My first memory of a fish and chip shop was a shop in an old shopping centre in Brown Street at West Croydon. I grew up in West Croydon and then went there to visit my Grandma in later years.

The shop was run by an old Greek and was always dark. I think it only had one globe for light and during the day when it was quiet he'd even turn that off.

On top of the old wooden counter there were piles of newspapers and white paper for wrapping, but the thing that sticks in my mind was the huge metal salt shaker.

Apparently they didn't have heart disease in those days because he would shake that salt container like a maraca.

The chunky pre-cooked chips were all piled up on a tray and the fish came out of a wooden doored cold room before plunging into the flour and the batter.

The bell would ring as you opened the door. Not electric .. but a real little bell.

He'd shuffle into the shop from an even darker cavern of a room behind the shop where he used to sit and cut up the chips.

The first thing he would do was reach down and turn on the gas to heat up the fat.

Yes it was fat .. dripping .. and it came in big kerosene tins which had actually been washed out sometimes.

The fat never got that hot unless there was more than one customer at a time.

He always knew what you were there for .. either fish or chips or both.

There were no choices .. no such things as Chiko Rolls or Dim Sims or even hamburgers.

This was the late 40's early 1950's and fish shops just sold fish and chips.

They weren't quick to change the fat in those days and boy did it add to the flavour and there were those little bits of batter and chips from meals long gone that floated in the mix.

Sometimes they'd scoop out those little bits and keep them in the sieve and you could ask for them to be added to your chips.

Then he'd wrap them in a small piece of greaseproof paper (to keep the grease in) and then in newspaper.

I never heard of anyone dying from eating chips from newspaper but you can't do it now.

You tore a hole in the paper at one end and then juggled the hot chips to your mouth.

The advantage of this method became clear later in life when you went to school .. it was difficult for others to steal your chips when they were all wrapped up !

Other chips shops in my childhood memory were on Semaphore Road during the summer carnival where Kevin Crease was the host.

We'd sit and eat chips while we waited for the train to arrive. There was even a shop that boasted it had electricity .. The Semaphore Electric Fish Caf ©.

There was the Ozone Fish Caf © in Port Adelaide .. and who could forget the fish and chip shop in Bank Street in the City that had the fresh fish displayed in the window with water running down the window.

Cappo's had a shop in Grote Street opposite the Central Market and their fresh cut chips were to die for.

"Fresh cut chips" now they're a thing of the past. They're not that hard to do, but nobody can be bothered.

These days the only places I know are Paul's Fish Caf © on Norwood Parade a little fish shop on Semaphore Road. .. and Tuks Takeaway in the Para Vista Shopping Centre.

Long may they live.