SHOP WATCH Fish on the Harbour, Lymouth, Devon

Best in the west

Five years ago Peter and Helen Mabberley knew very little about fish and chips. Today they run the successful Fish On The Harbour restaurant and takeaway in Lynmouth in the Exmoor National Park. Turnover has more than doubled over the past five years and this season it’s already up by over 30%.
“Our trade is almost entirely seasonal,” explains Peter. “We open at lunchtime from February to Easter and then from Easter to October we open seven days a week from 11.30am till 8.00pm. During the summer season we can often serve over 800 meals a day, of which about 80% will be in the restaurant. By the end of October we are ready for a long winter break.”
The core of the shop’s custom comes from tourists staying in local bed and breakfasts, on nearby campsites and from coach companies. With this in mind, Fish On The Harbour advertises heavily on the websites of North Devon Cottages, Eat Out Devon and The Gourmet Society. The rest is down to word of mouth. Oh, and the small matter of a very attractive garden set behind a low wall. As tourists walk down the High Street they pick up on the iconic aroma of fish and chips, see customers enjoying their meal in the garden and are attracted to the restaurant. “The garden is our television advertising,” says Helen.
The seasonal nature of the business, compounded with the fact that there are only 50 residents in Lynmouth, makes recruiting staff particularly difficult for Peter and Helen. “We fly by the seat of our pants to begin with because there is no labour to speak of,” admits Peter. “So every year we wait for the hotels to start recruiting, and usually the people that take those jobs will want other work to fit around their shifts. We also rely on the youngsters coming back each year when they’ve finished college. At the moment we have a good bank of staff, but it does worry us at the start of each season.”
Peter and Helen recognised that to make their business sustainable and get them through the winter months when the shop is shut, they had to offer their customers something extra. In addition to the fish and chip menu, they also offer 12 freshly prepared seafood specials, such as Carribean cod, cajun haddock and crab and crevettes. “We find that offering this choice brings customers back a few times during their holiday. This year we have introduced a desserts display unit in the shop, which has proved to be very popular and we also have a drinks license which adds to the enjoyment of a meal.”
The success of Fish On The Harbour lies in the quality of its food and a fastidious attention to detail in sourcing, preparing and serving it. All its cod is Eagle Icelandic block cod from Zone 27, which Peter believes has the clearest and coldest waters, giving him exceptional quality. “We’ve had various suppliers come to us with cheaper fish from other zones but, to be honest, the cod we buy is so beautiful and white. Everyone remarks on our fish and it’s what we’ve built out business on. You have to go for consistency when you rely on holiday makers coming back year on year. And they do.”
Peter always buys from one boat, regardless of the price, and his season’s stock for this year is already bought and paid for. His supplier holds onto it and delivers it as and when it’s needed. Peter is extremely cost conscious and from every slab aims to get 56 cuts. “I get two big fish and cut off the wings from one side, which I put together, batter and serve. This way I get three medium cods out of two fish and I’m able to get the price down to about 63p a portion.
“Similarly with potatoes we have established an excellent relationship with a good potato merchant who ensures we always receive choice crop even though it may cost us a bit more. We have tried a number of oils but we decided to use Frymax (07714 335464) which is the only oil which gives us both the quality of the fish and chips and the longevity of life at high temperatures.”
There are a number of important practices which Peter and Helen believe add to the quality of the meal. Peter does all his own preparation including the potatoes. “I know a lot of friers delegate the potato preparation, but we serve hundreds of portions of chips a day in our restaurant and I want the food to not only taste good but also to look good.”  
The fish is stored on drained plates and is thawed in the fridge over a 36 hour period. Peter believes this helps to retain the moisture and makes the food more succulent. The cod is boned each day but the haddock is boned to order.
The batter is kept in the fridge and is returned there after the fish has been coated to keep it as cool as possible. A thin batter is used as this is preferred by customers, something the shop found out quite early on. “We always try to get feedback from our customers as this is really important,” says Peter. “When we first opened the restaurant we noticed that a lot of the batter was left on the plates. We asked our customers why and they advised us that they would prefer a thinner batter.”
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of Fish On The Harbour is that however busy it is in the peak summer months everything is cooked to order. “We are passionate about the quality of our food and want all our customers to have a top quality freshly cooked meal. As long as the atmosphere is relaxed and customer service is excellent, customers are prepared to wait a few minutes for an enjoyable and tasty meal.”