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The Porthmadog high street has a traditional feel about it. It's busy, but has not yet been taken over by designer chain stores. Instead, it has a lot of independent shops, each with its own character. You will find Portmeirion pottery, Cob records, cake stores selling monkey bread, Welsh Art and Purple Moose beer. We walked from a car park by the historic port on the Glaslyn Estuary and watched the bobbing boats. We could hear the toot and the hiss of the steam from the nearby Ffestiniog Railway terminus, with excited children pulling their parents eagerly to the Welsh Highland Railway. We were here to try one of the most rated chip shops in North Wales. The Creel chip shop has been a fixture on the Porthmadog High Street for a number of years. Inside, it has a small café area with about six tables and a counter with stools. There are a few tables outside on the busy high street, which were taken up with walkers in wooly hats tucking into the steaming chips. The overhead menu had cod priced for £8.95, Large chips for £3.45, Sausage for £1.85 and a good old chip bap for £3.50. Specials included more left field offerings like Peri Peri chicken dirty chips, which included chicken strips, chips, cheese and bacon bits or salt and pepper squid. We decided to eat in the café, so ordered by the chip counter and were given a buzzer to tell us when our chips were ready. It was about 5 to 10 minutes before the buzzer went off. We were sat by a television screen with virtual tropical fish swimming indefinably. One did look a bit like Nemo but it was very much haddock on the menu today. That’s because I saw a lunchtime special that offered a small haddock and chips, with either, peas, curry, beans, gravy or Irish curry for a very reasonable £6.95. The chip shop had recently made the big step of changing their frying oil to beef dripping. Despite being better for the environment, they will no longer be able to cater for vegetarians. The chips did taste a lot better though. They were clean, non-greasy and consistent in texture and size. I am not too sure re the health benefits but beef dripping definitely makes for superior chips. Its high smoke point and uniquetaste make it the choice for frying for many traditionalists. We recently had the good fortune to eat fish and chips at the famous Magpie Café in Whitby, who are often mentioned as the best chip shop in the U.K. The chips at the Creel were just as good, if not better than the Magpie. The haddock was slightly smaller than the normal size but was big enough for me. The moist white flaky haddock meat fell apart inside a crisp and crunchy batter. I went for a carton of Irish curry sauce to go with my fish and chips. It had a thick consistency with a spicy but subtle after kick. It was perfect to dip your chips into, but try and make sure you don’t get any on your shirt as it’s difficult to get out (as I later found out). My wife went for a meal deal, which offered breaded fish cake and chips with either peas, curry, gravy, beans, or Irish curry with a free can of pop for £7.95. Instead of taking a can from the fridge, she exchanged it for a cup of tea. I also ordered a cup of tea for a reasonable £1.25. Fish and chips always go well with a civilised piping hot brew. My wife’s circular breaded fish cake was filled with a savoury potato mash, minced fish and various herbs. It tasted quite tangy and was absolutely delicious as I tried a little bit of the corner myself. My wife went for the controversial choice of gravy to go with the fish cake and chips? What no mushy peas? Instead, she poured the thick and gloopy gravy over her chips and looked really happy with her choice. We sipped our teas slowly and let the food go down before exploring the busy High Street, before taking a walk along the scenic Borth Y Gest coastal path. Fish and chips, sand and sea. Life doesn’t really get much better than this. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
