Topic Of The Week: March 2, 2001
"Fish & Chip Shops"

Possible discussion topics:
-Personal recollections
-Back then versus now
-Fish, Haggis, or black pudding with chips?
-Chip Vans (converted buses) round the schemes
-Favourite chip shop in the three towns.

Topic of the Week (TOTW) is simply a tool to promote conversation and bring up subjects which have not necessarily been covered before or very often.

Hugh McCallum

From: "Jean" <jt@dcjt.xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

I lived in Robertson Crescent which was just around the corner from the chip shop in Canal Street. I don't know who owned it but I do recall it going on fire a couple of times!

When I lived in London I remember shocking my work colleagues by talking about deep fried pizza suppers!

From: "Peter Bird" <peter__bird@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

The best fish suppers in the three towns were supplied by Reids in Boglemart St. opposite the Grange cinema. There was the 'carry oot' or the 'sit in' at the back of the shop. There have never been suppers like it since they closed. The batter was the secret ingredient that made folks queue up. Togneris in New St. were quite good as well but Reids were the TOPS.

From: "Mike Garrett" <garrett@xx.nl>
Cc: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

My (fairly recent - 1970/80s) experience is as young child waiting with my dad in the long, hot summer queues (probably during Glasgow fair) that used to (and no doubt still do) form outside Tortellini's (right next to the Melbourne Cafe in Saltcoats). The usual order was "special" fish suppers (my dads favourite) and chicken suppers (mine) - all wrapped up in newspaper (usually the A&S Herald) with salt and vinegar - my mouth waters at the very thought of it (how lucky are those of you reading this tonight that can just nip out and collect one easy-peasy!).

And I also have some "freezing cold" memories as a teenager, standing in the bitter winter cold of a Sunday evening (straight after the St. Mary's youth club finished ~ 10pm) devouring a deep fried Pizza - we were so cold and it was so hot (the hot fat used to burn the roof off your mouth but we were too cold to notice - until the next day!).
cheers, Mike.

From: "Garry Jarvis" <gjarvis@xx.net>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

Fish Suppers and there like! When we lived 'up the scheme'. use to get our Suppers from the Fish shop just down from the High Rd [near the N.Parish Church ] can't remember the name of the street or the F& C owner. We'd get the Special ,[with extra fish], single supper and Steak and Kidney supper [my favourite] .Later when we moved nearer the town we frequented Tortellini's.My dad always [and still does from time to time] loved the 'breakfast plate' -sausage egg, bacon, chips. With sliced bread and tea. Handy when my Mum used to travel to Paisley to visit my Sister & family for the day. As he was not 'a cook'-even for boiled eggs! She knew as long as  there was F& C shops he wouldn't starve! When I 'm over, I always try to get my S& K Supper 'fix'. Can't get any here in Texas. Sheena

From: "David Young" <david@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

The first one I remember as a child was Lizzie Clarkes next to the pub at the bottom of Raise Street next to the Railway station. That was in the 1940's. Then in 1948, after the war and the year of the Olympic games ,came the Olympic cafe at the corner of Raise Street and Union Street. In 1954/55 after youth fellowship at Landsborough Church, which no longer exists, the Labour Social Club being on the site, or a night out at the pictures with some friends, we'd get fish suppers at the Olympic and a bottle of scooch and eat and drink them going up the road to the New England Scheme. No late buses in those days, or taxis .
Now a days every time I go back to Saltcoats, I must go to Tortolano's next to the Melbourne cafe. They are still the best in town. There was also one opposite the Town Hall in Countess Street in Saltcoats which stayed open late and was very handy when coming of the last train from Glasgow on a Saturday night. I read in the Sunday Post a few weeks ago that they were expecting the £4 fish supper to arrive soon. Well, here in London a fish supper will cost you £4.30 today.
David Young.

From: "Betty Woodland" <bettywood@xx.net.au>
To: <threetowners @topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

The Olympic Cafe is the one I remember going to as a child. It was 4d for a bag of chips then the bag was about a third of the size of a brown paper bag, and I think 1/- for a piece of fish, fish suppers were about 1/6d. I think you could get a finnan' haddie as well as whiting. We lived in Union St at that time.

