Fish and chips for 20p? The Powys chip shop menu frozen in time

BBC News

a day ago

For more than half a century, a chip shop's forgotten price board gathered dust in a household garage.But when it was unearthed by Andrew Lewis, the third-generation owner of the family-run restaurant, he described it as being like "something from another age".And with a portion of cod and "chipped potatoes" listed for a mere 20p - compared to today's average of nearly £10 - certainly the prices were from a different era.Now Evans Plaice, one of Wales' oldest family-run fish and chip shops, has put the board on display to serve as a reminder of days gone by.
"I was clearing out a garage where my grandfather kept a lot of stuff and I found it lying there," said Mr Lewis."People are fascinated by it. It's like something from another age and it's great that it has survived."But plenty of people have been asking if they can have their chips for the old price."
The chip shop, in Rhayader, Powys, was first opened as Halten Restaurant in 1950 by Mr Lewis' grandparents, Edgar and Megan Evans.It passed to his uncle and auntie before Mr Lewis, eager to keep the business in the family, took it over in 2001.The menu board is believed to date back to about 1971 when the British currency system was decimalised to the current system in place today.With the likes of peach melba to follow a fish supper, served with a slice of bread and butter and washed down with a cup of tea, diners back then could enjoy a two-course meal for 45p.
"Anyone driving between north and south Wales will have passed us and it's a popular stopping point because everyone is usually hungry by the time they get to Rhayader... or needs the toilet," said Mr Lewis."We own a couple of businesses but the fish and chip shop is a real sentimental place for me because it's part of the town's past and my family's history. All the kids have spent some time working in there, either chipping, frying or serving."The old menu serves as a reminder of the staggering rise in food prices not only over the decades, but in recent years.Fish and chips saw the biggest price increase among some of the UK's most popular takeaways in the five years up to July 2024, according to ONS estimates.The average price for a portion of fish and chips rose by more than 50% to nearly £10, while the cost of a kebab went up 44% and pizza 30%.
Earlier this year, one chip shop made headlines when it apologised to customers for putting up the price of a large cod to £12.50.Business owners have cited a "perfect storm" of costs, including soaring energy bills, tariffs on seafood imports and extreme weather hammering potato harvests.Mr Lewis said: "It's amazing to think it was just 20p for fish and chips. What can you buy for 20p these days? Perhaps the bag they come in!"Costs have steadily gone up but especially in the last few years because of the Ukraine war. Then there's staffing costs as well as the environmental impact so there are many things that are simply out of our control. "We've had to put prices up two or three times in recent years which we hate doing [fish and chips now cost £10.70]. But what can you do?"
'Firm place in people's hearts'
A family of four may not get much change from £50 once they have added mushy peas or curry sauce, but fish and chips remains a British family favourite, whether enjoyed around the table on a Friday night or out of the paper on a beach."We have diversified over the years with other items but fish and chips still has that firm place in people's hearts," said Mr Lewis, whose chip shop is marking its 75th anniversary."The price has gone up a lot, especially when you look at that board, but so has everything else and fish and chips is still as popular as ever, 100 per cent."And I love working in there. You're frying right there in front of people and chatting to all the customers. It's great."Running a business is difficult these days and has been for years but you have to try and keep going, especially because the shop means so much to us."