Signs of the Times: Fish & Chips, Beaches, Patience and Coffee

When I saw Dan Anton’s post a few months ago with the theme of ‘Signs‘, it prompted me to dig out some photos. Many of these photos would never have seen the light of day on my blog if it were not for Dan’s prompt.

How much do you think a fish-and-chips supper costs?

A white, slightly weathered A-frame pavement sign with blue text advertising a fish and chip shop. At the top, it says "FISH & CHIPS" above a large blue arrow pointing to the left. Below the arrow, the text reads "CHIPPY CHIPS," followed by a special offer: "FISH & CHIPS £4.00 (TUESDAY & THURSDAY ALL DAY)." At the bottom, it lists "HOMEMADE FISH CAKE £1.20." The sign is mounted on a white metal frame, sitting outdoors on a pavement with buildings and a glimpse of the sea under a clear blue sky in the background.

We Brits are well known for our fish-and-chips suppers. It’s one of the most popular takeaway dishes in the United Kingdom.

Sadly, £4.00 for a fish-and-chip supper is something we can only dream about today. At the time of writing, the average cost of a standard takeaway portion of fish and chips in the UK is around £11.17. That’s nearly a two hundred per cent increase!

The price does vary from region to region. In London, you’ll pay up to £20.00 for a fish-and-chip takeaway, while in some parts of the United Kingdom, the cost of a fish-and-chips supper will be £7.90

And we Brits also like to have fish and chips with side dishes, such as curry sauce, gravy, mushy peas, pickled eggs and even bread and butter.

Do you like fish and chips? What would your side dish be?

A sign of the times?

A rectangular, vintage-style metal sign mounted on a white subway-tiled wall. The sign has a white background with a black border, featuring scalloped or ornate inner corners. Raised black capital letters read: "GENTLEMEN ADJUST YOUR DRESS" across three lines.

I smiled a lot when I saw this sign. Given that it was taken in an old British pub and restaurant, it’s a sign that was popular in many men’s rooms in the early 20th century, for very good reasons when gentlemen dressed in black tie for dinner.

If you read the alt-text for the photo, you may have noticed the word ‘Vintage.’

The sign was a polite nudge to make sure everything was snug as a bug in a rug. I mean, there’s nothing quite like the eye-popping scenes I witness these days, especially when some gents decide that shorts should be more like swim trunks! And who wants to see badly sunburned bare-chested men eating spaghetti bolognese or a margarita pizza? Take those hands down, please.

What’s a sign you have seen that is a sign of its time?

Going to the beach this week? What have you left behind?

A wooden sign shaped like a large bare footprint is attached to a weathered wooden fence. The sign has stencilled black lettering that reads: "LEAVE NOTHING BUT YOUR FOOTPRINT ON THE BEACH." In the background, a sandy beach, turquoise ocean waves, and large grey rocks are visible under a clear blue sky.

No, not at home, but on the beach!

I love that this sign gets straight to the point in a nice, humorous way. Can you imagine what all the beaches in the world would be like if everyone who visited did what this sign asks?

Take your rubbish home with you. Yes, that includes you and those regrettable swim trunks from last summer that you swore were fashionable for all the wrong reasons.

What’s the best sign you’ve seen on a beach or in a park?

Are you in a rush? Well, you’ll have to wait!

A close-up shot of a handwritten note enclosed in a simple wooden picture frame, mounted on a glossy, dark green wooden door. The note is written in black marker on white paper and reads: "The old people upstairs take time to get downstairs to answer the doorbell! Please wait-! Thank you." with an underline beneath the text.

Another ‘straight to the point’ sign, but with a slight difference: it’s handwritten.

People seem to be in such a rush these days that, if blogging were a marathon, they’d be sprinting to the finish line while skimming posts as if they’re trying to read a novel before getting to the head of the queue at a drive-thru! It’s as if they’re all in a secret competition for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Reader.’ Be kind and read posts rather than skim them.

What I didn’t know about this sign is who wrote it. Was it the old people upstairs, or was it written on their behalf? In any case, this sign teaches us all to slow down and enjoy what is going on rather than trying to remember what we enjoyed today.

When was the last time you gave yourself a good, hearty talking-to about that crazy habit of dashing around like a caffeine-fuelled squirrel?

