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A Youtuber has visited what has been branded the UK's rudest chippy to see whether there is any truth to the claims. During the encounter, he met with the shop's owner who revealed all on what he makes of the comparisons. The Old Smithy in Ambleside, Cumbria, is a thriving chippy business, and has been previously rated as the best quality fish and chip shops in the Lake District. However, some reviews are less positive, blasting the staff for their brazen and brash attitude to customers. As a result of the backlash, the chippy's owner Gary often takes to the reviews section to hit back at the criticisms launched at his business. But now, he has explained why he goes so far to defend his establishment in a new interview. Speaking with Youtuber Gary Eats , chippy owner Gary revealed that many of the negative reviews left on his page are in fact fake, and he has resorted to badmouthing them as an attempt to get them to stop. He even explained that some reviews are being deliberately left to provoke a reaction from the owner. Youtube star Gary first tucked into a meal from the chippy first to form his own opinion on the quality of the fish and chips before speaking with the boss. As he got stuck into his meal, he gave the cooking a glowing review, praising the portion size he was given, as well as the quality of the haddock and the chips he was given. After scoffing down on the hearty meal, he also had a taste of some of the other plates on offer at the restaurant, including fried haggis — a food he deemed to be "very, very good". At the end of the taste test, he exclaimed: "Nothing here is shouting out to me, 'I need a complaint'." He then went on to speak to the owner of the restaurant to get his side of the story, and asked Gary whether he thought the rude responses to the negative reviews were justified. He shot back: "I've been told it's unprofessional, it's frustrating because most of the time it's not even related to the food; it's something else that we haven't got and they don't like being told no. "And then they go online and slag you off, slate the business and insult you, I can't help it," Gary continued. "When I see that and it's a genuine person that's been in the shop — and I know exactly who it is — that's a different story." Gary revealed that his business has been dogged by troll reviews leaving just 1 star since 2021. He revealed that many of these reviews are being left by people who have not even been to the chippy themselves to try the food out. He admitted that he does suspect many of the negative reviews that are added to the business are fake, but he has "a hard time" in holding back in saying what he truly thinks. He added that he does report the fake reviews to the relevant authorities, but the bureaucracy of taking down the fake reports means more spring up in the meantime. But despite the abrasive tone of his reviews, Gary said that he was thrilled to receive a good verdict from the Youtube star. This came despite Youtuber Gary telling him to avoid using the word "muppet" in his clapbacks.
