Aragon Fisheries, Knaresborough

NADV 1307302AM1 Brian and Sally Cunningham of the award winning Aragon Fisheries. Picture : Adrian Murray. (1307302AM1)

Another break with the blog's focus on sit-down fish and chips is this trip to the rather wonderful Aragon.

Run by a charming couple, this back-street sensation was recently listed in Fry Magazine's top 50 chip shops in the country - and deservedly so. Aragon was immaculate and had a straightforward menu cooked on a standard range and delivered through a small serving area. The couple spent about 10 minutes chatting about all sorts of subjects and the welcome and goodbye seemed very genuine and warm.

Fish and chips was £4.40, 60p for mushy peas and 20p for a big sachet of tartare.

As with all great fish and chip shops, the fish was cooked to order whilst me and some friends engaged in a friendly chat with the owners. Locals popped in on a regular basis and many of their orders were pre-prepared - they had clearly phoned ahead and had probably been doing so for many years.

The meal then technically became a sit-down experience as two friends and I, who had come to Knaresborough to visit some hostelries, sat on a council bench on a T junction in the town and managed a decent impression of Compo, Foggy and Clegg. I'll let you choose who's who.

 

Courtesy of the BBC

The fish was excellent. A fabulously white piece of haddock with a fresh, clean taste and a tender texture. The batter was a little oily but well-cooked and had just the right amount of crispiness. The chips looked underdone, but were in fact perfectly done and had one of the most satisfying potato tastes I've had in some time.

I didn't have any mushy peas but one of my friends did and said they were very good. The tartare was a very pleasant surprise as I've been consistently disappointed with packet sauces. However, this one had a really good taste and texture and beat many restaurant-made versions into a cocked hat.

We ate from the biodegradable trays provided and were mostly successful in the act of eating, apart from the 'Forkgate' incident. One of our group was overly enthusiastic with his white plastic fork and unbeknownst to him he had dislodged a prong. Luckily, as he continued to eat, the prong appeared on a batter background and not a fish background, which would have made it invisible to the human eye. Had he not seen it the trip might have been a bloody disaster.

As it was we had a fantastic start to the day at a stand-out chippy.