Love Island sign up hunky lad from north London after body transformation days before summer series launch
VILLA RECRUIT Love Island sign up hunky lad from north London after body transformation days before summer series launch
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
CHEEKY chappy Tommy Bradley is lined up for this year's Love Island after undergoing a body overhaul ready for the villa.
The lad from north London is romance-ready after packing on muscle over the last year to prep for the ITV2 dating show.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
7
North Londoner Tommy Bradley has been signed up for Love Island, we can reveal
Credit: instagram/_tommybradley_/
7
Tommy 'ticks all the boxes' for Love Island claims a source - who brands him a 'cheeky chap'
Credit: instagram/_tommybradley_/
7
Maya Jama will be back as ITV2 host
Credit: ITV
7
He has been hitting the gym ahead of his ITV2 show stint
Credit: instagram.com/_tommybradley_/
Tommy's documented his routine on his Instagram page, which is filled with videos from his gym sessions.
And he looks to have been helped along by his boxer brother, Jamie Bradley, who also features on the page.
Tommy's set for the opening line-up of Maya Jama's show, with 6'5' hunk Aaron Buckett poised to join later as a bombshell.
A source said: 'Tommy seems to tick all the Love Island boxes as the cheeky chappy of this summer's series.
'He looks to enjoy a night out with the lads and out on the boxing scene with his brother.
'But he's also packed on serious muscle over the last year ready for telly's famous villa and is no longer just a personality hire.
'Execs are finalising who will be in the OG line-up and who will be a bombshell.'
Love Island and ITV has yet to announce any of the cast, but decisions will be made soon about which guys and girls make the opening line-up with the series just days from launch.
Tommy will be able to enjoy garden workouts with hunky 6'5' Aaron Buckett, who was the first name linked to this series but is likely to join as a bombshell.
Stunning Manchester model Shakira Khan and Sophie Lee, both revealed by The Sun, are in the mix for opening up the show.
Katie Price drops huge hint daughter Princess Andre is in talks for Love Island after boyfriend split
We also reported how stunning beauty salon owner Rose Selway had signed up.
She runs 12 aesthetics clinics with a famous clientele that includes former Love Islanders Lucinda Strafford and Jessy Potts.
Recently, The Sun revealed exclusive photos of the new-look Majorcan villa.
The snaps revealed the new look fire pit in all its glory but there was no sign of a roof terrace, suggesting the iconic seating area may have been ditched.
They'll be joining Love Island at a great time as the show's 12 series have now been streamed 2 BILLION times on ITVX.
And you can catch up on the years gone by when special Decade of Love airs tonight at 9pm on ITV2 & ITVX
7
He has packed on the muscle of late
Credit: instagram/_tommybradley_/
7
The Sun revealed a huge change to the villa this time around
Credit: ITV
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Love Island SPOILER: Toni Laites clears the air with Megan Moore as she blames the boys for an apparent divide between the girls
Toni Laites pulls Megan Moore to clear the air as she blames the boys in the villa for the apparent divide between the girls. The US-native, 24, pulled her fellow islander, 25, to the fire as she confess that the believed the root of all their problems were the boys. As they sit down in the iconic villa, Toni tells her: 'What I think is the root of the divide, is really the boys.' To which Meg says: 'It's so stupid for us to argue over these little things.' Toni adds: 'I know that we're all friends at the end of the day', that prompts Meg to say: 'I'm not going to hold any grudges against what you guys said. You know I love you.' The pair then decide to gather all of the girls over, too. Toni says: 'At the end of the day, we know we're all friends here. They're [the boys] the problem!' The girls all enjoy a group hug as they attempt to put all their previous issues a side. Love islands fans have already called out the girls for their behaviour and furthering the divide in the villa. Viewers slammed the 'nasty mean girls' as they 'alienated' single Shakira for flirting with the boys last month ITV2 viewers were left shocked by the 'b****y' girls behaviour as they chatted around the fire pit - excluding Shakira and American bombshell Toni. The girls complained: 'Shakira has spoken to every Tom Dick and Harry, I don't think I've done enough.' Megan said: 'Shakira has been grafting her f***ing arse off today'. Making another comment, Helena added: 'I think she fancies everyone doesn't she, she even fancies the plants. I should have grafted today, I should have kissed him. Shakira picked up on the 'bad vibes' and told Toni she felt 'singled out' but pointed out that there was nothing stopping the other girls grafting as well. She said: 'Getting ready then, the vibes were so off and I can't say anything as nothing has really been said but the energy, everyone's thinking like have they done enough. 