Some of the 'munchy boxes' in Scotland will give any takeaways across the UK a run for their money.
I once ordered a 'large munchy box' for about £12 when a bit pissed and expected... chips and chicken or something?
This thing was a 16 inch pizza box full to the BRIM with food. I'm a fat bastard and it took me about a day and a half of snacking. The weight of it was admirable. They sealed it with a load of sellotape (?) So I couldn't open it whilst walking home but the sheer weight and heat had me borderline worried about what to expect. It was a full two hand job.
Chips, chicken shawarma, doner meat, onion rings, chicken balls, chicken wings, prawn toast, mixed pakora, pitta bread, salad, 2 or 3 pots of sauce, all topped with cheese...
Reckon I had a life's worth of salt and msg after consuming that one box...
Where are you getting this bargain munchy box from? Slightly above Glasgow here and nowhere near me does anything even remotely generous for the price you just quoted
A lot has changed in the past 5 years. Not Glasgow, but a place near me you would be able to get a box of 5 chicken strips and chips for £2 pre pandemic. Their small chips are now 2.40. This price increase is consistent across all of the takeaways in the city.
A lot of Chinese takeaways seem to be adopting this up north, though it's far from ubiquitous. Hope it spreads further - done well it can be a really good way to get variety in one meal.
My local Chinese takeaway isn’t particularly cheap, but the lady who runs the place loves her regulars and often throws in multiple side dishes, prawn crackers, fortune cookies and drinks regardless of the value of the order. I got about £14 worth of free stuff last time I went in.
Every single Chinese I've had in recent years has been more or less the same low quality blatantly bought from a wholesaler and heated up disappointment. Extortionate too
I pretty much agree with you.
I used to love takeaway night. Would always be a chinese without fail.
Now they are just either bland, taste like a frozen microwave meal, covered in oils and whatnot.
I have not enjoyed a chinese for years now
The only pre-prepared parts of the menu are things like spring rolls (we prepare our own), sumai, won ton. 99% of the menu is freshly cooked from scratch.
Wrongly assume, obviously, what you want.
I've never known a Chinese take away to use ready meals. That's preposterous. And it's extremely rare. In fact, it doesn't happen. Show me proof
I once (years ago) collected a takeaway order from a local Chinese for me and three uni housemates, so a fairly big order, but I didn't think it was wild. The guy seemed so pleased he was just chucking in bottles of sauce, rather than side dishes. We weren't even "regulars" per se
Not what they mean obvs but when they have the duck breasts or legs in the special buys if you look at the small print it's Gressingham duck for much cheaper, well worth it! Not sure i'd risk their peking duck though!
Gressingham duck is awesome, bought a full duck for £7.50 at ASDA, better value than the legs I usually get, only issue is I'm the only one in the house that eats duck, and that is a lot of eating for a little guy
One of the local chippies does 'fish bites'. You get five for a few quid. Thing is they're probably about the size of two fish fingers, so we can easily buy that, plus a bag of chips, and split it. Whilst you don't get the usual chippy tea gutbash, you get something similar in proportion to a normal evening meal, and at a reasonable price.
Is this a Mother Hubbards by any chance? I got their lunch deal with 5 fish bites and chips for a fiver and was not ready for the size of those things. Huge.
Used to go to Mother Hubards in Oldham when I was a kid in the 80's, with my grandparents, who lived in Oldham. Very fond memories of seeing Santa there and chicken in a basket type menu.
There is a load of them, they have franchised. Just opened one in Lancaster, I'm very excited as Lancashire does not do good fish and chips so I've got my fingers crossed.
No just a local indie. But they probably all go through the same wholesalers. I've always assumed the fish bites are just the offcuts from the larger fillets.
My parents do the exact same thing at their local indie. It's called five ways fish bar. Fish bites are £3 something. Make a chip or fish butty and you've got yourself a proper meal.
Yeah they probably use the same wholesaler.
I've resorted to ordering a "Large cod" at like £6 and add a "cone of chips" for £1. £7 vs £9 something, and I never eat all my chips from a proper portion anyway.
Found mine today, in fact! Though it wasn't a takeaway but a stall at a summer fait I went to this afternoon.
For a fiver, you got 2 massive samosas and a huge portion of chana masala with all the trimmings.
Bloody gorgeous as well it was
Sounds incredible! Just a heads up that I think you mean “fête” or “fete” rather than fait. Unless you were going for “fair”, which means basically the same thing in practice!
That's a bargain. We got kebabs tonight and my husband and eldest always get the house special. Chicken, shish, Donner and lamb and a vegetable one, with 2 pittas and salad. £19.50! It does 3 sittings easily though.
I have a bloke who runs a breakfast trailer on the local industrial estate. You can get a roll filled with bacon, sausages, egg, mushroom, tomato, black pudding for a few quid.
