Your Plaice, Borrowash, Derbyshire

It was a bright, sunny day when we sat on the bench outside Your Plaice, enjoying our fish and chips. The crisp, light, golden batter on the haddock and cod which we had ordered seemed to echo the golden light of the low sun, and the crispness of the air.

As we have mentioned before, Derbyshire is a very good county for local chip shops, and there are numerous quality chippies scattered around the outlying districts of the city itself. To this list we can add Your Plaice. A relatively newly built premises with gleamingly spotless stainless steel kitchen fittings and white tiles throughout. 

It probably would have been fitting to try the plaice(!) but the chip finds went for a selection of chips, cod and mushy peas; and chips, haddock and curry sauce. The fish was fried to order and ready in a few minutes. It was served in a cardboard box, with the accompanying sauces ladled into small pots. We were invited to add our own salt and vinegar.

The chips had a real 'homemade' quality to them, because they came in all sorts of irregular shapes and sizes but the majority were a medium to chunky cut. The fish was delicious: large, moist flakes housed inside a very light tempura batter. It fanned up on the top of the fish like replacement fins for those that had been removed when the fish was cleaned.

The mushy peas were excellent, and the curry sauce, although similar in style to that of most other chip shops we have visited, seemed to have an extra kick of pepper, and made a tasty dip for the chips.

Almost everything was eaten. We stopped just short of getting full.

A notice on the door explains that the chip shop are appealing for Sunday openings in the face of council opposition. It would be great if Borrowashers were allowed the opportunity to eat Your Plaice fish and chips on Sundays too.

Ratings out of 5:

Fish (haddock and cod): an equal 5
Chips: 4
Mushy Peas: 5
Curry Sauce: 4
Shop / service: 4

Over all: 4