Local British Classics in Didsbury – Fosters Fish & Chips (Now Anchors)

Great value with free chip refills on every main when I visited!

Fosters Fish and Chips (now Anchors Fish & Chips) is located at the edge of Didsbury Village and is close to the now closed Jarern Kitchen. I had only tried fish and chips once before, and was not a big fan of it. However, the staff were friendly at this place and asked if I wanted to have a seat. Hence, I decided to give it a try!

The interior gave me a joyful and lively feeling when I entered the restaurant. The staff were nice and led me to my seat efficiently. The restaurant was quite spacious and there was more space at the back which could accommodate a bigger party.

Since you couldn’t really find much information about the menu on their website, I’ll share the menus here: the lunch menu and the standard menu. The lunch menu applied every day and you could have free chip refills when you got your own main. The dishes I chose that day were from the lunch menu, and they were the classic cod (£8) and John Dory (£8). The sides were classic mushy peas and bread & butter.

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The size of the cod was not too big for the lunch menu but it sure was tasty. I was surprised by how tasty it was since I wasn’t a big fan of fish and chips before. The batter was thin and not too greasy, and the cod inside was tender and moist. Moreover, it went so well with their homemade tartare sauce.

The texture of the John Dory was similar to the cod, though a bit firmer. Furthermore, the John Dory should have a bit of sweetness though I couldn’t really taste the difference. Yet, it was a good choice if you wanted something new to try.

The chips here were in the British traditional style, freshly cut and chunky. Moreover, they were twice cooked, which gave the chips a soft centre and crispy skin. With the chip refills, you could be sure you’d leave full and satisfied.

Overall, the fish here was cooked perfectly with the right amount of batter. Moreover, the free chips were definitely great value for what you paid. Having the fish and chips here gave me a totally new view of fish and chips.