I haven’t had a proper fish and chips for literal decades, so I was thrilled to find a really good vegan version in Manchester. I was also quite shocked to find out how large a serving is! I’ve had vegan fish and chips in restaurants, but it’s usually pretty small pieces and a light smattering of chips. But Off the Hook in Sale is a proper chippie, doing proper size portions. The vegan option didn’t look notably smaller than the fish one. Rejoice!

Off the Hook is a regular chippie, but with a clearly labelled and separately fried vegan option. The chips are fantastic, as you can see in the picture. The fish is banana blossom with a really good crispy batter without being too oily. In terms of texture, it’s a really good approximation of real fish and chips…to someone who hasn’t had it for almost thirty years. The seasoning is really good and savoury, but it’s not actually particularly fishy. That wasn’t a big problem for me in the end, because the texture was so enjoyable, but it’s worth noting if you are really craving a proper fish substitute. The dish is extremely filling, you might not need an evening meal if you have this at midday.

Dr HH and I frequently reminisce about this place and lament that we haven’t really found anywhere else with such a good option. It’s not a super convenient spot for us to get to now when we’re visiting Manchester (Sale is about 20 minutes from the city centre on a direct tram, for anyone unfamiliar with the area), but it’s worth the effort when the food is this good! As well as the vegan fish and chips, they also have a vegan kebab and vegan burger, but as you can probably tell, I only have eyes for the fish!