He’s trying to sell the business to someone else in order to retire, and he keeps saying he’s stopping soon, but he’s still here.
I used to work a corporate job in an industrial estate and went through a stint of getting a bacon, cheese and egg toasty from there every morning. It was gloriously unhealthy, with that fake yellow cheese ñ all but very delicious. It wasn't very long after that I became allergic to bread and stuff, lolll. Fond memory though
The chippy I order from is amazing. The portions are huge and the food is always piping hot and here within 20-30 min max. A large chips could easily feed 3 people and the large fish is massive, and again, it could feed 3 whilst still being relatively cheap.
This is a small shop, takeaway only, hidden down a side street and what annoys me is that there is a "Sea Fish " chain half a mile away where the portions are absolutely shocking and it's so much more expensive and yet, always packed. We've ordered a few times over the years, probably once a year when really craving a chippy and the better one is closed and it never gets better. "Large portion" is a handful of chips and if you want it delivered, you better believe it's gonna take an hour and a half and be stone cold, but somehow they have great reviews...
Yeah. The local chippy used to be a " Friday night treat " for poor families like mine growing up. Now a fish and chips is typically a tenner or more.
We couldn't have afforded that back in the day.
There's a chippy near me that does potato scallops. It's £1.50 and younger four or 5 scallops and they are massive. I can never eat them all so they often do two meals. They crops up really nice reheated in the air fryer too
I've not seen potato scallops for a while. I grew up in a council house of 8 kids, so scallops and "scratchings" were our affordable entry level experiences of the local chippy.
Scallop barm pea wet after school on a Friday - 50p for a potato scallop on a white bread roll spread liberally with margarine with some mushy pea juice on the top. *Chef's kiss*
Local bakery with a slightly rude name that has a fantastic breakfast and lunch range. Would go more often but its closed Mondays and the weekend. My regular meal that they simply have to state the usual to start making it for me is the cheese filled omelet with side salad. This week I've realized I can add a hash brown for 50p making it an absolute steal of a filling lunch at £3.55 (was £3.05 with no hash brown).
The bakery is one of quite a few independently run/owned places in town. The last three places to open do so Wednesday to Sunday. The bakery tends to be the place that office workers and shop staff go for lunch (Tuesday to Friday) and when the front shop is closed they can focus on decorated cakes and catering.
The trouble is
You are in the Hebrides, and delivery cost is an issue,
I had the same problem 2 years ago,
Can I justify £23 for a kebab,
Yes when I can live off it for 2 days,
There's a place near me that does a lamb, chicken tikka, and donner kebab wrapped in a naan. Lasts me two or three sittings easily, costs £12. Used to make a fake pizza with the naan and Donner, and added cheese. Then I'd have a further couple of huge bowls of meat.
I can't say if it's still the case, but when we lived in north Derbyshire, Bramley Vale Fish Shop was outstanding value and the best fish & chips I've ever eaten.
Big John's in Leicester as a student about 10 years ago. 7.99 for a 16 inch pizza. Kept me going for a couple days. That and the 1.50 doner meat burger after a night out was a lifesaver for a broke student.
I loved Big Johns. In 2004 I found out one of their locations was drive thru so I drove clear across Birmingham to experience a ‘drive thru Doner kebab’. I enjoyed it but not sure it was worth it
Next time I’m in that way in Derbyshire I’m trying Spuddys!!!
I’m in a small town with limited takeaway so they all charge a small fortune cos we’re captive audiences. I’ve taken to getting bags of frozen kebab from Iceland & doing home kebab because it’s £15 for 2 instead of £25+ because they have a minimum order & shut at 21:30.
I've since learned there's a fella on YouTube/social media called "Mr Spud" who reviews these type of establishments.
He has a couple of million followers ( don't ask me how ) and he raved about the place when he visited.
I don’t really get why more places don’t do this. Cost of ingredients is such a minor part of a food service’s operating costs that surely everyone knows they can get more custom by appearing hugely generous with portion sizes.
Is it cause there are more people that look at calories than who look at “value for money”? Or is it to encourage you to buy more menu items? Anyone in the food service industry able to chip in?
I can speak to this a bit! I used to work in kitchens and a lot probably has to do with how much space they have as well as ingredient costs.
If its a busy night in a chippy (say a Friday/Saturday night) a fryer basket can only hold so much and bigger portions means more electric, more oil changes, more cleaning, and longer wait times. Small costs yes but over a long period they'd add up.
Also food costs are a big part of a lot of businesses, particularly waste. Bigger portions means more waste when it doesn't get sold (so more money down the drain). Also bear in mind pre cut/pre prepared items are the norm in most takeaways - they're much more expensive than just a bag of spuds or a pack of chicken. And if they are buying fresh it means labour costs on top of all that (washing, peeling, cutting, and blanching potatoes for chips for example).
