There are few things which say seaside holiday more to me that tucking into fish and chips while sitting beside the sea, irrespective of the best the British weather can throw at you. Sadly, these days the opportunities for gluten free fish and chips are limited.
So imagine my delight when I discovered that the king of fish, Rick Stein, offers gluten free fish and chips from his establishments in Padstow.
The strange thing is that they don’t advertise gluten free fish and chips either on their website or within the shop. I have no idea why this is.
As well as standard fish and chip shop fare, the menu offers a vegetarian option and also a healthier grilled fish.
In advance of our trip to Cornwall I contacted Rick Stein’s to ascertain whether they were truly gluten free – gluten free batter in a separate, dedicated fryer. They replied immediately to confirm this is the case.
Once I’d ordered the highly efficient staff in the kitchen (even those I hadn’t placed my order with) all seemed aware of my gluten free order. Good levels of communication in the kitchen always impress me and offer me comfort that the team are taking special care with my order.
So how did the gluten free fish and chips taste? I thought the batter was deliciously light, like a tempura style batter. The fish was wonderfully fresh. And the chips! Only chip shop chips can taste as great as these. I thought the portion size was extremely generous, great sized piece of fish and heaps of chips.
We enjoyed our fish and chips while sitting on the highly salubrious location of a large wheel of a digger (not in use!) while overlooking the Camel estuary on what turned out to be the only sunny day of our holiday. Lunch at the seaside doesn’t get much better than this.
Key Information for Gluten Free Fish and Chips at Rick Stein’s Padstow
Cost: £7.85 for cod & chips (takeaway is cheaper than the restaurant menu pictured above)
Location: Stein’s Fish & Chips, South Quay, Padstow, Cornwall, PL28 8BL
Opening times for Stein’s Fish & Chips, restaurant and takeaway: (Check website here for up to date info)
Lunch
Monday to Sunday
12 noon – 3pm
Dinner
Thursday to Saturday
5pm – 8pm
(closed Sunday to Wednesday for dinner)
Would I come back? Yes. A trip to the seaside is only complete with (gluten free) fish & chips eaten out of the box!
More places to enjoy coeliac-safe gluten free fish and chips in the UK:
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at The Old Harbour, Weymouth, Dorset
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at The Happy Haddock, Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at The Boathouse, Seaview, Isle of Wight
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at Shakey Shakey, Herne Bay, Kent
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at The Seine Rigger, Surrey
- Gluten Free Fish and Chips at Wolfies of Hove, West Sussex
