XIII Oceans

Farndale’s
138 Aberford Road, Woodlesford, Leeds, LS26 8LG

So, following on from a colleague’s advice, it was that I was travelling outside of Leeds, towards Woodlesford and the decision to stop off at Farndale’s had been made for me. I had expectations that this chippy would be good without delivering something out of this world, a satisfactory experience instead of a defining one and I’d done some preparation work before heading over the hills. Seafish provides a listing of the industry finalists for chip shop of the year so I downloaded their list to see where the nominations for the best in the area were and if Farndale’s was amongst them. It wasn’t. Was that a warning shot that my colleague just hadn’t been exposed to anything like the same kind of quality in fish and chips as myself? It was certainly a suggestion.

Finding out what the nomination for the best in Yorkshire proved to be trickier than it should have been simply because I kept forgetting to search the net when I got home. It didn’t matter really, I had enough confidence that this place was going to be at least edible from the conversation with my colleague, who’d given me enough faith to believe Leeds.

Farndale’s is very much the traditional small chippy and reminded me of Haydock’s historical finest, Dixon’s. It has the feeling that it’s served the local area, probably for a few decades, whether it has or not I’ve no idea. Tight and cramped at peak times, the menu was easy to read, although I had some difficulty determining which was the price for a regular portion of chips because of the price difference between the two quoted prices. It’s basic fish and chips on that menu here meaning dedication to the product. As with many places in the north there’s that initial feeling of being a stranger-in-town which is quickly superceded by local hospitality and humour, making this quite an unusually pleasant experience. Due to the queues service isn’t the fastest I’ve known even for my cod and chips.

The moment of truth and I receive my food. I’m inexperienced with chippies from Yorkshire so I was delighted, when I unwrapped my food, to see that the fish had the same dirty copper look of Bridlington, stoking up that anticipation. The chips, complete with scraps on top looked capable of hitting the spot too. Man, this was exciting. Immediately, I noticed that the portion of chips was small. It wasn’t obvious on the menu what size constituted regular and once I completed my purchase it was clear that the price reflected the size of the portion. Okay, the chips were cheap but it was a lot more for big portion so although the value for money was fine the portion size was disappointing. The fish was of an average size and the price for the meal reflected the size of the portions which isn’t to say that the portions were measly, they were appropriate for the price so being a big man it was really only my own greed that was thwarted.

Sharing the anticipation I felt at that time, in written form, is difficult. Here I had, lying before me, a meal fit for any working person. It looked delcious but how did it taste and rate? The fish did not let me down, an excellent standard in flavour and texture without being overly greasy or battered although it might be a bit too greasy for your average health freak who has guilt spasms over eating something as calorific as a gnat’s chuff. There’s no denying the quality of Farndale’s fish, right up there with The Pride Of Bridlington for me. Even in the most committed fish and chip shops, the issue of chips can be a concern although most usually deliver a consistent product if nothing amazing, not so in Farndale’s. With scraps littered in the trough I was amazed at quality of the chips. My vocabulary is too limited to describe the chips without over-hyping them or misinforming you. Safest to say that if you prefer your chips to mush in your mouth after a few chomps and not have to struggle like you’re breaking down wood chips then these are for you. Champions League chips.

Situated on the main street in Woodlesford about five minutes drive from junction 30 of the M62 I recommend that if you’re driving past, around lunch or tea time, make an effort to stop by you won’t regret. Unlike most of the good chippies it’s open beyond 7.30pm (up until 9pm I think) and is open all day on Saturday.

OVERALL VERDICT: Excellent. The size of the portion of chips was the only real negative which is easily overcome by getting the large portion of chips on the next visit. Fish was excellent quality, the service friendly and the chips may well have been the best that I’ve ever tasted.