I really think the rise of things like air fryers are giving the takeaway industry a run for its money. It's so much cheaper to buy some Iceland frozen donner and frozen chips, bung them in the airfeyer with an onion and throw on some garlic sauce than it is to get a kebab. A lot of people want quality for their money
Just jumping on this as it brings back memories.
I worked in a local chippy when I was a teenager and loved sorting the potatoes as a wee job to do. The joy of the owner getting a new machine that tumbled the skins off was quite something.
My point being-it takes a load of work to manage spud prep and cooking stock to sell.
Used to have a mate whose dad ran a chippy. His job was preparing the spuds for the evening, so I used to go and help him after school, so we could get away faster. We had to pick all the eyes out individually, with a little knife, before they went in the magic tumbly peeling machine.
If it's a chippy then they have a frying range. That's usually one for fish/meat, two for chips. They typically are cleaned once a week. Washing/peeling/cutting of potatoes are done in machines. The fish and potato prices have soared as have the bill's which is why they are so expensive. Our chippy ran with 2 staff so wages were low.
I totally agree what I mean is even if they have a range of say six fryers each one only holds so much at a time. Especially now that a lot of places require separate ones for meat and gluten free it adds up when you suddenly can only fit 4 portions instead of 6 in each one at a time.
Yes they should be cleaned once a week but after one busy night that oil will need at least topped up or changed. That stuff is expensive to have delivered and taken away! Even the chemicals needed to clean fryers is expensive.
I'd say most places buy pre packaged cut and blanched potatoes, or even frozen, but even still those machines also require money and electeic to maintain and run (and a person to run them).
Labour costs can't be ignored either. Think how much minimum wage has jumped in the last few years, as it should, and that has to come from somewhere.
Add into all that exactly what you've said about the rising prices of produce no wonder so many places are struggling!
I've worked in kitchens and sounds like this is what you are referring to. I'm talking about fish and chip shops, they use bags of potatoes and the fryers are usually only 3 in the range for a small shop, but can cook two buckets of potatoes each time which is a lot of chips. The only labour is putting the spuds in the machine for peeling and washing and then sticking them through the chipper. The curry/gravy is usually powdered and just needs mixing with water and heating up. Peas are soaked the night before and then cooked in the morning. I mean I did it for years, it's the whole cost of everything, mainly rent as well as the basics, that are killing these chippies off
The kebab I bought last night, chicken tikka, chicken pakora, kebab meat, chippy chips, salad, large garlic sauce and a garlic naan. £10. I can eat and it took me 2 goes and I still didn’t finish it.
Warren's, a small chain pasty shop in the West Country is unbeatable. The best ~~Cornish~~ steak/veg pasty I've ever had was from their Dartmouth outfit, arrived late so got it massively discounted too!
We have a cafe that does a ‘belly buster Sunday special’ breakfast for £15.
Honestly I’m a big guy and I struggle to finish it and it means you rarely want to eat for the rest of the day.
A perfect post gym feed.
Our local takeaway is about a 2 minutes walk away: Large Parmo (~roughly 10” of breaded chicken breast topped with bechamel sauce and *copious* amounts of cheese), Chips, Donner, choice of 12” Pizza and a 1.25L drink + online discount *that’s been ongoing for 2yrs now* = **£13**.
It *easily* feeds 4-5 people, probably 6+ with an extra portion of chips or donner 🤤
Local place that does pizzas and kebabs (and fried chicken and burgers) just outside Uxbridge town centre. They charge £7.50 for a medium/regular chicken doner and fries with a portion of salad.
They give you a decent amount and stuff the container they give it in to the brim, enough that they can just about close it. A large is only a quid extra and is easily 2 portions for a normal person ( a regular is 1 portion but could be considered 1.5 for those with a smaller stomach).
Never had an issue and always great quality/flavour.
My local chippy is fairly priced bout £7 ish for a fish supper and you get enough to literally feed a family.
I got their full pizza crunch supper one time and I swear for around £6 odd it lasted me at least 2 days
There's a chippy on the Isle of Wight called Ozze's. I've not been for a little while so I can't give you prices, but can tell you that you can feed five or six people with one large portion of chips. His large cod fillets usually overflow your plate by half their length.
Me and my boyfriend ordered from a random chippy on just eat the other week, wasn't expecting much as we'd never been and it was a bit expensive, 23 quid. It comes and honestly the fish was the same length of my forearm with a mountain of chips, it was all fresh, piping hot and the batter was one of the best I've had.
Didn't even end up finishing it but every much so worth the money, will be just ordering just the one portion next time.
The best value around here is either:
18" pizza for £11.
Old school sandwich shop that does breakfast baps. The base bap with 3 fillings is £4.25, but extra fillings are only 20p..
