Cleethorpes young bloods opt for Kiremko high efficiency

The Mermaid fish and chips shop in Cleethorpes may well occupy an iconic Victorian-style building – but there’s nothing old-fashioned about the family team that runs it.Laura Spavin heads it up, and she’s only 24 yrs old - having taken the shop on four years ago when she was only 20, with no chippy experience. Included in her team of young bloods are her two younger sisters Sophie and Amie, Amie’s boyfriend Paul Hannath, and five cousins Catherine, Emily, Tom, Jack and Harry.

Says Laura, pictured extreme right, “It was a bit daunting, but we just got stuck in and enjoyed it. My dad Steve had been involved as a fish supplier to shops, and the Mermaid was one of his old customers, and he heard it was up for sale.My mum Jenny put up the money … and here we are four years later.”

The shop was showing over two decades of wear when the young bloods took it on, but they’ve transformed it into a bustling seafront business, part of the railway station complex.

Having had a ‘past it’ traditional range which broke down four times last year, Laura and her mum looked at the alternatives on the market, and sought advice from friends in the trade … and they plumped for a four-pan Kiremko-KFE high efficiency ‘basket fry’ range, complete with push button computerised controls and built-in filtration.

“It had its first real test at Easter,” says Laura, “and it sailed through with flying colours – even though one of the days was our second busiest on record. It’s ideal for the fluctuating demand which you can get on the sea-front, as it can move from tick-over to flat out in no time flat.

“It’s a fabulous range. It looks good, it’s simple to operate, and it just gobbles up the queues. Plus, we have already found that we’re saving a huge amount on dripping use, thanks to the built-in filtration, and we’re expecting to make savings of up to 30% on energy use. “Kiremko-KFE have given us great training and back-up, and I reckon the range is going to give us our best summer ever.”

Fish & Chips and Fast Food - Summer 2009