chippy - or £11 on UberEats. "We've had to raise all our prices recently because the cost of the oil, the fish, energy costs, everything has gone up dramatically," explained Jo.
The 'Bay Chippy' owner said her customers had been quite understanding because they realised that if they wanted a good product at the moment they had to pay more. Jo added: "We tried to absorb the costs ourselves for as long as we could but they're still rising. We're trying to keep costs as low as we can at the moment."
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The veteran chip shop owner has worked in the trade for over three decades and said that trying to absorb costs this year had affected her business. "It has been hard for me and my partner because each month you think, 'Oh, I can put a bit away', but you don't get there," Jo said, adding: "It's an impossible situation, we try to keep going and to keep positive but it is hard."
Jo gave us a breakdown of her costs to explain why fish and chips was no longer a cheap takeaway alternative.
Fish
Just six months ago, Jo was able to purchase a case of cod for £125, this has since doubled to £250. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, The Bay Chippy used fish which was imported from Russia but this stopped due to British sanctions against the country. Due to this, Jo has to use fish from Norway and other countries which are charging a lot more due to the demand.
Chicken
The Bay Chippy also sells chicken products and Jo said she used to be able to buy thirty-two portions of chicken for £32 but now pays £62 for the same amount so has had to raise the price of chicken dishes.
Oil
Chip shop cod is nothing without its crispy batter, and oil is another cost that Jo said had doubled. The chip shop owner has to buy large quantities of oil and only six months ago, she could get 20L for £20- she is now paying £40 for the same amount of oil.
Wrapping Paper
Whether you order chicken, fish, or just chips, the final choice a customer makes is whether to have it open or wrapped. Jo even has to worry about the cost of wrapping her customer's food at the moment, with the price of her usual package of wrapping paper going from £6 to £11.
Gas and Electric
Keeping the fridges cold and the oil hot also comes at a hefty price in the current climate, with energy bills soaring. Jo said the business used far more than an average household and had been badly affected by rising costs which did not seem to be lowering anytime soon, only increasing.
On the changes she had seen this year, Jo said: "It's horrendous. No normal person understands what it's like being in this trade anymore. I've been in this trade for thirty-five years and I've never seen such increases, these prices are soaring." It is a similar problem across the border - Jo's brother also owns a fish and chip shop in Gloucestershire and has been affected by rising costs in ingredients and energy in the same way.
With inflation now at 10.1%, and the energy price cap set to rise again later this year and even further in 2023, it seems the price of a fish and chip supper could get even higher.
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