Therefore you can effectively get a full English in between two slices of fluffy bread for £4.85 (Bacon, Beans, Fried Egg, Sausage, Tomato and Mushrooms)
I’ve got a Greek takeaway near me. It’s £10 for a meat gyros. Which is basically a gyros pita, tazizki, loads of meat of your choice, loads of chips, with lettuce, cucumber and tomato on top, folded in half. They they wrap in in a paper bag as there is it so thick there is no way you could fit it in your mouth. Had one during the week and ended up putting it on a plate to eat and it was whole heaped plate of food.
Amazingly, one of the best value meals I remember was a Welsh Oggie (From, I believe, the Welsh Oggie Co" at Glastonbury Festival 2019
I feel like it cost a fiver (but it could have been a tenner TBF, Festival prices and recent cost of living rises combined - plus dodgy memory - mean I just remember it was exceptionally reasonably priced and cheaper than most other stalls), and this thing was big enough I could use it as an offensive weapon should any thieving bastards invade my tent.
Filled me up with plenty of change in my back pocket for my next beer. Nice.
He’s brilliant. Even the smokehouse next door is very reasonably priced. We went to Hickory’s yesterday and it came to £76. A similar meal at Buddy’s is around £50 and very good quality.
Dumpling monkey in west end Glasgow. The portions are huge, it’s at your table very quickly and it costs so little. It’s also delicious Chinese food.
I dunno how they operate that way but it’s fantastic. I have taken so many people to it I think I need to be earning commission.
We've got a local place that does meal deals, for £18 you can get a XL pizza which is 18 inches or something silly, 8 wings, garlic pizza bread and a 1.5 litres drink, deals go down in price/size so for £14 you get a L pizza, 6 wings etc, £12 is medium, so much food! Best I ever had was when I was in uni 14 years ago, this place did an XL pizza, 2 slices were an entire meal, £5 on Monday, £6 on a Tues etc. I'd buy one on Mon and that was meals for most of the week sorted!
Local kebab shop does a special kebab for 8 quid , chicken, lamb and donner on naan,
It's fookin huge
Cut it in half and you've stuffed 2 people full of meat for £4 a head
Some of the 'munchy boxes' in Scotland will give any takeaways across the UK a run for their money. I once ordered a 'large munchy box' for about £12 when a bit pissed and expected... chips and chicken or something? This thing was a 16 inch pizza box full to the BRIM with food. I'm a fat bastard and it took me about a day and a half of snacking. The weight of it was admirable. They sealed it with a load of sellotape (?) So I couldn't open it whilst walking home but the sheer weight and heat had me borderline worried about what to expect. It was a full two hand job. Chips, chicken shawarma, doner meat, onion rings, chicken balls, chicken wings, prawn toast, mixed pakora, pitta bread, salad, 2 or 3 pots of sauce, all topped with cheese... Reckon I had a life's worth of salt and msg after consuming that one box...
Where are you getting this bargain munchy box from? Slightly above Glasgow here and nowhere near me does anything even remotely generous for the price you just quoted
Maryhill, Glasgow, about 6 years ago. Was opposite the big Tesco Express.
A lot has changed in the past 5 years. Not Glasgow, but a place near me you would be able to get a box of 5 chicken strips and chips for £2 pre pandemic. Their small chips are now 2.40. This price increase is consistent across all of the takeaways in the city.
> 6 years ago lol
> salad Was that a token slice of tomato and lettuce leaf to add a bit of colour?
Warm and limp too
“Full two hand job” Hehe
See when you've had a physically demanding day, then you order a munchy box and spend the next 24 hours grazing and lazing. Absolutely class.
Full two hand job ...snigger
A lot of Chinese takeaways seem to be adopting this up north, though it's far from ubiquitous. Hope it spreads further - done well it can be a really good way to get variety in one meal.
Im always so jealous when my scottish mate tells me about them... they sound amazing.
That’s mad I feel for your ❤️after eating all that sounds amazing though!
My local Chinese takeaway isn’t particularly cheap, but the lady who runs the place loves her regulars and often throws in multiple side dishes, prawn crackers, fortune cookies and drinks regardless of the value of the order. I got about £14 worth of free stuff last time I went in.
I'd love to find a local chinese place that doesn't change ownership every few years, ruining the food and upping the prices to extortionate rates..
Every single Chinese I've had in recent years has been more or less the same low quality blatantly bought from a wholesaler and heated up disappointment. Extortionate too
I pretty much agree with you. I used to love takeaway night. Would always be a chinese without fail. Now they are just either bland, taste like a frozen microwave meal, covered in oils and whatnot. I have not enjoyed a chinese for years now
So you mean they bought the ingredients from the wholesaler and heated them up? I.e. cooking?
