Paul's Plaice chippy, Bishop's Waltham | Food review

We are certainly not the kind of person that gets excited by the unveiling of a chain store’s seasonal television advert – particularly if this happens in early November – and the fact that advent may as well start as soon as the last firework has faded gets our goat like there is no tomorrow.

However, while in general opposed to this modern-day decline in standards, we are at least open-minded (and greedy). And so it came to pass that we found ourselves back in one of the more far-flung corners of our stomping ground in pursuit of something that sounded, as the kids would have said a few years ago, epic.

A while back the DD enjoyed a takeaway from the Waltham Tandoori in Bishop’s Waltham; while the DD was hale and hearty and negative (and remained so), their companion for the evening was isolating after Covid and so it would have not been fair on anyone else to eat out. While up that way, the companion revealed that they had heard the village’s chip shop Paul’s Plaice was soon to be serving a Christmas delicacy – battered pigs in blankets. The DD within a millisecond vowed to return.

Now, we’re not short of decent chip shops in and around Portsmouth. The DD will not name-check any for fear of missing out some who deserve mention, but let’s say that it would be a strange decision to make to go to Bishop’s Waltham for chips if you live in Eastney. However, if you’re closer to the area, or passing through, then the DD can confirm that this chippy is up there with the good ones. Proper kitchen where you can see the food being fried? Yep. Served in paper and not polystyrene? Yep. Quality ingredients? Yep.

The Dish Detective was very taken with this place. The two of us decided to take a scattergun approach to ordering, just to see what happened. So, one medium cod (£6.50), one battered sausage (£2.35) and cheesy bacon chips (£5.50) for basics with the five battered pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce (£3.50) as a treat, with a side of curry sauce (£1.30), some garlic mushrooms (£3.25) and a spam fritter (£2.40) just because we could. It was all excellent. Our arteries may have taken a hammering but we endured that happily. A battered pig in a blanket is a treat worth seeking out, especially when the batter is as light and crunchy as this was. It makes the porky taste even more intense than usual, and also makes one very happy. If this is Christmas, I’m sold.

But it wasn’t just the pigs in blankets. The bacon in the chips came from thick-cut rashers, not a cheap supermarket box of bacon bits. There was a decent amount of cheese on the chips, with no skimping. And you could say, given the rising costs of a chip supper, so there should be. We should all accept that the cost of potatoes and fish is going up, but if it’s going to cost you north of £20 if one of you has cod then your expectations for everything else get raised too. And here, thankfully, they are met.

We said earlier that the Dish Detective doesn’t on the whole like innovation, and indeed their heart leapt at the sight of a chip shop running exactly as a chip shop should, and serving things as they always have and we hope always will. Sometimes the old ways are the best. But sometimes the DD is a sucker for deep-fried pork products. Bravo, Paul’s Plaice, bravo.

Paul’s Plaice, High Street, Bishop’s Walthamhttps://menus.preoday.com/Pauls-Plaice#/main/venue/menu // 01489 891017

Food 5Value 4Ambience n/aChild-friendly n/a