'The girls don't appreciate that I'm grafting we have all been here a day like you can do it too. 'It has rubbed people up the wrong way and I've been singled out as the threat, you get in as much as you get out.' Fans rushed to X - formerly known as Twitter - to call out the girls for 'alienating' Shakira and questioned whether the other girls had ever watched the show before. They wrote: 'The twist that has made Shakira have to graft has made the other girls alienate her which is so nasty. This is LOVE island, you can all graft too! Nobody wants to work anymore!; 'What's this shade towards shakira. 'She's spiken to every tome,dick and harry'. DUHHHHH This is love island; 'Ew these blondes getting b****y about Shakira getting to know the boys, LIKE WHAT LOVE ISLAND IS FOR; Meanwhile Shakira picked up on the 'bad vibes' and told Toni she felt 'singled out' but there was nothing stopping the other girls grafting as well; pictured Shakira and Harry 'The Islanders claim to know Love Island inside out until it's day two and someone HAS to graft and they're all acting like Shakira is tryna chain herself to everyone she talks to '. And it turns out Shakira had done enough grafting and turned three of the boys heads before she eventually decided to couple up with Harry, leaving Sophie Lee single and dumped from the villa. However, viewers were quick to react to the very awkward moment that Shakira discussed her choice of boy with Maya Jama during the dramatic recoupling. Before eventually picking Harry meaning his partner Sophie was dumped, Shakira took a long time to deliberate. She then turned around and whispered to Maya: 'So the one I pick their girl then gets dumped?' As Maya told her 'yes' she then told her she really didn't know which one she liked the most as the host then asked her she had to go with who she felt the best connection to. Viewers were quick to react to the awkward moment which took place in ears shot from the waiting Islanders. They penned on X: 'Shakira thinking she's besties with Maya STOP #LoveIsland.', 'Shakira conferring with Maya like she's her friend is so funny #loveisland.', And it turns out Shakira had done enough grafting and had turned three of the boys heads before she eventually decided to couple up with Harry, leaving Sophie (pictured) single and dumped from the villa 'Shakira and Maya Jama was like watching girls in the club toilets talking about the guy she's dating #LoveIsland.', 'Sorry this secret chat between Shakira and Maya is unironically hilarious #loveisland.' 'Not Shakira doing a debrief with Maya #LoveIsland.' 'LOL maya said im not getting paid extra for this get on with shakira is sooo funny #LoveIsland.' 'Obsessed with shakira and maya little off stage chat #loveisland.' Following the arrival of first bombshell Toni, who surprised the singletons at the close of Monday's episode, semi pro footballer Shea Mannings and fitness influencer Remell Mullins became the latest arrivals after Sophie's axing. Shea, who is a Scaffolder from Bristol, revealed he has a young son, and he will be taking that 'into consideration' when coupling up. He added: 'She needs to be bubbly and we need to have that initial spark. She needs to have a nice personality - like I think I have - so that we match together.' Meanwhile, Remell is a Self Improvement Content Creator who boasts a massive 18million likes and half a million followers on TikTok. Remell shared he is looking for, 'A bubbly, confident, ambitious and fun girl. One feature that stands out to me is a nice smile, nice teeth and someone that can keep me on my toes.' When asked where he might be found in the villa in the morning, he replied: 'I might be cooking a nice high protein meal, I might be doing my skincare routine, something to level up.' Dejon Noel Williams NAME: Dejon Noel Williams AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Semi-pro footballer and personal trainer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is beautiful on the inside and out, looks after themselves and is healthy CLAIM TO FAME? My dad being an ex-professional footballer. I've met all kinds of famous people through him. When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we'd go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I've met David Beckham, he was really nice. Megan Moore NAME: Megan Moore AGE: 25 FROM: Southampton OCCUPATION: Payroll specialist WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'd like to meet someone who is tall, with a nice tan, nice eyes and a nice smile. He needs to have a good fashion sense and a really good, funny personality that I can get on with HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Bankrupt, right now. But we're going to make sales and get on that corporate ladder and be booming. Profits, profits, profits! NAME: Helena Ford AGE: 29 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Cabin Crew WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Somebody funny or Northern. I feel like Northern people have much more banter than Southerners. If you look through my previous dating history, you'll see I clearly go for personality. You can pretty much laugh me into bed. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? I would say hire but then quickly fire soon after. It would only be a temporary contract. NAME: Shakira Khan AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Construction Project Manager WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is tall, charming, witty, with big arms, a good smile and just really funny. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Booming, but they're all frogs. It's a busy love life but I've not found 'the husband', I'm looking for 'the one'. I'm looking for the ring. NAME: Harry Cooksley AGE: 30 FROM: Guildford OCCUPATION: Gold trader, semi-professional footballer and model WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? The girl next door that makes me laugh and can hold eye contact with me. I don't think I'd go for the most obvious girl, I like a real sweet girl. CLAIM TO FAME? I'm the body double for Declan Rice. So when he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. You'll never see my face, but you'll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing. NAME: Conor Phillips AGE: 23 FROM: Limerick OCCUPATION: Professional rugby player WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?Someone who is really sure of themselves, ambitious, a bit of a go-getter and good craic. I like dark eyes and I don't mind a dominant woman. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? Definitely hire. I ask girls if they want to go halves on a baby. It doesn't work, but it gets them laughing. It's an ice-breaker, not a serious question of course! NAME: Toni Laites AGE: 24 FROM: Connecticut OCCUPATION: Las Vegas Pool Cabana Server WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm looking for darker hair, definitely muscular but not too muscular. Super fit. Clean hair cut. Someone that can make me laugh - I'm super outgoing. And someone that's quite active. Maybe one day we could start our own family together. I WANT TO DATE A BRITISH GUY BECAUSE... I've lived in three different states and I'm still single. It's time to try something new! I have some British friends and they're pretty charming. I think all Americans love a good accent. British men are just more polite, with better manners. NAME: Yasmin Pettet AGE: 24 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Commercial Banking Executive WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm looking for a guy who is fit, has a nice body and who is funny with a bit of banter. WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST ICK? A guy that's stingy NAME: Megan Moore AGE: 24 FROM: Dublin OCCUPATION: Musical theatre performer and energy broker WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and has a sense of humour. If they're not bad looking, that's always a plus. I love a boy that's a bit pasty, like Timothé e Chalamet. I don't mind scrawny, or a bit of a 'dad bod'. I'm 5ft1 so any height really. CLAIM TO FAME? Me and my friends made a Derry Girls TikTok for Halloween and it went a bit viral around Brighton. Sometimes I get stopped in the street about it. I've also done Panto. NAME: Blu Chegini AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Construction Project Manager WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is family oriented, has a lot of love to give and a lot of love to receive. Personality goes a long way. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? She'd fire me, but I've got the charm to smooth things over with a girl. The fact I speak fluent Spanish comes in handy when it comes to flirting! Jamie NAME: Jamie Rhodes AGE: 26 OCCUPATION: Electric Engineer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Bubbly, cheeky, outgoing, good face card and a nice bum. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I'll be in amongst the drama! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm gonna take it by the horns and go for it. NAME: Ty Isherwood AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: Site Engineer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I go off energy, if we vibe. I've typically dated brunettes, tanned, nice teeth with a nice smile. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? A head turner! I get along with lads easily and like to make people laugh. NAME: Cacherel 'Cach' Mercer AGE: 24 OCCUPATION: Professional Dancer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who's emotionally intelligent, beautiful, charismatic, caring, affectionate, and I'd say an intro extrovert. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I think I'm gonna get into trouble, I feel like I'll be the joker of the group! I'll also be the person people come to for advice… and a bit of eye candy at the same time. ......................................................................................................................... Angel NAME: Angel Swift AGE: 26 OCCUPATION: Aesthetics Practitioner and Salon Owner WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm ready to make memories with someone, go travelling with them and fall in love WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I feel like people have been getting their heads turned very easily. I do feel like I have quite a good chance of turning someone's head.