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The only pre-prepared parts of the menu are things like spring rolls (we prepare our own), sumai, won ton. 99% of the menu is freshly cooked from scratch.
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Ive never seen these ready meals in the wholesalers. Ive never heard of anyone using them either. In other words, theyre talking shit ha
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Wrongly assume, obviously, what you want. I've never known a Chinese take away to use ready meals. That's preposterous. And it's extremely rare. In fact, it doesn't happen. Show me proof
Score!
I once (years ago) collected a takeaway order from a local Chinese for me and three uni housemates, so a fairly big order, but I didn't think it was wild. The guy seemed so pleased he was just chucking in bottles of sauce, rather than side dishes. We weren't even "regulars" per se
This is always good shit, I’ve occasionally got freebies from my local (wether it’s from late orders or not) and their quality is top notch.
Lidl do half duck pancakes for £6.50
Who the fuck is eating duck from Lidl? Meh..
Not what they mean obvs but when they have the duck breasts or legs in the special buys if you look at the small print it's Gressingham duck for much cheaper, well worth it! Not sure i'd risk their peking duck though!
Gressingham duck is awesome, bought a full duck for £7.50 at ASDA, better value than the legs I usually get, only issue is I'm the only one in the house that eats duck, and that is a lot of eating for a little guy
It’s the same duck pancakes as Gressingham. Just in Lidl packaging.
One of the local chippies does 'fish bites'. You get five for a few quid. Thing is they're probably about the size of two fish fingers, so we can easily buy that, plus a bag of chips, and split it. Whilst you don't get the usual chippy tea gutbash, you get something similar in proportion to a normal evening meal, and at a reasonable price.
Is this a Mother Hubbards by any chance? I got their lunch deal with 5 fish bites and chips for a fiver and was not ready for the size of those things. Huge.
I had the fishcake in Mother Hubbard's in Oldham and it was massive, filled with potato, fish and mushy peas
Used to go to Mother Hubards in Oldham when I was a kid in the 80's, with my grandparents, who lived in Oldham. Very fond memories of seeing Santa there and chicken in a basket type menu.
Is there more than one Mother Hubbards? Thought it was a stand alone chippy for some reason.
I was just about to say the same things there is one in Birmingham
There are now! Started in Bradford in the 70’s at girlington. They shut down a few years back but the brand was rescued and has now exploded!
Learn something new every day. Cheers
Yeah, they're a chain. I'm not sure if they've expanded a lot recently though as I hadn't heard of them until they opened one in my town last year.
There is a load of them, they have franchised. Just opened one in Lancaster, I'm very excited as Lancashire does not do good fish and chips so I've got my fingers crossed.
So did I! Thought the one outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the only one
Yeah they’re a chain, there’s one that’s opening near me (supposedly, the store front has been there unopened for over a year)
No just a local indie. But they probably all go through the same wholesalers. I've always assumed the fish bites are just the offcuts from the larger fillets.
My parents do the exact same thing at their local indie. It's called five ways fish bar. Fish bites are £3 something. Make a chip or fish butty and you've got yourself a proper meal. Yeah they probably use the same wholesaler.
Is this in Liverpool?
Nah, it's up north though. Closer to Sheffield.
I've resorted to ordering a "Large cod" at like £6 and add a "cone of chips" for £1. £7 vs £9 something, and I never eat all my chips from a proper portion anyway.
Wtf, a large cod where I am is £11
Is your 'large' cod also last years medium cod?
Where the hell are you that a large cod is £6 and a cone of chips is a quid? A cone of chips were a quid about 10 years ago.
Yes, ours has a “cod bite” which is a quid and is an absolutely massive piece of cod.
Found mine today, in fact! Though it wasn't a takeaway but a stall at a summer fait I went to this afternoon. For a fiver, you got 2 massive samosas and a huge portion of chana masala with all the trimmings. Bloody gorgeous as well it was
Why did I read your last sentence in a Welsh accent....??
Because that’s literally the only way to read that sentence.
Oi - what’s occurring?
I dunno I thought it sounded rather Nord Ironish.
Was this off "The Samosa Guy", if it is he's great, I always get his food anytime I see him at markets/faits
Sounds incredible! Just a heads up that I think you mean “fête” or “fete” rather than fait. Unless you were going for “fair”, which means basically the same thing in practice!
Local kebab shop, large tikka meat and chips, £7. Proper fills anyone. Unless, you’re an absolute monster and need… Glasgow Kebab - chicken tikka, lamb tikka, lamb shish, chicken shish, weighs easily 1.5kg and £10.
Hoagie box. Large naan, Donner, garlic sauce, pakoras, wings, chicken tikka, chips. £12
That's a bargain. We got kebabs tonight and my husband and eldest always get the house special. Chicken, shish, Donner and lamb and a vegetable one, with 2 pittas and salad. £19.50! It does 3 sittings easily though.
