Having project managed and built a home together, it was no big deal for Pally Sohal and her husband Bill to create a brand new chippy in a former wine shop, in the Bedfordshire town of Kempston.

Pally had left the high-pressure world of banking, seeking a new career in which her hard work could translate into job satisfaction … and the acquisition of the Freshers shop, in a busy parade of shops, was the important first step; the name of the business inspired by the name of the town, Kempston Fish & Chips.

Even though there are five other fish and chip shops within a radius of a quarter of a mile, she believed that her vision of great food backed by ‘wow factor’ customer service, and a minimalist gleaming clean image, would be a winner … and so it has proved for Kempstons.

“I did a huge amount of market research on what other shops were offering - probably putting on half a stone in the process, and I still monitor the competition closely.

“But we have the advantage of being the new kids on the block, with a gleaming new shop … and we’ve introduced a signature dish of Masala Fish, cod fried in fresh Indian spices, to offer something a bit different. Having so much competition nearby keeps me and team on our toes.

“We deliberately have not gone for a menu board with photographs – we thought that was a bit of a cliché - everything is simply spelled out in plain English, on an illuminated sign. And I’ve made a point of not having little posters and signs littering the shop as these would detract from our smart clean image. As a result, we’re perceived as the ‘posh’ chippy. Our customers love the look.”

The couple’s quest for perfection resulted in them purchasing a Kiremko-KFE four-pan high efficiency island range, after much research of alternatives. “It’s been great,” says Pally, “extremely user friendly, fast and responsive, and helping us produce the great food we aimed to achieve.Any teething problems were resolved quickly.” The couple also project-managed the shop fitting process, and have created a feature wall displaying old photographs of the area, which customers love.

Fryer & Fast Food - February 2010.