Eric's Fish & Chips
Thornham, Norfolk
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Eric Snaith, of Titchwell Manor renown, knew his (pickled) onions when he opened this posh chip shop in 2015. The location, just off the main coast road in an enclave of boutiques (plus the Drove Orchards Farm Shop) attracts tourists and affluent families from nearby Burnham Market, although the ‘poshness’ focuses on the food rather than any fancy-pants dining room. So, traditional tiled walls and basic furniture (stools, easy-wipe tables) are the order of the day, and there’s a hatch catering for the takeaway trade (where a screen on the covered decking informs the queue of waiting times). A children’s play area and outdoor benches add to the popularity. A sparklingly fresh plate-filling plaice, in local ale batter and fried to crisp perfection in beef dripping, was the star at a recent meal, ably accompanied by thick-cut chips and mushy peas (soaked and cooked in-house rather than out of a can). Praise too for the halloumi and spinach arancini (three crisply breadcrumbed globes that went down a treat with the own-made black-garlic mayonnaise) and (for those on a batter mission) the lollipop pudding of deep-fried cookie doughball, encasing melted chocolate. A wine list and local bottled beer earn bonus points too. In all, a laudable updating of the classic British seaside café. There are also chippie branches of Eric’s in Holt and St Ives (Cambridsgeshire), plus a pizza restaurant in a yurt on the Drove Orchards site.
