Finding good fish and chips outside Yorkshire is not easy, but we keep trying! A couple of years ago we went to Legoland near Windsor “on our way” to Dorset for a long weekend. Driving between Windsor and Dorset we pulled off a main road somewhere to find something to eat, and found a Jack’s Fish & Chips shop. It was delicious – really nice chips and lovely fresh fish.
There’s another Jack’s Fish & Chips shop in Uxbridge, not far from where we live, which we only really noticed after having eaten at the one near Windsor. We’ve been meaning to try it ever since, but only just got round to it. The Uxbridge branch was not anything like as nice, being mediocre at best.
While I was in the queue, the lady in front of me asked for a slice of lemon for her fish. Good idea I thought – and perhaps that’s what they do here. I asked for the same (for Annette – I prefer mine saturated in vinegar!), only for the bloke at the till to grumble, ask the man behind the fryer, and then begrudgingly agree to my request.
The man behind the fryer, clearly for my benefit, said “that has to be the last time today – that’s two in a row, we can’t keep giving it away – these people need to realise it costs us money”. Had he said to me that slices of lemon came at 10p each I’d have been perfectly happy, but instead I came away feeling like I’d done something wrong. While waiting for our haddock to be fried, I saw this sign by the counter – ordinarily you’d imagine that it was written with a smile, but I’m sure that it just as miserable as the two men behind the counter…

Miserable Jack and his Fish and Chips in Uxbridge
“Warning: Too much vinegar on your food will result in the bag breaking. This will not be our fault, it will be yours“.
Seen at Jacks Fish & Chips shop in Uxbridge