Carry on Frying! One of the oldest chip shops in Skegness

Carry on Frying!

One of the oldest chip shops in Skegness!

The first known chippy in Skegness was Renshaw’s ‘noted hot fried fish and chips saloon’ in the 1890s. By 1905 it was in the hands of the Collingwood family.

The Epton family took over in 1929, starting with Andy’s grandmother, Margaret.

“Everyone called her Ma Epton. It was like a front room in the winter and in the summer everybody was turfed out and they cooked for the holiday trade.” The business, which today is a takeaway and eat-in restaurant, expanded in the 1960s when Andy’s father Ken and his brother Joe knocked through to next door. Andy learnt the family trade with his grandad in the mid-70s before joining full-time when he left the Royal Navy in 1983. A favourite with locals and tourists alike, the chip shop is in the town rather than the main tourist throng on the seafront, but trade has changed over the decades. “In those days there were the working men’s clubs that turned out and there were thousands of people on the street at 11pm so we got home about 1am and were back in the morning, serving customers at 10.30am.

“At that time, it was 50/50 of people staying through the week or a fortnight and they were here for a good time. Now more than ever it’s the day tripper.

“In the summer it’s 6 o’clock as High Street is deserted. The seafront can be quite busy but they don’t venture into the town like they used to. In the winter I’m finished by 3 o’clock in the afternoon.”

Epton’s has served plenty of famous faces over the years, stars from summer season shows at the Embassy Theatre. “We’ve had Sid James, Hattie Jacques and Joe Pasquale. Danny La Rue after the show would phone out to treat all his stage staff to fish and chips at night.”

The best quality and freshest ingredients are used.

Andy said: “Everything is locally sourced as much as possible. Potato merchants as they’ve gone down the line they’ve been bought out but it’s basically it’s the same merchants. We build up relationships the old-fashioned way still.

“Fish used to be caught by our own fleet but obviously that’s a thing of the past now but we have dealt with the same fish merchants since the early 1960s. They’ve gone from father to son the same as us.”

“I want to do the product as close as I can as I learnt with my grandad. It’s a simple product, fresh potatoes, the freshest fish you can source, the best quality, and good quality ingredients to put it together,” said Andy.

“Skeggy is two towns, summer to winter, I love both. We get a fair trade from local residents but not what it used to be. I make my money off the tourists. “It’s good honest work and the majority of customers are fantastic.

Are you the oldest chippy in your area? Email austen@ chippychat.co.uk

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