Buying a long established Peterborough fish and chip shop is the perfect catch for mum and son

A mum and son are confident they can weather the storm of spiralling costs of raw materials and energy after buying a long established fish and chip shop in Peterborough.

Former school head teacher Cathy Braithwaite (57) and her son, university graduate in film, Mike Bailey (28) snapped up the 36-years-old Parrotts Fish Parlour in Hereward Cross at the start of the year and say they have not looked back.

They purchased the shop, which employs seven staff, before the huge rise in energy costs and inflation that has pushed up the price of vital products like cod and sunflower oil, really started to take a grip.

Concerns have been voiced nationally that many food outlets will struggle to avoid closure.

But Cathy, a former head teacher at the Duke of Bedford Primary School, in Thorney, said she was confident the business would overcome the difficulties.

She said: “It is a difficult climate now.

“Rising costs, rent and VAT are a concern.

“But it is a question of survival until these problems sort themselves out.

“We will look at ways of promoting sales and attracting new customers.

“We have an energy deal in place and we’ve had good reviews and the regular customers have stayed with us.

"We put our prices up slightly a few weeks ago to cope with rising costs and inflation. Our customers have been very understanding.

“I think we have a rosy future ahead.”

Cathy said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had persuaded herself and her son to change their lifestyles.

She said: “Life had become a bit more difficult running a school through the Covid-19 outbreak and I decided the time was right to move on.

“We thought it would be great to own a fish and chip shop and work together.

She said: “It has involved lots of hard work. I didn’t expect the sheer scale of what we needed to know.

“We had some training from the previous owners as we started in the business.

“They have been really helpful along with the staff who have been here for a long time.

“But it has also given us a great sense of achievement.

“What was unexpected was the huge amount of pleasure we get from seeing customers enjoy eating the food we produce.

“It is great when they say our fish and chips are the best they’ve tasted.

“We’ve no regrets, it’s great working together and the customers are brilliant.”

Mike said: “Sorry Hollywood, you’ll have to wait. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, which is the official body that represents the fish and chip industry, said: “This is a very challenging time for the fish and chip industry and all small businesses.

“The conflict and post pandemic inflation have had a huge impact on the goods we buy and the squeeze on consumers does mean they may tighten their belts.

But he added: “That being said we have a fantastic product that does represent great value for money still and we think that businesses that serve a great quality product can still be successful.”