'New brand' of fish and chip shop opens in Leeds selling fresh chippy favourites and vegan options

Saltd & Batterd is a "new brand of fish and chip shop", owner Hamza Mir said, offering smaller lunchtime bites and chippy favourites with a focus on fresh ingredients.

The Woodhouse Lane eatery opened in September has already made its mark on families, students and workers in the city.

Praise has poured in from Tripadvisor reviewers since it opened - a big accolade for a new business which had to find its feet in the middle of the pandemic.

“We were hoping by January things would have returned to normal, but little did we know," Hamza, 37, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“We still offered as close to normal service as possible and we built a lovely relationship with the Pack Horse pub next door. When they were allowed to open and people were queuing to try and get in, they would get food from us while waiting."

Saltd & Batterd offers a range of chippy favourites, including the jumbo fish, light fish bites and potato scallops.

There's vegan options available made with battered banana blossom, which is marinated with Hamza's special recipe.

“We fry to order, even for deliveries," Hamza added.

"We don’t have anything pre-prepared, all we do in the morning is pre-cut our chips and they are freshly rumbled.

“Being so close to the university, we wanted to offer a vegan option - it took me months to play around with different options and I settled on banana blossom as my favourite choice.”

Being at the heart of the community is important for Hamza, who moved to Leeds as a student almost two decades ago.

The chippy offers a 20 per cent discount for all key workers, as well as 10 per cent off for students.

Hamza added: "Students will come and go, but we’ve built the shop around a community feel.

"The staff are briefed to smile and talk to customers as soon as they come in, little things like asking how their day has been.

"We’ve been through such a tough period, so even for the wellbeing of the staff - just to get to talk to somebody is amazing. We want to give back to everybody who has carried on working through this difficult period."

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.​