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<\/p>\nA chip shop owner reckons he has the cheapest fish supper on offer in the country – but there's a sad reason behind the bargain price.<\/p>\n
Stan Mathews, 57, is the proud owner of Mathews Chippy in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and sells his haddock and chips meal for a staggeringly low \u00a33. <\/p>\n
It comes after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed in May the average price for a fish supper in the UK had risen to \u00a39. That represented an increase of 19% – more than any other type of takeaway meal in the previous year.<\/p>\n
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Stan told The Sun: "We\u2019re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis that is affecting the whole country, and the people hardest hit are the poorest.<\/p>\n
"Our shop is in one of the most rundown areas of the town. Many people living here are struggling to put food on the table. At three quid a throw, I\u2019m not making any profit.<\/p>\n
"But I\u2019m happy that I\u2019m giving families the chance to eat a nourishing meal at a price they can afford."<\/p>\n
The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) insisted earlier this year that the increase in fish and chip prices had nothing to do with profiteering, and much more to do with rising costs for takeaways. NFFF area director for Somerset, Stuart Devine, described it as "a perfect storm". <\/p>\n
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Stuart told the BBC: "Costs are soaring. You either put your prices up or you risk going out of business.<\/p>\n
"I run six fish and chip shops, employing 150 people, and we are finding it very tough. Small, independent fish and chip shops may survive because their overhead costs are less, but it really is at a critical point."<\/p>\n
Stan explained that part of the reason he can keep prices so low at his shop in Grimsby is because he owns his own fish supply business and smokes his own haddock. <\/p>\n
He told The Sun: "I do appreciate that other chippy owners may not be able to offer the same deals as me because they have to buy in their fish from suppliers."<\/p>\n
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