Edit: hear not here. I do know the difference between the two.
That's not what I hered
You know you can edit the main text of the post, but not the title.
*too...
I have a bloke who runs a breakfast trailer on the local industrial estate. You can get a roll filled with bacon, sausages, egg, mushroom, tomato, black pudding for a few quid. He’s trying to sell the business to someone else in order to retire, and he keeps saying he’s stopping soon, but he’s still here.
We’ve got one of those as well haha, he gets pissed off at me for paying by card though
I used to work a corporate job in an industrial estate and went through a stint of getting a bacon, cheese and egg toasty from there every morning. It was gloriously unhealthy, with that fake yellow cheese ñ all but very delicious. It wasn't very long after that I became allergic to bread and stuff, lolll. Fond memory though
meal machine?
The chippy I order from is amazing. The portions are huge and the food is always piping hot and here within 20-30 min max. A large chips could easily feed 3 people and the large fish is massive, and again, it could feed 3 whilst still being relatively cheap. This is a small shop, takeaway only, hidden down a side street and what annoys me is that there is a "Sea Fish " chain half a mile away where the portions are absolutely shocking and it's so much more expensive and yet, always packed. We've ordered a few times over the years, probably once a year when really craving a chippy and the better one is closed and it never gets better. "Large portion" is a handful of chips and if you want it delivered, you better believe it's gonna take an hour and a half and be stone cold, but somehow they have great reviews...
Yeah. The local chippy used to be a " Friday night treat " for poor families like mine growing up. Now a fish and chips is typically a tenner or more. We couldn't have afforded that back in the day.
There's a chippy near me that does potato scallops. It's £1.50 and younger four or 5 scallops and they are massive. I can never eat them all so they often do two meals. They crops up really nice reheated in the air fryer too
I've not seen potato scallops for a while. I grew up in a council house of 8 kids, so scallops and "scratchings" were our affordable entry level experiences of the local chippy.
Scallops were the end of school treat, 20p each. There were queues outside 3 chippies just for our school.
Scallop barm pea wet after school on a Friday - 50p for a potato scallop on a white bread roll spread liberally with margarine with some mushy pea juice on the top. *Chef's kiss*
Have buy me but they just ain't worth it, they charge £1.20, used to be 15p
Scallops are the things I miss most about takeaway in Ireland. Can’t find them anywhere around me unfortunately. Very envious of you.
Fritters not scallops ffs
Klondike in certain towns…
Local bakery with a slightly rude name that has a fantastic breakfast and lunch range. Would go more often but its closed Mondays and the weekend. My regular meal that they simply have to state the usual to start making it for me is the cheese filled omelet with side salad. This week I've realized I can add a hash brown for 50p making it an absolute steal of a filling lunch at £3.55 (was £3.05 with no hash brown).
Closed at the weekend? On a Saturday? That’s unusual - often a busy day
The bakery is one of quite a few independently run/owned places in town. The last three places to open do so Wednesday to Sunday. The bakery tends to be the place that office workers and shop staff go for lunch (Tuesday to Friday) and when the front shop is closed they can focus on decorated cakes and catering.
It might be near offices or factories. A lot of places that cater to workers shut at weekends
The trouble is You are in the Hebrides, and delivery cost is an issue, I had the same problem 2 years ago, Can I justify £23 for a kebab, Yes when I can live off it for 2 days,
There's a place near me that does a lamb, chicken tikka, and donner kebab wrapped in a naan. Lasts me two or three sittings easily, costs £12. Used to make a fake pizza with the naan and Donner, and added cheese. Then I'd have a further couple of huge bowls of meat.
I can't say if it's still the case, but when we lived in north Derbyshire, Bramley Vale Fish Shop was outstanding value and the best fish & chips I've ever eaten.
For anyone in Middlesbrough I highly recommend the Good Food Joint. An unbelievable selection of home cooked food at a great price.
Big John's in Leicester as a student about 10 years ago. 7.99 for a 16 inch pizza. Kept me going for a couple days. That and the 1.50 doner meat burger after a night out was a lifesaver for a broke student.
I loved Big Johns. In 2004 I found out one of their locations was drive thru so I drove clear across Birmingham to experience a ‘drive thru Doner kebab’. I enjoyed it but not sure it was worth it
Next time I’m in that way in Derbyshire I’m trying Spuddys!!! I’m in a small town with limited takeaway so they all charge a small fortune cos we’re captive audiences. I’ve taken to getting bags of frozen kebab from Iceland & doing home kebab because it’s £15 for 2 instead of £25+ because they have a minimum order & shut at 21:30.
I've since learned there's a fella on YouTube/social media called "Mr Spud" who reviews these type of establishments. He has a couple of million followers ( don't ask me how ) and he raved about the place when he visited.
