Lancaster chippy celebrates 25 years in business

Hodgson's Chippy, in Prospect Street, celebrates the landmark on Saturday July 1, and Nigel Hodgson - who runs the business with his wife Linda - said all their initial hard work, commitment and sacrifices has paid off.

"To enable us to buy the chippy we had to sell our much-loved house and uproot the children from their home to live above the chip shop," he said.

"We were determined to turn the run down terraced shop around and began investing money into renovation and the finest frying technology.

"This investment, along with our knowledge and commitment, was to set us apart from most other fryers.

"So much so, we soon began winning local and national awards."

Hodgson's has since gone on to win multiple awards, both local and national, including:

Lancaster Guardian - Best Takeaway Award

Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen - Best Fish and Chip Shop

Taste Lancashire - Highest Quality Assured Award

National Fish and Chip Shop Takeaway of the Year Award

Regional (North West) Winner Fish and Chip Shop Takeaway of the Year Award - three times

National Winner of Young Fish Frier of the Year - twice

Nigel said the team is committed to providing the very best for their customers.

"We are committed to raising standards within the industry, aiming to bring fish and chips into the 21st century," he said.

"Our fish and chips contain incredibly low levels of saturated fat compared to generations gone by.

"Recent analysis shows that 100 grams of a portion of Hodgson’s fish, chips and peas contains merely 5.5 grams of fat.

"Our fish and chips are prepared fresh daily from natural products. We source our fish responsibly from sustainable stocks, only caught by reputable vessels carrying the MSC logo.

"We marry this to trusty potatoes lifted from the fields of Pilling, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire."

Nigel and Linda have also spent the years raising money for various charities.

"With us being in the heart of the community, we have always strived to support local causes, along with national charities too," Nigel said.

"Over the 25 years in business we have raised over £50,000 for local and national charities and donated numerous football strips for our local grassroots football teams.

"We love supporting our local community as we have been supported so strongly over the years.

"We would like to thank all our loyal customers who travel both locally and from afar and sometimes have to queue in the rain to enjoy our fish and chips. Yet, lately they have had the pleasure of some sunshine."

Nigel said their success is largely down to their supportive team.

"What an absolute blast these 25 years have been," Nigel said.

"Both Linda and myself feel very privileged to have owned and worked together daily within the business - it doesn't feel like coming to work as we both still enjoy the daily running of the fish and chip shop.

"We have an amazing team behind us, which is what helps to make us stand out from other takeaways.

"Our staff have been with us for many years, some over 20 years now. This is something we feel proud about and really do appreciate each and every one of them."