Fish and chip shops are facing a perfect storm that could see many close for good - Jayne Dowle

War in the Middle East and challenging conditions in the Strait of Hormuz are seeing British trawlers stuck in port as fuel prices shoot up. This, says Federation president Andrew Cook, means fishermen are unable to make a profit, sending the price of fish doubling, meaning it’s “very difficult” for business owners to make a profit and placing our cherished chippies under threat.

“We're seeing shops close. We've lost 1,500 in the past three years - and expect many more to shut,” Cook says.

I have to confess a personal interest. My Aunty Betty had a fish shop – as we call ‘chippies’ in South Yorkshire – for years, and some of my very first memories were made there.

The ovens were coal-fired; I’d stand at the door of my grandparents’ house up the street and wait for the smoke to appear out of the shop chimney. As soon as it did, I’d pester my grandfather to walk me down, so I could be given a little tray of chips and a fork, and sit on the counter – I was that small, no older than three – and eat them.

The fish shop and my grandparents’ little terraced house are both long gone now, demolished in the late 1970s to make way for new housing and road-widening. But almost half a century on, people in the village still talk about ‘Betty’s’ and debate whether her fish and chips really were the best.

It’s probably fair to say that every community in the country that has ever been blessed with a fish and chip shop will feel equally proud of the part this staple of traditional British life has played in their lives.

The first, it’s said, opened in Bow in London’s East End in 1860, but others claim John Lees’ shop at Tommyfield Market in Oldham, Lancashire, paved the way, certainly in the North of England.

The steamed-up windows. The kids sent with a family order – I remember doing that too, when I was older – desperately trying to remember the correct ratio of mushy peas, and these days, gravy and curry. The mysteries of the Pukka pie cabinet, and asking for a ‘special’ such as a battered sausage as soon as you step foot over the threshold or risk holding up the entire queue and being tutted at.

It’s about more than nostalgia and traditions however. The plight of the nation’s fish and chip shops throws Labour’s attitude towards small businesses into question.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith, it’s reported, has weighed in, accusing ministers of being "all at sea" rather than supporting this hardworking community.

Most local fish and chip shops are owned by a single proprietor, although there are larger outfits such as the family-owned Wetherby Whaler, which has seven branches across Yorkshire.

These proprietors not only face unprecedented running and supply costs, but also create jobs and must pay wages; the recent rise in the minimum wage and other government-led demands on employers bring their own pressures.

Cost of living pressures were already impacting the trade and leading to higher prices for customers, before events in the Gulf took a turn for the worst. In October 2025, the cost of a portion of fish and chips across England had reached £11.23, up from £10.88 the previous year, according to analysis by Tombola.

For a family of four then, this once cheap treat could cost in excess of £40, putting it out of reach of many. We’re clearly heading back to the days of ‘just chips’ for the kids.

Whilst a cut to fuel duty would help, it would not go far enough as a rescue mission. And no doubt, Rachel Reeves would argue that there is no justification for making fish and chip shops a special case.

However, she would find many a fish and chip shop, a last bastion of activity on an otherwise battered – sorry – high street, still keeping going where other independent traders have failed and pubs have shuttered up.

Also, she might be swayed by the healthy eating argument; however, according to calorie tracker Nutrachek, an average portion of fish and chips contains 838 calories, with the recommended daily calorie intake for a man being around 2,500 and for a woman, 2,000.

Sensible, balanced eating can accommodate fish and chips – and of course, fish is a great source of protein and other good stuff, including Vitamin D.