Later when we lived at The Braes we went to "wee Joe's" that was the one across from the Countess. I used to love sitting in and having a chicken supper when John and I were "winchin'".
regards Betty Woodland nee McClure

From: "Bob Thomas" <bthomas@xx.ca>
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001

Jean,
What would your friends in London think if they were to learn of the latest offering in the fish and chip shops. I am referring here to deep-fried Mars bars. I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes on a recent trip back "home" to Arran. In case you're wondering, this is not a strange "island" quirk - they are readily available on the mainland too. Apparently, the schoolchildren are spending their lunch money on this delight. A bag of chips and a deep-fried Mars bar. The mind boggles (not to mention the arteries!)
Anne in Montreal

From: "Sally O'Connor" <salgeo@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

I had to laugh at all these fish & chip shop memories. The one thing we miss most in Australia would have to be the special fish suppers. I think we must have the best in the world over there. My favourite one was the one at Saltcoats station across from the Town Hall. I loved the pickled onions. If you were really flush, you could go in and sit down and get some bread and butter with it!. If you were really really flush you could maybe even manage an egg!!!! When we were back in Saltcoats in 92 we were horrified to watch a Pizza being deep-fried!!! Having said that one of our best friends father has lived out of a frying pan for 82 years and is soo fit it makes me jealous!!
Sally O xxx

From: "TL Hanlon" <tommy_h_mentor@xx.net>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

Peter,
no one has ever come close to Reid's fish Suppers. in days gone by you could go to the Grange see a movie and then sit in at Reid's all for half a crown. Oh !! for a good fish supper.
Tommy

From: "Sally O'Connor" <salgeo@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

Hi Gary, That was Old Raise Road shops. We actually saw the Pizza supper being fried there. Does anyone remember the old fish and chip van that came round the schemes?. He used to blow his whistle. Sally O xx

 From: Alan&Elizabeth Scott
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

The best chippie was Maronies, tap o Glasgow st; on the right hand side before you come to the plazza, between the bookies& park rd;. when i was carrying no 2 child I lived in 226 Glasgow st ;very tap flat, I went down to Mr Maronies for a bag o chips for 6d, every night (notions),weekend fish supper.MMMM. Another good chippie was the central bar, near bottom o Glasgow st;i worked there when i was young!!.
liz scott

From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001

Hi Liz,
I must agree about Maronies fish and chip shop, their haddock was the best in Ardrossan and didn't Mr Maronie look the part? The Central Cafe was our special place to get black pudding suppers. When we were winchin Betty would send me down on my bike for black pudding suppers after we'd seen my faither off to the bingo at the Lyric reminding him to say hello to Aldo at the 'Castle Hill Vaults' before coming home. The day we arrived back in Ardrossan for a holiday in 1978 with our three children the Central was being demolished. Anyhoo happy memories!

Much earlier as Bobby McCubbin has reminded me, we used to drop into the 'Deep Sea' at the corner of Princes place and Glasgow Street (after the matinee at the Lyric) and get a pennies worth of fish crisps which were really just the pieces of batter that had broken away from the frying fish. Add a bit of vinegar and salt and we'd gallop off up the Cannon Hill our young minds still thinking we were the Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers depending what the matinee film was. Oh happy days!

Couldn't believe the rubbish they served as fish and chips when we first came to Australia. They used to, and some still do, half cook the chips through the day and as you order them they'd measure them out and further cook them - same with the fish. We went to Rex Hunt's fish and Chip shop in Melbourne the other week it was lovely. You might have seen Rex on cable with his fishing show you know the guy who kisses the fish. Bit of a legend as an Aussie Rules
footballer was Rex.

