Catherine Fish & Chips, at 19 Wellington Street, Littleport has quite a history which goes back a good 100 years.
When my Wiltshire based auntie visited for her 88th birthday during the Easter holidays there was a lot of home cooking going on! One lunch time she put her order in for fried egg and chips.
Forever willing to oblige and although happy enough to fry the egg I thought of an easy way to provide the chips… I sauntered up to the local chippie, and having read the sign outside that it was ‘Under New Management’ I was hopeful about the quality of the food. I ordered regular chips and took them back to auntie to eat with her sunny side up egg. As she tucked in with gusto I heard a spluttering sound through a mouthful of chips: “Wow these chips are delicious. Have you tried them?”
On auntie’s recommendation I too munched my way through the remainder of the generous portion of chips and agreed that they were really tasty.
Sometime after my aunt returned to her home town of Corsham I made a second trip to Catherine Fish & Chip shop only to find that I was a minute late, and that they had just locked the door at 2 pm. Hesitantly but hopefully I knocked on the door and instead of being sent away, I was rewarded when the lady inside kindly reopened and asked me to come in. She obligingly took my order and proceeded to turn the fryer on to cook cod and chips especially for me.
“We cook in vegetable fat not dripping,“ stated Carly as she told me that this was the secret to good tasting fish and chips. Carly who has been in the family fish and chip business for a good 20 years now continued, “I do have lots of experience you know” which I didn’t doubt for one minute.
Her partner Henry is the main person who now runs Catherine Fish & Chips, while Carly also gives a helping hand wherever she can, if she’s not looking after her two young children aged 4 and 6 on a full time basis.
“At Catherine we pride ourselves in serving traditional fish and chips at its best”, states their leaflet, and as Carly told Littleport Life Magazine; “We are pleased that old customers are now returning to this chip shop and becoming regulars again since we took it over which can only be a good sign!”