All About Me
I was born in Salford, England, in 1963. When I was just five years old, my family left everything behind and travelled to Australia under the £10 assisted passage scheme. My father was a bricklayer, and like many families at the time, we were searching for new opportunities and a better life.
I grew up and attended school in Perth, Western Australia, until I was 15. We then returned to the UK and settled in Irlam, Manchester, before later moving into a council house in Birchwood, Warrington.
Life was not always easy, but it was certainly never dull.
At 18, while working at an entertainment centre, I rented a small flat, got myself a cat and became heavily involved in breakdancing. It sounds crazy now, but it was an exciting time to be young in the 80s, independent and discovering what I could do.
At 21, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I sold everything I owned, raised enough money for a plane ticket and returned to Australia on my own with just £300 to my name.
I spent the next two years working wherever I could. I stacked bricks in a brick factory, worked in a video rental shop and laboured for bricklayers. At the same time, I taught breakdancing at a studio in Perth and was flown to different parts of Western Australia to teach. It was hard work, but it was also an incredible adventure that gave me memories I will never forget.
When I returned to the UK, I started a small gardening business. Through determination, long hours and plenty of physical work, it developed into my own building and landscaping company, employing several great lads over the years.
I later married and became the proud father of two incredible daughters.
In 2007, I married my wife, Sue. She is my world, my closest friend and now my right hand woman on The Chippy Tour. Whatever idea I come up with, however ambitious or ridiculous it might initially sound, Sue is usually there beside me helping to make it happen.
We spent around five years living in Wales, where we restored a historic tollhouse. It was a beautiful place and a wonderful chapter of our lives. We later returned to Liverpool and eventually settled in Warrington, where we live today.
A Life of Adventure
Building businesses, raising a family and travelling the world have been only part of my story, and given nothing from anyone. Over the years, I have taken on challenges that tested me physically, mentally and emotionally, often pushing myself far beyond what I thought was possible.
One of the greatest adventures of my life began when I set off alone on a bicycle to raise money and awareness for a local children’s charity. My journey took me from Cheshire all the way to southern Thailand, lasting 16 months and carrying me through 12 different countries.
It was not a supported expedition with a large team following behind. It was simply me, my bicycle and everything I needed to survive the road ahead.
Along the way, I experienced different cultures, extraordinary landscapes, difficult conditions and the kindness of complete strangers. There were moments of loneliness, exhaustion and danger, but also moments of complete freedom and wonder. It became far more than a charity ride. It was a life changing journey that showed me just how much a person can endure when they refuse to give up.
Another unforgettable adventure took me deep into the Amazon, canoeing through one of the most extraordinary and unforgiving environments on the planet. It was wild, unpredictable and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The sights, sounds and sheer scale of the place remain with me to this day.
Looking back, I sometimes joke that I have survived more lives than nine cats. I have faced all kinds of accidents, dangers and close calls, including being crushed beneath an articulated lorry.
That accident changed my life. It left me with permanent spinal and nerve damage that I still live with today. There are things my body can no longer do as easily as it once could, and there are days when the lasting effects are impossible to ignore. However, I have never wanted those injuries to define me.
Life has knocked me down more than once, sometimes quite literally, but I have always found a way to get back up and carry on. The difficult experiences have made me stronger, more determined and more grateful for every opportunity that comes my way.
I have already lived through more adventures than I could ever have imagined as a young lad growing up in Salford, but I do not believe the story is finished.
There are still places to visit, people to meet, challenges to overcome and memories waiting to be made.
I have no doubt there are plenty more adventures to come.
Now in our sixties, Sue and I can look back on lives filled with challenges, hard work, risks, travel and some truly amazing experiences. Things have not always gone to plan, but we have always found a way through.
We have travelled the world, met people from all walks of life and experienced things that the younger versions of ourselves could never have imagined. My daughters are now in their thirties, and we are incredibly proud grandparents to two amazing grandsons.
