It wasn’t exactly peak weather conditions to be tucking into fish and chips outside in Peterhead yesterday. But did that stop Andy and I? No, it didn’t.
After all, if north-east chipper/chippie reviewer Blair Coutts can do it, then so can we.
And just like the 20-year-old Aberdonian – whose TikTok content now has more than 105,000 likes – we went for a standard haddock supper during our latest taste test at Zanres in Peterhead, among other dishes.
I met Andy and P&J photographer Kath outside the fish and chip shop, on Queen Street, at 2pm. It took no more than five minutes for the order to be bagged up and ready.
We searched the centre for a spot to unpack everything and tuck in, ending up at Drummers Corner to give us some shelter from the rain.
Read on to see what dishes we tasted, and our ratings for each…
Medium haddock supper with mushy peas
We couldn’t head to the Zanres branch – which is now one of two as the team’s Ellon venue was recently taken over by award-winning fish and chip shop owners Sea Salt + Sole – and not get a haddock supper.
I did request a large, however, there were only mediums and smalls available.
Not to worry, there was enough to go around. I requested it as a supper which cost £9.70.
The flakey haddock was a decent size with a thin coating of batter. It wasn’t the freshest tasting fish we’d ever had, but was lovely nonetheless.
As for the chips, they were nice and fluffy. We had no complaints on that front, although Andy did say he would have preferred a drizzling of vinegar across them – which is the one thing I can’t stand, so asked for none…
Apologies, Andy.
Mushy peas could be thrown in the mix too for no additional charge. Given how much Kath and I complimented them (for their taste and texture), I was glad I bagged a pot.
Ratings:
- Andy: 3/5
- Karla: 3.5/5
Steak and gravy pie
Pies are usually a go-to for me when I get a chipper.
A member of the team at Zanres in Peterhead said their most popular flavours are mince, and steak and gravy. I asked for the latter.
At first, I thought the price was a bit steep (in my opinion) at £4.20.
However, the quality of the meat inside was undeniable, while the pastry itself was buttery and tender.
The gravy had the ideal amount of saltiness and thickness to it as well.
Andy was just as chuffed with the bake. I would definitely go for this again.
Ratings:
- Andy: 4/5
- Karla: 4.5/5
Smoky loaded fries
I’ve already established that we thought highly of the chips from Zanres, but I was so intrigued by the look of their smoky loaded fries that I had to order a portion of them too.
The £6.80 dish comprised of a hefty helping of chips topped with cheese, smoked sausage and a lathering of special sauce.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the tangy cheese, sliced smoked sausage and sauce, which had a slight kick to it, separately. But altogether? It wasn’t for me, personally.
Andy, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it and went back for seconds and thirds.
The smoky loaded fries are a great option if you’re after something on the heavy side. There’s a decent balance of flavours but I found the texture too claggy.
Ratings:
- Andy: 3/5
- Karla: 1.5/5
The meal’s total came to £20.70.
I would definitely return to Zanres in Peterhead as I enjoyed two of our three dishes, but there are still other north-east fish and chip shops out there that continue to beat it out for my top spots.
You can check out more of Karla and Andy’s taste tests around the north-east, including their reviews of Big Daddy’s Street Food in Inverurie, and even the M&S Cafe in Aberdeen, on this dedicated page of our website.
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