It has been a rite of passage for many young Aberdonians since the late 1970s: their first Dons match at Pittodrie and their first fish supper at The Ashvale.
It helps, of course, that this renowned chipper has been a magnet for many footballing and showbusiness greats, everybody from Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish to Elton John, Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox and Gregor Fisher all the way through to Lewis Capaldi.
Yet it’s also a boon that operations director Stuart Devine has been at the helm for decades and is passionate about bringing affordable food to people in the north-east.
It’s a thornier problem than ever in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, with rising energy bills and spiralling inflation, as a hard winter beckons for the hospitality sector – but Stuart is nothing if not resilient and spoke movingly about the early encouragement he gained from his father, Charles, who passed away tragically young.
He told me: “My dad was my hero, but sadly he died just before I was 15. Coming from the Gorbals in Glasgow, he was brought up in Nazareth House in Aberdeen.
“His brothers and sisters headed back [to the central belt], but dad decided Aberdeen would be a better place to live and raise a family with my mum, my sister and I.
“He was seriously into politics and was a very well-known local councillor. He lived and breathed politics and his main aim in life was to ensure that every person out there did not have to endure the struggle of an upbringing he had encountered.
Mr Housing’s death was a tragedy
“He put everyone before himself and I remember well our phone in our house rang 24/7 and my sister and I were taught to write names and numbers on the back of large brown envelopes so that my dad could get back to them as soon as he arrived home.
“Although he was councillor for Denburn and Woolmanhill, they came from every corner of the city because they knew my dad would help. He sadly died in 1984 and the headline in the Evening Express stated Mr Housing Dies Aged 40.
“His funeral was perhaps one of the largest ever seen in the city, and people still speak to me about it. I’m sure his politics would have taken him far, as he considered standing for Parliament, but my sister and I cried at the prospect of him being away all week.”
Ashvale provided a plaice in the city
Stuart was determined to make a difference in his community and his labours have turned the Ashvale into a place with an international reputation. As he stressed, it couldn’t have happened without his staff, but Aberdeen was a thriving city in the 1980s and 1990s and there was no shortage of hungry customers with weel-kent faces.
Mel Gibson walked through the door while he was involved in filming Hamlet at Dunnottar Castle in 1990. Denis Law, possibly Scotland’s greatest-ever footballer, has been a regular visitor, and taken part in the restaurant’s quiz events and Stuart described him as: “great customer, true gentleman, ambassador, loves an Ashvale.”
Then there was the occasion when the master of illusion, Paul Daniels, parked his bright red Rolls Royce [complete with the registration plate MAGIC] on the kerb and waltzed into the premises with future Strictly star Debbie McGee.
He even found himself in the newspapers after sparking a diplomatic incident.
Police had no idea what was going on
As Stuart said: “One episode that went terribly wrong was when I was delivering 100 fish suppers to the (old) AECC for the former PM John Major.
“I thought I was being very conscientious as I sped towards the venue, but suddenly I was stopped by what could only be described as half of Grampian Police.
“One officer asked: ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ I replied, in a polite but slightly cheeky young tone: ‘Oh, I’ve to go straight to the front door with the PM’s supper’.
“At which point, I was ordered to open my boot – there were no fancy vans in those days – and the whiff of fish and chips greeted the officer and I was sent on my way.
“The next day, I featured across the front page of a tabloid newspaper with the headline: ‘Major’s Fish Suppers go Down a Bomb.’”
‘We’re staring down the barrel’
There’s no denying the eclectic appeal of the Ashvale for the last 40-plus years and how it has proved a popular meeting place for people from all ages and backgrounds.
And, throughout this period, there has been no shortage of Devine inspiration from the man who was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List in 2014.
Yet he doesn’t disguise the fact he and his colleagues are sailing on choppy waters in their attempts to keep customers satisfied as prices increase across the region.
And despite being an optimist by nature, his words testified to the gathering storm.
It’s a horrendous time for many
He said: “Our industry, fish and chips shops, hospitality in general and the wider tourism sector has had a torrid time since the horrendous Covid outbreak.
“We were faced with the prospect of complete closure and uncertainty as to whether we would ever actually open again. Thankfully, our government did react and furlough schemes, along with loans and grants, allowed us to at least muddle through and eventually start to rebuild our businesses.
“Unfortunately, our industry was then hit by the effects of Brexit with soaring costs of packaging and food supplies coming from outwith the UK. Then, worse than anything that had gone before us, [Vladimir] Putin decided to invade Ukraine.
“As we all know, this has led to a catastrophic effect on our business with soaring costs of everything – and I mean everything.”
He added: “I don’t like to get into politics too often, but the complete sham in Downing Street has had a dreadful rub-off on all businesses and, hopefully, someone can step up to the plate and sort out this sorry mess before the damage is irreparable.
“Through my association as area director of The National Federation of Fish Friers, I have strongly lobbied many government departments for help for the industry.
Thousands of jobs will be lost
“I argued directly to [the new PM] Rishi Sunak against a return to VAT of 20%. Sadly, so far, this has fallen on deaf ears, but I am adamant this is the only way to save our industry – it will stop prices going up which will stem inflation, allow us to continue, save many thousands of jobs and allow the normal person in our country, who works very hard for their families, to go out for a bite to eat and perhaps an affordable pint.
“I only hope someone with common sense in Westminster is reading this. Time is running out and thousands of jobs will be lost in the New Year if we don’t see action.”
Stuart has put his heart and soul (we’ve got this far without a fish pun) into the Ashvale. But he appreciates the months ahead could pose the biggest challenge of his life.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR STUART DEVINE
- What book are you reading? “I’m not proud of this, but I haven’t read a book for years, I just don’t have the time. I’ve read two books in the last 20 years, a Stuart McBride novel called Cold Granite, which I read on holiday and enjoyed, and Fergie’s first autobiography when he was successful at The Dons.”
- Who is your hero/heroine? “My dad”.
- Do you speak a foreign language? “Not very well. I did do French at Aberdeen Grammar School, but my teacher Alfie Cruickshank, a lovely man, was always telling me off for speaking too much and not in French.”
- What’s your favourite band or music? “Music is just not my thing. I like to hear a good song on the radio, but have no idea who sings it. Sport is my thing.”
- Your most treasured possession? “My three girls. That’s Sharron, my wife of over 30 years, Charley (named after her grandad Charlie) who’s 25 and my baby Ellie who is now no longer a baby at 19. We are a very close family and love spending time together, though the girls are starting to do their own things as we are boring old parents now.”
Conversation