Eric’s Fish and Chips in Thornham was highly recommended to me by the peeps on Twitter a few months back when we were discussing the best chippies in Norfolk. So this week while we are caravanning in nearby Hunstanton we made a point of heading here to check the place out.

Located in the Drove Orchards complex just outside the village, Eric’s Fish and Chip shop sits alongside a number of other great food shops Gurneys Fish Shop and the Drove Orchards Farm Shop . It is also next to Eric’s Pizza a relatively new venture on the site.

The menu at Eric’s Fish and Chip shop did offer pies, burgers, and even fried chicken! We were here though for some Fish and Chip action, the name of the game and the sole reason for our visit.

I lit up inside a little when I read that they offered ‘Classic Fish & Chips, Beer Battered & Cooked in Beef Dripping’. I really needed some of that in my life!

I was very happy to see that they offered small, medium, and large portions of both the fish and the chips. Often you don’t get that choice and often I just want lots of fish and just a few chips. A really large plateful sometimes just overwhelms me and I end up just slogging my way through it when I just want to enjoy each mouthful. So I was grateful that they catered to the whim of people like us 🙂

MEDIUM COD, SMALL CHIPS AND MUSHY PEAS

I had the medium Cod fillet and small chips, we were sharing mushy peas. I thought that the medium portion was actually pretty big and a decent size.

I am going out onto a limb here of what I believe is a very sturdy branch when I say that the batter on this fish is the best I have ever had.

It was crisp, it was crunchy, there was no hint of grease or wetness, no sogginess or any weird taste. It was just perfect.

The Cod fish was solid and firm to the bite, nice and thick. lightly moist and quite plentiful. Pretty darn good!

SMALL HADDOCK AND SMALL CHIPS

The small haddock and chips was also a decent portion. It fitted well on the plate and there was just enough room to add mushy peas.

Batter wise the haddock was pronounced to be excellent and plaudits for the quality of the fish resonated across the table as we dug into our meals.

MUSHY PEAS FOR EVERYONE

I had to record a special mention for the mushy peas, we had a portion to share but it was a huge serving almost like a trayful for the table. I had two large spoonfuls, we both did and there was still peas left to be eaten.

They were seriously good and just how I like them, slightly crunchy, lovely thick creamy sauce and no mint in sight. I could have eaten this on a slice of toast and been just as happy.

THOUGHTS OF THE COREN

On the paper menu there was a quote from Giles Coren where he describes the meal as “Perfect. Historic. Epic” when he reviewed the place in the Times back in August 2020. I would love to read the article but you have to pay to subscribe to the Times and so I’ll just read the headline 🙂

THE OTHER STUFF ON THE MENU

The menu did include a Fish burger (Japanese Style) and a ‘Fried’ Beef Burger, the thought of which did intrigue but lets be honest, much as I love a burger I would only ever have been eating the Fish and Chips on this visit.

I was a bit sad that I didn’t spot that they were offering a Black Pudding Fritter as I would have had one of those and feel that I missed out a bit.

ALL ABOUT THEM

I decided to post a picture of the menu instead of regurgitating any prose from their website to pretend that I am fully knowledgeable in history of Eric’s Fish & Chip shops.

It tells you all you need to know, but I guess when you read it you will already be sitting down at you table contemplating your food order so it’s just something to fill the time with.

I think that there was a coloring in option on the back if you were really lost for something to ponder

Eric’s Fish and Chip shop is located at Drove Orchards, Thornham, Norfolk, PE36 6LS. The Orchards are a few minutes drive out of Thornham on the way back to Hunstanton

You can check Eric’s out on their Facebook page, their Twitter feed and on their Instagram profile