I am also a published author and an accomplished home cook, with several bestselling recipe books under my belt. Food has always played an important part in my life, but few meals have meant as much to me as traditional fish and chips.
After more than sixty years on this planet, I could not begin to count how many portions of fish and chips I have eaten. They have been there throughout my life, from childhood family meals to visits during our travels around Britain.
That lifelong connection eventually led to the creation of The Chippy Tour.
Why I Started The Chippy Tour
Traditional fish and chip shops are an important part of British history and culture, but many are facing an uncertain future.
The problem is not that people have suddenly stopped loving fish and chips. Shop owners are being placed under enormous pressure by the rising costs of fish, potatoes, cooking oil, energy, insurance, wages and the many charges involved in running a modern food business.
Industry organisations have warned that thousands of fish and chip shops could disappear if conditions do not improve.
My mission is to travel across the country, visiting fish and chip shops, sampling their food and sharing honest reviews. I want to celebrate the excellent shops, support hardworking owners and raise awareness of the difficulties facing the industry.
Every view, like, comment, share and subscription helps more people discover these businesses and understand why our traditional chippies are worth protecting.
Honest and Independent Reviews
The Chippy Tour is built around independence.
For my regular scored reviews, I arrive without announcing who I am. Whenever possible, the shop will have no idea that a review is taking place. I may send someone else inside to place the order, and I do not normally film openly inside the shop or directly outside it. I collect the food and review it from the back of my pickup truck.
This matters because I want to receive the same food, portion size and service as any other paying customer. I do not want a shop preparing something special because it knows a camera is waiting outside.
Some reviewers are happy to arrange visits, film openly inside shops or arrive wearing branded clothing. There is nothing wrong with that style of content, but it is not how I conduct my independent scored reviews. I do not want the shop to suspect a thing.
That does not mean I want businesses to fail. Quite the opposite. I go looking for the best, not the worst. I want every shop I visit to serve something excellent, because every successful chippy helps protect the future of the industry.
Supporting Shops Through Difficult Times
I believe the main focus of a fish and chip shop should always be fish, chips and the other traditional favourites people expect to find on a chippy menu.
However, I also understand why many businesses now sell burgers, pizzas, kebabs, fried chicken and other foods. With costs continuing to rise, diversification may be what allows a family business to keep its doors open and its staff employed.
The bigger chippies, chains, and restaurants, have often always sold other foods, though the smaller chippies appear to be fround upon for it.
Having run several businesses myself, I understand the pressure of meeting wages, paying suppliers, covering overheads and finding ways to survive during difficult periods. I support shop owners doing what they need to do, provided they continue to care about the quality of their fish, chips and traditional chippy food.
The Chippy Tour has already taken Sue and me to places we might never otherwise have visited. We have eaten regional specialities, discovered remarkable businesses and met some wonderful people, many of whom have become genuine friends.
It has involved early mornings, long drives, breakdowns, bad weather, expensive hotels and plenty of difficult days. There have been times when we have felt exhausted and wondered whether we could keep going. But then we meet another passionate shop owner, discover another outstanding portion of fish and chips or receive a message from somebody who visited a shop because of one of our videos.
Those moments make it worthwhile. This is more than a food review channel. It is the latest chapter in a life filled with risks, setbacks, determination and unforgettable experiences. And the journey is far from over.
Building a Sustainable Future
Over the past two years, I have invested many thousands of pounds into The Chippy Tour, covering meals, hotel stay and equipment. The goal has never been personal profit. My ambition is to build the channel to a point where it can fund its own food and travel costs, allowing Sue and me to go farther, stay away for longer and visit even more fish and chip shops across the country. As I already have a job, every penny earned by The Chippy Tour will be reinvested into the project, helping us support more businesses, reach new areas and continue sharing the stories of the people keeping this great British tradition alive. With continued growth and support, I believe The Chippy Tour can become self sustaining and achieve far more than I ever imagined when it began.
Thank you for being part of it.
Cheers,
Steve Peel
The Chippy Tour