Who’s for a coffee?

A long, rectangular black sign titled "COFFEE MENU know your coffee" in white text, flanked by small white leaf stencils. Below the title, a row of eight stylised white coffee cups diagrams the ingredients for different drinks: Americano, Cappuccino, Flat White, Macchiato, Mocha, Espresso, Cortado, and Latte. Each cup graphic shows stacked layers representing components like espresso, hot water, milk, steamed milk, and milk foam. The sign rests on a white wooden ledge against a cream-coloured wall.

Well, you’ve made it this far, so I guess it’s time to reward your bravery with a coffee! What’s your poison? A latte, cappuccino, or maybe a triple espresso to keep the adrenaline pumping?

I’ve created a poll for you to choose what you’d like. Feel free to vote.

Dan blogs at No Facilities and features plenty of challenges, so go and check out his blog for more details. Thanks for the inspiration, Dan!

The featured image in this post was created using the WordPress AI Image Generator block. AI was also used for checking spelling and grammar mistakes.

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36 responses to “Signs of the Times: Fish & Chips, Beaches, Patience and Coffee”

  1. Jacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkies avatar

    My most recent fish and chip lunch cost £29 for two large cod, one large chips and a mushy peas in Market Harborough! It was delicious, but no longer ‘cheap as chips’!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      And that was without any drinks, Jacqueline? Was it a sit-down meal in the premises or a take-away? It certainly beats London prices.

      1. Jacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkies avatar

        No – it was a takeaway. It was very good, but I was shocked at the price!

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          So am I, Jacqueline. I wonder if anyone can beat that price? Would you go back?

          1. Jacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkies avatar

            I would, because it is very good fish and chips, and is a treat for us. Fish and chips is a delicacy we have to have when we come back from our travels. This particular fish and chip shop has the added advantage of being next to a launderette where we can park our huge campervan and get our laundry done!

            However, next time, I would order the lunchtime special, which was cod and chips and maybe mushy peas, I can’t remember, for £9.95 each. I only noticed it after I’d ordered my mortgage-worthy lunch! It would be a smaller portion, but I think it would be plenty. The portion of chips I ordered was honestly enough to feed four!

            1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

              That sounds like a much better bargain. Some portions can be too much. I always like it when I find a treat I can indulge in every now and again. It’s amazing how the taste of fish and chips can change from shop to shop. I know that some shops now use pollock as a white fish. It’s cheaper, but not as tasty as cod or haddock.

  2. Terri Webster Schrandt avatar

    A fun array of signs, Hugh! I’ll take my fish and chips any way and today with an iced coffee, please! When we drove along the coast from NorCal to Southern Oregon, we ate fish and chips and clam chowder at least once. I would love to try the UK fish and chips for sure! Loved that image generator, I’ll have to look into it!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I remember eating clam chowder that was served in a hollowed-out bread roll on Pier 39 in San Francisco, Terri. I’d heard so much about it that it was something I had to try, and I was not disappointed.

      I’m loving the WordPress image generator. WordPress has improved it so much.

  3. Darlene avatar

    I love Fish & Chips. My favourte side dish with them is coleslaw. Believe it or not we can get some very good Fish & Chips here in Spain. I love the adjust your dress sign.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I remember fish and chips being popular in Spain, Darlene. One of the best things I enjoyed about Spain was all the fresh seafood. When I visited Cyprus, all the seafood was frozen. I could never understand why.

      1. Darlene avatar

        That is strange. The seafood in Alberta, Canada was all frozen, but we were no where near the sea! So I love all the fresh seafood here on the coast of Spain.

  4. Linda Schaub avatar

    These were fun signs Hugh. I lived in Canada until age 10 and we moved to the States, but every time we went to visit my grandmother in Canada, two things were a must: fish and chips and crusty Kaiser buns. I can’t remember any side dish except coleslaw from the fish and chips establishment we frequented, but it was battered cod, sprinkled with vinegar malt dressing and pub fries with each dinner in a cardboard tray, a thin piece of paper covering the food and wrapped in newspaper. So delicious!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I’ve never heard of Kaiser buns, Linda. What are they? But I’m glad you experienced fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. I’ve always thought they tasted much better when wrapped in newspaper, with salt and vinegar added before wrapping. But then my favourite crisp flavour is Salt ‘n’ Vinegar. And I love a crisp sandwich.

