Inverness fish and chip van to rise from the ashes

Paul Burnside saw his van go up in flames in November, but will reopen next week.

By Bailey Moreton

January 16 2024, 4:27 pm

The new-look fish and chip van is ready to start serving customers.

After seeing his business go up in flames, an Inverness fish and chip van owner is set to reopen next week.

Paul Burnside, 59, is putting the finishing touches on his new van, after the old one was destroyed in a fire back in November.

The chef had bought a new van back in February and was slowly starting to build it out.

But that work picked up speed after the November fire.

Before the fire, the new van was essentially “a shell” and needed all the kitchen equipment fitted, according to Mr Burnside.

He said: “The original idea was to transfer some of the stuff over from the other van.

“But I lost everything, including my generator. So, it was pretty much starting from scratch.”

He estimates the cost easily exceeded five figures for all the work needed to be put in the van. Just replacing the griddle that was lost in the old van cost £1,200.

Business went up in flames

The popular fish and chip van went up in flames in Smithton yesterday. Image: The Fish and Chip Van/Facebook

Paul Burnside was at his home in Smithton when he heard someone banging at his front door at around 3:30 pm on November 24.

Speaking previously with the Press & Journal, he said: “At first, I thought it was children playing, but when I opened the door, it was one of my neighbours saying, ‘Your van is on fire.’”

The flames reached Mr Burnside’s house, damaging the side of the wall and the front window.

He said: “The fire brigade told us we were actually very lucky that the window didn’t break due to the heat, as the flames could have entered the property.

But the fire destroyed the van, forcing Mr Burnside to “start from scratch.”

Excited to get back up and running

Mr Burnside said he was excited to get back out and reconnect with his frequent customers.

He said: “It’ll be good to get a catch-up and a bit of a gossip.”

Many of his repeat customers have become friends. He added people had shown him huge amounts of support throughout the rebuilding process.

He said: “It’s been fantastic, I’ve had nice messages on social media. I’ve had people turning up at the door, asking, ‘Is there anything I can do to help.’ It’s been awesome.”