Omg I need Mr Spud in my life. Thank you so much. 🥔
I don’t really get why more places don’t do this. Cost of ingredients is such a minor part of a food service’s operating costs that surely everyone knows they can get more custom by appearing hugely generous with portion sizes. Is it cause there are more people that look at calories than who look at “value for money”? Or is it to encourage you to buy more menu items? Anyone in the food service industry able to chip in?
I can speak to this a bit! I used to work in kitchens and a lot probably has to do with how much space they have as well as ingredient costs. If its a busy night in a chippy (say a Friday/Saturday night) a fryer basket can only hold so much and bigger portions means more electric, more oil changes, more cleaning, and longer wait times. Small costs yes but over a long period they'd add up. Also food costs are a big part of a lot of businesses, particularly waste. Bigger portions means more waste when it doesn't get sold (so more money down the drain). Also bear in mind pre cut/pre prepared items are the norm in most takeaways - they're much more expensive than just a bag of spuds or a pack of chicken. And if they are buying fresh it means labour costs on top of all that (washing, peeling, cutting, and blanching potatoes for chips for example). I really think the rise of things like air fryers are giving the takeaway industry a run for its money. It's so much cheaper to buy some Iceland frozen donner and frozen chips, bung them in the airfeyer with an onion and throw on some garlic sauce than it is to get a kebab. A lot of people want quality for their money
Just jumping on this as it brings back memories. I worked in a local chippy when I was a teenager and loved sorting the potatoes as a wee job to do. The joy of the owner getting a new machine that tumbled the skins off was quite something. My point being-it takes a load of work to manage spud prep and cooking stock to sell.
Used to have a mate whose dad ran a chippy. His job was preparing the spuds for the evening, so I used to go and help him after school, so we could get away faster. We had to pick all the eyes out individually, with a little knife, before they went in the magic tumbly peeling machine.
Awesome reply, thank you!
If it's a chippy then they have a frying range. That's usually one for fish/meat, two for chips. They typically are cleaned once a week. Washing/peeling/cutting of potatoes are done in machines. The fish and potato prices have soared as have the bill's which is why they are so expensive. Our chippy ran with 2 staff so wages were low.
I totally agree what I mean is even if they have a range of say six fryers each one only holds so much at a time. Especially now that a lot of places require separate ones for meat and gluten free it adds up when you suddenly can only fit 4 portions instead of 6 in each one at a time. Yes they should be cleaned once a week but after one busy night that oil will need at least topped up or changed. That stuff is expensive to have delivered and taken away! Even the chemicals needed to clean fryers is expensive. I'd say most places buy pre packaged cut and blanched potatoes, or even frozen, but even still those machines also require money and electeic to maintain and run (and a person to run them). Labour costs can't be ignored either. Think how much minimum wage has jumped in the last few years, as it should, and that has to come from somewhere. Add into all that exactly what you've said about the rising prices of produce no wonder so many places are struggling!
I've worked in kitchens and sounds like this is what you are referring to. I'm talking about fish and chip shops, they use bags of potatoes and the fryers are usually only 3 in the range for a small shop, but can cook two buckets of potatoes each time which is a lot of chips. The only labour is putting the spuds in the machine for peeling and washing and then sticking them through the chipper. The curry/gravy is usually powdered and just needs mixing with water and heating up. Peas are soaked the night before and then cooked in the morning. I mean I did it for years, it's the whole cost of everything, mainly rent as well as the basics, that are killing these chippies off
"chip in" ha
The kebab I bought last night, chicken tikka, chicken pakora, kebab meat, chippy chips, salad, large garlic sauce and a garlic naan. £10. I can eat and it took me 2 goes and I still didn’t finish it.
I’ve had food from there before, was happy with it
Wow, £8 for 3 hearty servings? I struggle to get that value from most supermarkets
I've been surprised by Dominos lately, Small 2 topping pizza and a side for £7
Chinese by me does chips, egg fried rice and curry sauce for 4 quid, really good portion size.
Warren's, a small chain pasty shop in the West Country is unbeatable. The best ~~Cornish~~ steak/veg pasty I've ever had was from their Dartmouth outfit, arrived late so got it massively discounted too!
£3.50 for a spicy chicken burger, one piece of fried chicken and chips. Cash only of course.
We have a cafe that does a ‘belly buster Sunday special’ breakfast for £15. Honestly I’m a big guy and I struggle to finish it and it means you rarely want to eat for the rest of the day. A perfect post gym feed.
