The gentleman serving at Benny's is so friendly he's bordering on the point of deferential! This is the sort of establishment where customers are called 'sir' and 'madame' and when you hand your money over to pay you are thanked for being 'very kind'.
It was a midweek lunchtime when this Chip Fiend visited Ashbourne - a small touristy Derbyshire town on the edge of the Peak District.
I ordered haddock, chips and mushy peas open. There were already some mini fish in the cabinet but the owner asked if I wanted a large one which would take 4 minutes. How could I resist the temptation of a freshly fried haddock?
As I waited I noticed a sign for homemade mushy pea fritters. Very promising.
The shop hadn't been open many minutes but it was already starting to get busy. There are some small tables near the counter in Benny's and it appears you can eat inside at no extra cost. There are also benches outside where you can eat and face the Market Square.
I was invited to put my own salt and vinegar on. There are squeezy bottles of ketchup on the counter as well.
The haddock was lovely and fresh with that sweet seaside flavour. The batter looked like it would be thick but it was surprisingly thin and crispy. The underside where the skin sat on the batter was particularly delicious. The chips were a medium chunky thickness and tasty too. The peas were more of a paste consistency than peas-in-sauce, so they could definitely be called 'mushy'.
I couldn't manage the 4 shovel fulls of chips that were in my Benny's box. A very good lunch for £6.80. Benny's also do mini fish specials (with chips and sauce of choice) and children's meals.
Ratings out of 5:
Fish (haddock): 5
Chips: 4
Mushy peas: 4
Shop / service: 4
Over all: 4
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