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Love Island SPOILER: Bombshell text reveals a shock daytime recoupling leaving the Islanders stunned - and it's time for Harry to FINALLY decide
Love Island is back for another dramatic instalment on Sunday night - as the Islanders face one of their biggest choices yet. This week has seen Shakira, Harry and Helena's love triangle escalate to new tensions as the semi-professional footballer is still struggled to make up his mind on which girl he wants to progress with. And soon he will have to make that choice as on the episode Toni receives an afternoon text asking all Islanders to gather at the firepit immediately. Helena reacts saying: 'Oh my f***ing god.', as a shocked Shakira notes: 'This is no good, Yas.' Blu then reads another text, which states: 'Islanders, today there will be a recoupling where the boys will choose who they want to couple up with.' The girls stand in front of the firepit as the boys prepare to make their speeches. It's crunch time with some difficult decisions to be made, but how will this surprise recoupling play out? On the episode the aftermath of the Grafties also continues for many of the Islanders, including Harry who comes back into the villa after sleeping outside. Sitting together inside, Harry and Shakira debrief about how they're feeling. Harry says: 'I have really tried with her [Helena], but we [Shakira and Harry] had like a week and it was, for me, the feelings were obviously way stronger and still are. I'm sorry I never like tried again. I really thought the door was just, like, slammed.' Shakira replies: 'Do you want some home truths… it's obviously the way you go about it and the steps you take in between to come to these conclusions obviously hurt people along the way. 'It's all well and good you saying 'hold my hands up guys, sorry' but you still hurt people.' Shakira adds: 'And it's a pattern.' Harry says: 'Look, I'm either leaving here alone or with you.' Still feeling confused by the situation, Helena pulls Shakira to try and make sense of it. Blu then reads another text, which states: 'Islanders, today there will be a recoupling where the boys will choose who they want to couple up with' On the episode the aftermath of the Grafties also continues for many of the Islanders, including Harry who comes back into the villa after sleeping outside to speak to Helena Shakira tells Helena: 'Nothing's changed. There's been no miracle… I was saying I've not let myself heal over the situation and then he was like, 'Same'. I was like, 'What?' He said, 'I've not processed how I felt towards you, I've hopped into something with Helena.' I don't understand it.' Helena says: 'No, I don't understand it.' Deciding to pull Harry herself, Helena asks him in the den: 'Have you felt this way about Shakira this whole time?' Harry replies: 'I didn't, I just buried it all. I just didn't address any of my feelings and we were flying…' Helena goes on to admit: 'I thought I had something genuine in here.' As the pair unpack their feelings, things get emotional for both of them. Later, Shakira too is trying to make sense of how she's feeling, telling Harry: 'Like, how you're feeling now is not making sense from what I've seen for the past however many weeks.' Shakira asks: 'What are we doing?' Harry replies: 'I don't know.' As feelings flow all round, what's next for this conflicted trio? Elsewhere in the episode Toni asks Meg to have a chat at the Firepit to clear the air. Toni tells her: 'What I think is the root of the divide, is really the boys.' The girls stand in front of the firepit as the boys prepare to make their speeches Sitting together inside, Harry and Shakira debrief about how they're feeling Meg says: 'It's so stupid for us to argue over these little things.' Toni adds: 'I know that we're all friends at the end of the day.' Meg says: 'I'm not going to hold any grudges against what you guys said. You know I love you.' The pair then decide to gather all of the girls over, too. Toni says: 'At the end of the day, we know we're all friends here. They're [the boys] the problem!' They have a big group hug. Love Island continued tonight at 9pm on ITV2. Dejon Noel Williams NAME: Dejon Noel Williams AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Semi-pro footballer and personal trainer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is beautiful on the inside and out, looks after themselves and is healthy CLAIM TO FAME? My dad being an ex-professional footballer. I've met all kinds of famous people through him. When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we'd go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I've met David Beckham, he was really nice. NAME: Megan Moore AGE: 25 FROM: Southampton OCCUPATION: Payroll specialist WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'd like to meet someone who is tall, with a nice tan, nice eyes and a nice smile. He needs to have a good fashion sense and a really good, funny personality that I can get on with HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Bankrupt, right now. But we're going to make sales and get on that corporate ladder and be booming. Profits, profits, profits! NAME: Helena Ford AGE: 29 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Cabin Crew WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Somebody funny or Northern. I feel like Northern people have much more banter than Southerners. If you look through my previous dating history, you'll see I clearly go for personality. You can pretty much laugh me into bed. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? I would say hire but then quickly fire soon after. It would only be a temporary contract. NAME: Shakira Khan AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Construction Project Manager WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is tall, charming, witty, with big arms, a good smile and just really funny. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Booming, but they're all frogs. It's a busy love life but I've not found 'the husband', I'm looking for 'the one'. I'm looking for the ring. NAME: Harry Cooksley AGE: 30 FROM: Guildford OCCUPATION: Gold trader, semi-professional footballer and model WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? The girl next door that makes me laugh and can hold eye contact with me. I don't think I'd go for the most obvious girl, I like a real sweet girl. CLAIM TO FAME? I'm the body double for Declan Rice. So when he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. You'll never see my face, but you'll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing. NAME: Conor Phillips AGE: 23 FROM: Limerick OCCUPATION: Professional rugby player WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?Someone who is really sure of themselves, ambitious, a bit of a go-getter and good craic. I like dark eyes and I don't mind a dominant woman. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? Definitely hire. I ask girls if they want to go halves on a baby. It doesn't work, but it gets them laughing. It's an ice-breaker, not a serious question of course! NAME: Toni Laites AGE: 24 FROM: Connecticut OCCUPATION: Las Vegas Pool Cabana Server WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm looking for darker hair, definitely muscular but not too muscular. Super fit. Clean hair cut. Someone that can make me laugh - I'm super outgoing. And someone that's quite active. Maybe one day we could start our own family together. I WANT TO DATE A BRITISH GUY BECAUSE... I've lived in three different states and I'm still single. It's time to try something new! I have some British friends and they're pretty charming. I think all Americans love a good accent. British men are just more polite, with better manners. NAME: Yasmin Pettet AGE: 24 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Commercial Banking Executive WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm looking for a guy who is fit, has a nice body and who is funny with a bit of banter. WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST ICK? A guy that's stingy NAME: Megan Moore AGE: 24 FROM: Dublin OCCUPATION: Musical theatre performer and energy broker WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and has a sense of humour. If they're not bad looking, that's always a plus. I love a boy that's a bit pasty, like Timothé e Chalamet. I don't mind scrawny, or a bit of a 'dad bod'. I'm 5ft1 so any height really. CLAIM TO FAME? Me and my friends made a Derry Girls TikTok for Halloween and it went a bit viral around Brighton. Sometimes I get stopped in the street about it. I've also done Panto. NAME: Blu Chegini AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Construction Project Manager WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is family oriented, has a lot of love to give and a lot of love to receive. Personality goes a long way. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? She'd fire me, but I've got the charm to smooth things over with a girl. The fact I speak fluent Spanish comes in handy when it comes to flirting! Jamie NAME: Jamie Rhodes AGE: 26 OCCUPATION: Electric Engineer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Bubbly, cheeky, outgoing, good face card and a nice bum. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I'll be in amongst the drama! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm gonna take it by the horns and go for it. NAME: Ty Isherwood AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: Site Engineer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I go off energy, if we vibe. I've typically dated brunettes, tanned, nice teeth with a nice smile. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? A head turner! I get along with lads easily and like to make people laugh. NAME: Cacherel 'Cach' Mercer AGE: 24 OCCUPATION: Professional Dancer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who's emotionally intelligent, beautiful, charismatic, caring, affectionate, and I'd say an intro extrovert. WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I think I'm gonna get into trouble, I feel like I'll be the joker of the group! I'll also be the person people come to for advice… and a bit of eye candy at the same time. ......................................................................................................................... Angel NAME: Angel Swift AGE: 26 OCCUPATION: Aesthetics Practitioner and Salon Owner WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm ready to make memories with someone, go travelling with them and fall in love WHAT KIND OF ISLANDER DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE? I feel like people have been getting their heads turned very easily. I do feel like I have quite a good chance of turning someone's head.
