Tompsons, Bury.

You can't beat local knowledge, so when the time came for another review and knowing that I’d be in and around Bury I turned to a man who treads the grim streets of that humdrum town where the rain falls hard, every working day. As well as being my nephew, Ernie is a friend, drinking partner and confidante, he’s also been a Postman in Bury for over 15 years. Despite his daily physical exertions he’s a little on the "portly" side which he puts down to his love of good provender and fine ales. Mind you he’s not in the same league as this postman! Anyway, I knew that Ernie would be the man to turn to for a pointer towards Bury’s best Chippy. Without a moment's hesitation he came up with one word “Tompson’s” and that was a good enough recommendation for yours truly.
Apparently the Thompson family sold the business to the current owners several years ago and insisted upon them dropping the “h” from the name of the shop. But its reputation still holds firm and Football teams visiting Gigg Lane have been known to stop the team coach for Fish and Chips there before heading homeward, which is always a good sign.
Plumping for the eat-in option I was impressed by the swanky decor including comfy leather seats and flowers on the table. The prices reflected this high level of comfort and style, £7 for Cod, Chips and Peas with a choice of white or brown bread and a cup of tea is top end for this part of the world. But any misgivings about Tompson's price policy soon disappeared as my plate arrived.
The slice of Lemon was another classy touch. Mind you at Fosters of Alderley Edge they even give you a slice of lemon on your takeaway, now that is posh!
The chips were a delight, solid, chunky and cooked to perfection. The fish was good too, fair sized with a light, crispy batter coating. On the minus side, although Tartare Sauce was provided, I wasn't offered the brown or tomato option (and I'm a brown sauce man, Hammond’s Chop if you want to be really specific). Also and this is not a criticism solely of Tompson's but the majority of chippies, what is it with these luminous green mushy peas? Has there been some culinary decree that I've missed out on? Mushy peas should be proper processed peas boiled up in their shells. The result is a greeny-greyish concoction that’s not particularly visually appealing but tastes delicious. Now nearly every chippy serves up these frozen ones with the extra bright food colouring. Well, I'm agin it and I want the world to know! OK, rant over. Anyway despite these minor criticisms, Tompson’s did indeed deliver the goods and they score a very respectable seven out of ten rating overall. Best in Bury? Probably but I'm searching for the “toppermost of the poppermost” and my search goes on!