Hugh McCallum

From: "james james" <jamesbarr50@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001

Hi threetowner's think all the chippie's were good judging by the comments every1 has there own favourites i remember two of my favs both in Ardrossan and both in prince's street first there was Murchie's where an an apprentice at the shipyard I would be sent for the chips at dinner time you entered through the back door and u met all the other apprentices there from the different trades u would have a list as long as your arm and always hoped when it was tallied up that you had the right money as the tradesmen sometimes didn't think twice about giving you a penny or two short if you were short you just had to hope you had enough money to put to it then they would all be saying god these chips are great and you would think to yourself so they should be i had to pay for most of them then there was Eugene's across the road he made the wee chips modern name I think is French fries but he was the only one i can remember at that time who made them they also were great sadly both have now gone although Eugene is still living and one of his son's has delgreco's in saltcoats where the coffee is absolutely brill my wife always scolds me when we go in there for scraping the cup with the teaspoon for the cream that is left in the cup have enjoyed TOTW this week and last keep them coming Hugh wonder if any of the tradesmen I mentioned earlier are reading this. jim barr (blakjak50) 

From: "Jim Gordon" <jim.gordon@xx.net.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001

You are right Hugh re Maronies fish and chips I think he used coco nut- oil instead of animal fat there was always a nice ''nutty smell'' and a long permanent line of people waiting [he never ''blanched'' anything before hand] hence the long wait, I think the worst fish and chips were from a shop accross from the Eglinton hotel in Princes street[ was It called Pisanis?] this would be in the late forties My dad sayed they used to refry what was left from the day before. I think wee Luigi Tortalani opened up the fish and chip shop down from the Melbourne in Saltcoats, he cooked great Haddock and chips[ when he wisnae in the bookies] God I miss haddock and chips [all we get here in new Zealand is smelly shark] and, oh, oh, for a couple of fried soda scones filled with Belfast Bacon on a Sunday morning[ at least my cholesterol is a lot lower here, but that's cold comfort.

From: <jkelly5859@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001

Just found this site today, and I'm so excited. I've been on my computer nearly all day!! Glad to hear someone else remembers Reid's fish & chip shop. Our parents would take us to the Grange cinema, and if we were lucky, we'd get to go "sit in" at Reid's. A plate of chips and a bottle of Vimto for the kids, while the grownups had fish suppers. Great memories. Reid's was famous as far away as Glasgow!!

But the Melbourne fish suppers were good too. (Going forward a few years now). After the Ingledene on a Saturday night, walked back along the road to the Melbourne. A treat was the 'special fish' supper.

Jean Kelly (nee Park, ex Hayocks Road) 

From: "Bob Bryden" <bobbryden@xx.net.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001

I've never tried deep-fried Mars Bars although there are several fish & chip shops here in Wanganui, New Zealand that have sold them for a number of years. They also have deep-fried Moro Bars which are much the same thing. Either way, no thanks - give me a good feed of fish & chips any day.

On a return visit to Ardrossan in 1974 I can recall getting a good feed of fish & chips from a shop in Glasgow St. just about opposite the Gardens of Remembrance ( Moronies I think ) & enjoyably consuming them on a seat up on Castle Hill overlooking the Gardens.

On the same visit I managed to 'nose' or' sniff' out good fish & chip shops in Rothesay, Oban & Fort William - at the latter I made the mistake of asking for a pie & a fish supper & got a double helping of chips. I actually just wanted one pie ( the round Scottish pies are far superior to what we get in New Zealand ) plus some fish & chips. I realised what had happened afterwards. Unfortunately I found I wasn't hungry enough to finish 2 lots of chips as my cousin continued our drive along the Road to the Isles.

Bob Bryden

From: <paulgiowa@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 4:16 PM
Subject: [3T] Fish and Chip Vans


God I don't think I've ever seen such a fixation with fish and chips! The vans you are talking about Sally were my Uncle Leo and cousin known as "young Louis" as his old man was "big Louis" my father took the old buses to England I think before I was born to have the pans fitted in the back (there were two chip vans). When I was back there about 1980 Leo asked me if I was interested in taking over his van, I declined. I miss streaky bacon rolls and I am going to live on them for three weeks in June when I return on Hols. By the way the chip vans were originally housed at Raise Street where my father and his brothers had built a "chip factory" everything was done there from peeling and chipping to gutting fish when required.

Cheers
Paul