Chippy lovers queue for their Good Friday fix in Darlington

The fryers were fired up across the region today (April 3) as businesses prepared to sell three times the normal amount of fish to hungry punters. 

Good Friday fish and chips is a tradition that stems from the Christian belief that we should eat fish to honour Jesus Christ’s sacrifice of his flesh on the cross.

And businesses have spent the last few days preparing for the surge in demand. 

People queue up for fish and chips at Cockerton Fisheries (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Pictures taken at lunchtime today show queues already forming at Cockerton Fisheries, which was expecting queues around the shopping parade from 11am until 8pm.

The venue’s popularity will come as no surprise to many residents, having been named The Northern Echo’s Best Chippy Award for the last two years.

People queue up for fish and chips at Yarm Road Fish & Chips (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Samantha Todd, who has run the site for the last nine years, said teams have been preparing for today for the last week.

She said: “There is a lot of organisation such as the staff and rotas for the day because it is intense. We order so much more fish for Good Friday than any other time of the year.

“We sell more than three times the amount of fish on Good Friday than we do on a regular Friday.”

Another popular chippy attracting the numbers in Darlington was Yarm Road Fish & Chips, which also had a queue forming outside from just after midday. 

People queue up for fish and chips at Cockerton Fisheries (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

People queue up for fish and chips at Yarm Road Fish & Chips (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The chippy continues to win awards for its offerings, being named as the best takeaway in the UK at the National Fish & Chip awards in February last year.

It also played a part in Darlington recently being named one of the best towns in the country for fish and chips.

The town landed sixth place in EnjoyTravel.com’s ranking of the UK’s top destinations for the classic British meal.