East Leake Fish Bar, East Leake, Leicestershire

This Chip Fiend had passed East Leake Fish Bar several times before in the past but had never called in. On the day of a 31 mile bike ride I thought I deserved a treat, so I parked my human-powered vehicle and refuelled.

I called into the shop about an hour after opening time. The hot box had quite a lot of fish in it but I could understand why as the staff were dealing with quite a few big orders from families and workmen. I saw chip cobs, small fish specials and trays of just chips (piled high) being dished out to the hungry punters.One customer asked if there were any scallops. The owner replied that the new potatoes were still too small to make slices for the battered fritters.I ordered a small fish special with curry. The portion of chips looked hefty as they were shovelled into the card tray. My fish was placed beside the pile of chips and my curry was potted. A generous sprinkling of salt and vinegar was poured over the food for me. The meal came to £5.95.

A small green space nearby gave me a place to sit on a bench adjacent to a huge rock commemorating 100 years of British Gypsum.

The new potatoes weren’t big enough for scallops but they were certainly providing chunky chips. Soft but going a little chewy, they had a nice fluff inside.

The fish had that seaside taste that I like. Unusually the small special was haddock rather than cod, which I was pleased about. It’s hot box origins were obvious though as it too had started to go a little chewy.