Daily Record
39 minutes ago
- Daily Record
I tried posh £21 fish and chips that David Beckham ordered – 3 words sum it up
I was dispatched to see if a luxury order of fish and chips was worth the hefty price tag What's the most you'd be willing to fork out for fish and chips? For me, it's not about the money but the time spent journeying to the east coast where two chip shops serve up fare so delightful it's downright soul-stirring. In St Andrews, Tailend and Cromar are where you'll find succulent haddock in a batter that's been fried to a masterful standard I've not seen elsewhere - an astonishingly light, supremely crunchy coating with frilly, jagged edges that audibly snap into fragments. This culinary masterpiece is nestled atop a pile of chips that aren't too chunky, boasting a crispness, fluffiness, and creaminess that could sway even a staunch advocate of skinny fries like myself. These chippies set the bar by which I judge all other fish and chips. Having once been a local, I now stay in Glasgow, regrettably a 90-minute drive from chippy heaven. However, I've recently been given the mission to determine whether a posh serving of fish and chips justifies its price tag, reports the Express. Inspired by a review of £18 fish and chips, my quest led me to Crabshakk, the fashionable seafood eatery, which opened its doors in Finnieston well before it became the Glasgow's foodie epicentre. The restaurant has drawn in celebrities like David Beckham and Sam Heughan. Although the Outlander star kept mum about his meal, Becks excitedly shared his dining experience on Instagram, praising the scallops "cooked to perfection", rollmops reminiscent of his grandmother's, and, of course, the fish and chips. Their latest venture, Crabshakk Botanics off Byres Road, exudes sleek and chic with industrial black fittings, trailing greenery, timber-clad walls and floor-to-ceiling windows — an ambience my fellow diner described as "very New York". We agree it's the type of swishy restaurant to bring friends visiting from out of town. When I'm off on a weekday, as someone with inflexible working hours, I like to wonder what other people who are out and about do for a living. I don't have to think too hard – at noon on a Wednesday, the clientele at this upmarket seafood restaurant consists of three tables populated by well-groomed, silver-haired guests. Before a father and daughter arrive, we are the youngest diners by decades - a journalist enjoying a day off in lieu with a friend on the backshift. One look at the menu and you know it's for seafood lovers. Lobster, crab, scallops, langoustine, squid, Arbroath smokies — whatever you fancy, they've got it. Non-seafood mains are few, featuring one meat option (steak frites) and four vegan dishes. My companion opts for the complimentary fizzy water, whilst despite being off duty, my afternoon plans rule out alcohol. I spring for the Spicy Rita (£8), a coral mocktail blending citrus, sweetness and savoury elements that pleasantly evoked tomato flavours. Rather than the traditional salted rim, black Himalayan salt adorns one edge of the glass, not unlike a sandy bum on the beach. The service here is courteous and prompt. It's a quiet lunch service and our hefty plates of fried seafood and chips soon arrive. So, my verdict on £21 fish and chips — not worth it. Giving credit where it's due, it's a good meal overall and they certainly don't scrimp on portion size. The chips are creamy and delicious, but it's the fish that falls flat. While I wasn't anticipating it to be the best I've ever had, the fried coating is thicker, darker and oilier than it should be. A look at TripAdvisor reviews reveals I'm not alone in this observation. The creamy tartare sauce is good but one glaring omission are peas, mushy or otherwise. Meanwhile, my friend happily tucks into her breaded monkfish cheeks accompanied by skinny fries, salad and a tangy and moreish housemade ketchup (£27). To share, we can't pass on the tomato and watermelon salad with salsa verde (£9) garnished with what appear to be edible succulent leaves that provide pops of salty juiciness. The restaurant didn't invite me for a review nor were they aware I was conducting one. Having footed the bill, I winced at the cost but I'm not overly put out. I'm not against the idea of posh fish and chips. But I'd suggest holding off on the craving until you can make your way to the East Neuk of Fife.