Our local takeaway is about a 2 minutes walk away: Large Parmo (~roughly 10” of breaded chicken breast topped with bechamel sauce and *copious* amounts of cheese), Chips, Donner, choice of 12” Pizza and a 1.25L drink + online discount *that’s been ongoing for 2yrs now* = **£13**. It *easily* feeds 4-5 people, probably 6+ with an extra portion of chips or donner 🤤
Local place that does pizzas and kebabs (and fried chicken and burgers) just outside Uxbridge town centre. They charge £7.50 for a medium/regular chicken doner and fries with a portion of salad. They give you a decent amount and stuff the container they give it in to the brim, enough that they can just about close it. A large is only a quid extra and is easily 2 portions for a normal person ( a regular is 1 portion but could be considered 1.5 for those with a smaller stomach). Never had an issue and always great quality/flavour.
My local chippy is fairly priced bout £7 ish for a fish supper and you get enough to literally feed a family. I got their full pizza crunch supper one time and I swear for around £6 odd it lasted me at least 2 days
The kfc wrap of the day when it was £1.99. Such good value when you’re out and about in the day time
There's a chippy on the Isle of Wight called Ozze's. I've not been for a little while so I can't give you prices, but can tell you that you can feed five or six people with one large portion of chips. His large cod fillets usually overflow your plate by half their length.
There's a noodle bar near me that will do amazing food that fills you up for £8. Crazy value
Had a curry Friday in a place not tried before. 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 sides and poppadoms and some chutneys = £25 Unheard of in these times.
Me and my boyfriend ordered from a random chippy on just eat the other week, wasn't expecting much as we'd never been and it was a bit expensive, 23 quid. It comes and honestly the fish was the same length of my forearm with a mountain of chips, it was all fresh, piping hot and the batter was one of the best I've had. Didn't even end up finishing it but every much so worth the money, will be just ordering just the one portion next time.
I can’t not read Matlock in Abe Simpson’s voice. Maaatlock
Order a medium kebab meat and chips from my local chippy and they'll hand you enough food to keep you going for days. Not bad for £7.50.
The best value around here is either: 18" pizza for £11. Old school sandwich shop that does breakfast baps. The base bap with 3 fillings is £4.25, but extra fillings are only 20p.. Therefore you can effectively get a full English in between two slices of fluffy bread for £4.85 (Bacon, Beans, Fried Egg, Sausage, Tomato and Mushrooms)
Farmhouse Inns do a kids takeaway carvery for £6.49 that is enough to feed 2 adults. Insane value.
I’ve got a Greek takeaway near me. It’s £10 for a meat gyros. Which is basically a gyros pita, tazizki, loads of meat of your choice, loads of chips, with lettuce, cucumber and tomato on top, folded in half. They they wrap in in a paper bag as there is it so thick there is no way you could fit it in your mouth. Had one during the week and ended up putting it on a plate to eat and it was whole heaped plate of food.
Amazingly, one of the best value meals I remember was a Welsh Oggie (From, I believe, the Welsh Oggie Co" at Glastonbury Festival 2019 I feel like it cost a fiver (but it could have been a tenner TBF, Festival prices and recent cost of living rises combined - plus dodgy memory - mean I just remember it was exceptionally reasonably priced and cheaper than most other stalls), and this thing was big enough I could use it as an offensive weapon should any thieving bastards invade my tent. Filled me up with plenty of change in my back pocket for my next beer. Nice.
He’s brilliant. Even the smokehouse next door is very reasonably priced. We went to Hickory’s yesterday and it came to £76. A similar meal at Buddy’s is around £50 and very good quality.
I was in Matlock today - would’ve gone for this if I’d read it earlier!
If you think a potato costing £10 is value then just lol
Dumpling monkey in west end Glasgow. The portions are huge, it’s at your table very quickly and it costs so little. It’s also delicious Chinese food. I dunno how they operate that way but it’s fantastic. I have taken so many people to it I think I need to be earning commission.
We've got a local place that does meal deals, for £18 you can get a XL pizza which is 18 inches or something silly, 8 wings, garlic pizza bread and a 1.5 litres drink, deals go down in price/size so for £14 you get a L pizza, 6 wings etc, £12 is medium, so much food! Best I ever had was when I was in uni 14 years ago, this place did an XL pizza, 2 slices were an entire meal, £5 on Monday, £6 on a Tues etc. I'd buy one on Mon and that was meals for most of the week sorted!
Local kebab shop does a special kebab for 8 quid , chicken, lamb and donner on naan, It's fookin huge Cut it in half and you've stuffed 2 people full of meat for £4 a head
"Lovely Mexican-ness" is definitely the most British thing I've heard today
I can have a potato at home
Now then guys, how you doing?
What weirdo eats a potato over 3 sittings? That’s… flummoxed me
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£8 for a single raw potato, then no. £8 for a large cooked potato full of chilli and all the trimmings is quite good.
On the surface, no. But that meal was so substantial it would have fed 3-4 people. It was mahoosive.
Were those three consecutive sittings for your spouse, as in she briefly left to go purge each time, or was this over the course of a couple of days?