  5. noelleg44 avatar

    Loved the signage – great for smiles, except maybe the price for fish and chips. We paid 12 pounds in Glascow a while back. I do love fish and chips and the only other place that makes the dish correctly (other than England, Scotland and Ireland) is in Sausalito, California, where we got them wrapped in newspaper with malt vinegar on the side.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I’ve not had fish and chips wrapped in newspaper for many, many years. But they always tasted better when wrapped in newspaper. Did you add salt to the malt vinegar?

      1. noelleg44 avatar

        I think we might have salted the fish and chips, but oh my, they were SO good!

  6. Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader) avatar

    Thanks for sharing, Hugh. Wow. Inflation has really made fish & chips a luxury, hasn’t it? Personally, I like mushy peas, although they are very hard to find in Canada. Our local fish & chip shop used to be run by a Scottish couple. They had mushy peas and homemade pies as well. When my Dad was alive, he loved their pies. The couple retired a long time ago now. The new owners still make great fish & chips…but no mushy peas.

    For reference, 2 pieces of cod with chips is $15, or about £8. Halibut is more expensive – $20 or just over £10. The most economical is whitefish at around £7.

    Now I have a hankering for fish & chips. 😂

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Mushy peas come with almost every fish and chips meal here in the UK, Michelle. I can take or leave them, but I’d rather have curry sauce on my fish and chips.

      What were the fillings in the homemade pies? It takes me back to my school days, when I used to love minced beef and onion pies with gravy inside. Sadly, it’s not a pie I see often anymore. I also like Cornish pasties. And my mum used to make a fantastic corned beef pie with a filling of potatoes, carrots, and onions. It came in a short crust pastry. That was best served hot with a dollop of HP Brown sauce.

      Now I’m making myself hungry.

      1. Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader) avatar

        Curry sauce isn’t something we do with chips over here, but I had it the last time I was in England and it was lovely.

        The pies were minced beef and onion with gravy. My dad loved them. When I was in Prince Edward Island recently I had a version of a Cornish pastie. They call it an “island hand pie”. It was delicious. My mum used to make the best potato pies with corned beef, and also delicious steak and kidney pie.

        Yes, I am definitely hungry now. 😂

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          I don’t think you can beat minced beef, onion, and gravy in a pie.

          Glad you enjoyed the curry sauce with the fish and chips, Michelle.

  7. Brenda avatar

    £11.75 from Glasgow’s Blue Lagoon … haddock in Scotland. Mushy peas, salt & vinegar and pickled onions. Sitting drinking cappuccino in Caffe Nero right now.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Cod seems more popular in Wales, but I don’t mind haddock and chips, Brenda. It would be an iced coffee for me during this heatwave.

      1. Brenda avatar

        Im glad we’ve not been getting it to the same extent up here, but i am enjoying the sunshine

  8. Mr. Ohh's Sideways View avatar

    Amazing how things change. I love the adjusting your dress sign. 🤣😎🙃

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I love that sign, too. It can be taken in so many different ways in the world of today.

  9. Rustownmom avatar
    Rustownmom

    Its almost too expensive to eat out now, especially fast food, which is priced like a sit down restaurant. (I will have the coleslaw with my fish and fries, please.)

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Yes, eating out has become very expensive, even if you are just collecting a takeaway to eat at home.
      I’ve never had coleslaw with my fish and chips, but it sounds like a great combination.

  10. Dan Antion avatar

    You found a wonderful collection of signs, Hugh. “Adjust your dress” should be brought back, but it should be post so it’s visible before they leave the house. After conversion, your price for fish & chips is a bit higher than the places around here But, when I’m in the mood for it, the price doesn’t scare me (I shouldn’t tell them that).

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Even with the price rise, fish-and-chip shops seem to be busy every night of the week, Dan. And it seems that it’s a tradition to have a fish-and-chip meal when visiting the seaside. We have an award-winning fish-and-chip shop just down the road. Friday was always the day we got fish and chips at school. Now it’s become a dish served on any day of the week.

      Thanks for the inspiration to dig out these signs.

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