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Chippy to retire after 50 years of frying

John Devine,in Outwell and
Imogen Lee
News imageJohn Devine/BBC A man in a fish and chip shop stands in front of a fryer. He is wearing a white polo shirt with the words 'JR STOTT FISH & CHIPS OUTWELL on his shirt.John Devine/BBC
Jamie Stott thanked his customers for their loyalty and support over the years but says the time had come to retire

Five decades of frying will come to an end this weekend for a fish and chip shop owner who has become a focal point of his community.

Jamie Stott left school at 16 to work in his parents' fish and chip shop, JR Stott in Outwell, Norfolk, in 1976.

The Stott family is synonymous with the industry locally, with Stott's brother running a shop in March, Cambridgeshire.

The 66-year-old says trade is up and down and now is the time to hang up his chip scoop.

Although Stott is walking away from the fryers, new owners will take over and continue to run it under the JR Stott name.

Stott's family moved into the building in 1969 on Low Side, having run a shop on Edinburgh Drive in Wisbech.

He started carrying out tasks such as sorting out the potatoes and filling the chip buckets for his father from the age of 11.

Having watched his parents enjoying the trade, he said he "decided this is for me".

His parents later went on to buy other shops and he took over at Outwell.

News imageJohn Devine/BBC An exterior shot of the chip shop. It is painted or rendered light green with a shop sign reading J.R STOTT and a car parked outside it. It's a cloudy day.John Devine/BBC
Stott's parents took on the business in Low Side, Outwell, in 1969

Stott admitted that prices had increased but the costs "of everything have increased".

"[I try] not to be too expensive here... we're in a village, we try to look after our locals."

He said his customers remember when a bag of chips cost 5p and a piece of fish was a £1.

He joked about the regular customers: "I'm not saying [the customers have visited] for 50 years, but they do seem as though they've been coming here for a long while."

After retiring on Saturday, he plans to enjoy family life with his grandchildren and to stay busy playing golf.

Announcing his retirement on social media, he thanked "our wonderful customers who have supported us through the good times and the bad".

News imageJohn Devine/BBC A close-up of a window, with stickers displaying it's hygiene rating of FIVE. A paper sign is stuck in the window which reads: I WILL BE RETIRING. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED US OVER THE YEARS - JAMIE S.John Devine/BBC
Jamie Stott will be leaving after five decades, but the shop will live on as a couple will take over from him

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