Fish & chip shop ‘unchanged since 1930s’ like ‘stepping back in time’ | UK | News

Many of us yearn for ‘the good old days’, particularly when it comes to our cherished foods. With servings frequently diminishing nowadays and new ingredients being introduced, countless people crave treats they enjoyed in their youth.

If this sounds like you, then you may want to visit one UK fish and chip shop which ‘hasn’t changed a thing’ since the 1930s. Hobbs and Sons Fish and Chips is an iconic, award-winning 1930s-themed fish and chip establishment situated inside the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, West Midlands.

The Black Country Living Museum is an acclaimed, 29-acre open-air living history museum. It chronicles the story of one of Britain’s earliest heavily industrialised landscapes, bringing 300 years of history to life through meticulously relocated historic buildings and costumed re-enactors.

Broadly regarded as one of the museum’s most celebrated attractions, Hobbs and Sons Fish and Chips is renowned for serving authentic, traditional fish and chips fried in beef dripping.

The building initially stood at 41–42 Hall Street in Dudley town centre, operating for generations.

To preserve the landmark building from demolition in 2006, it was carefully dismantled brick by brick and fully reconstructed inside the museum.

It functions as a centrepiece of the museum’s 1930s High Street, featuring a restored saloon where visitors can view historical decor.

The menu is straightforward and period-accurate, focusing on cod, roe, and hand-cut chips wrapped traditionally in paper. You won’t find modern additions such as curry sauce or gravy here.

Instead, they remain faithful to tradition, offering pickled eggs, pickled onions, and generous helpings of salt and vinegar.

While beef dripping is the standard cooking medium, diners can request gluten-free fish and chips prepared in separate fryers using vegetable oil, catering for vegetarians, vegans, and coeliacs alike.

Visitors may choose to dine inside the reconstructed 1935 saloon or take their food away to enjoy across the museum grounds.

The fish and chip shop recently went viral on social media when Robbie Thompson, who ‘champions local food finds’, paid a visit to give his 110,000 followers an insider’s look.

He told fans: “Stepping in to the fish and chip shop is like stepping back in time.

“The fish and chips are cooked in beef dripping and served with loads of salt and malt vinegar.”

Robbie revealed he also treated himself to a pickled egg and a classic Dandelion and Burdock drink.

“This is simple food done well, he said. ” he said. “Served in paper… the flavour was insane and these were some of the best chips I’ve ever had.”

His followers were thoroughly impressed, with one commenting: “Fantastic – should be more places like this.”

While another concurred: “This place is spectacular.”

Given the shop’s enormous popularity, lengthy queues are commonplace during lunchtime. Waiting 20 minutes or more is par for the course, yet the overwhelming majority of visitors maintain it is well worth the wait.

Guests can anticipate paying £11.95 for fish and chips, while fish alone will cost £7.60 and a serving of chips comes to £4.50.

Instead of showcasing artefacts behind glass cases, the Black Country Living Museum boasts over 50 authentically recreated shops, homes, and industrial workshops. Structures from throughout the Black Country were dismantled brick by brick and reconstructed on site.

Genuine costumed characters populate the streets, operating within the shops, instructing in the period school, or running machinery. They engage with visitors using traditional regional wit and dialect.

The museum’s canal-side village and smoke-laden streets acted as a principal filming venue for the acclaimed TV series Peaky Blinders, alongside productions such as Stan and Ollie.

Beyond the fish and chip shop, there’s also a subterranean mine, 1940s-1960s high street, vintage transport, a traditional fairground and an industrial quarter.

Guests can additionally experience a traditional pub, alongside a sweet shop offering historic confectionery measured out on vintage scales and presented in paper bags.