Kirby’s Fish and Chips: The Yorkshire fish and chip shop that has ‘stood the test of time’ for over 100 years
Kirby’s Fish and Chips has been passed from generation to generation for over 100 years and has survived the Second World War, cost of living and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kirby’s Fish and Chips was founded in Meanwood, Leeds, by the Kirby family in 1922.
The last family member to take over the shop was Robert Kirby, the great grandson of the original founder.
The fish and chips shop went through various hands and in 2020 was bought by Andy Crombleholme, 40, from Otley, weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown.
He decided to keep the family name and rebranded it to Kirby’s of Meanwood as it has been a well established business for many years.
Since the purchase, Mr Crombleholme has modernised the shop with the introduction of click-and-collect and bought a new site in Horforth.
“I knew the Kirby’s name, I knew its reputation it had and I thought I could add to it and bring it up to date a bit more,” Mr Crombleholme said.
“We didn’t want to lose the Kirby’s name as it has been so long and everybody in the area knows the name and it’s been a popular shop for a long period of time.
“Robert Kirby still owned the building up until a couple of years ago. We still see him on occasion, he still calls in for his fish and chips regularly.
“It’s always been a fish and chip shop since they first opened it in 1922, at one point they had a cafe in it at the back but I don’t know how long that was there and when it disappeared.
“It must be one of the oldest ones in Leeds, if not the country. It’s stood the test of time in that area.”
Kirby’s of Meanwood has expanded and has another branch in Horsforth.
“We wanted the brand to expand, making sure that we continued that name, the good reputation it had and improve what we had as a business going forward, which is what we achieved,” Mr Crombleholme said.
“They are both award-winning shops now, they are both in the top 50 of fish and chip takeaways.
“We get stories of family members who used to come in during the war, we do hear of different stories about people who have come to us when they were kids and now they are pensioners.
“It’s nice to hear that they still trust us as a business even though we are not part of the Kirby’s family.
“We are very particular about being the best and putting on the best product all the time. I aim to provide the customers with the best product that money can buy - I’m all about the quality.”
Many challenges the business has overcome include the Second World War, varied economic climates and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They had to go through the war, which would have been a very challenging time for them,” Mr Crombleholme said.
“There are challenges with any business that they have to overcome over time that vary from different economic climates.
“We’ve had the cost of energy, products, fish, potatoes, that fluctuates on a daily basis, we’ve been through Covid and I’m sure over the years before I was there, there were plenty of other challenges people had to experience at the time.
“I do think as long as you are consistent in what you’re doing, you still put on the best that people expect and they don’t see any changes in what you’re doing, I think people will still want to come to you and trust you.
“There are always challenges in the world with anything that you do in business, it’s about weathering it and trying to give your customers what they want.”
Mr Crombleholme said that they have grown stronger as a business when they introduced click-and-collect and their app during Covid.
“We adapted during Covid and introduced a click-and-collect system, which we had never done before,” he said.
“As a business owner, I had never considered introducing it to fish and chips but during Covid we had to because it was the only way people could order at that point.
“We’ve now got an app where people can order five days in advance. Click-and-collect has definitely made us better and stronger for it.”