For 18 years, Captain Cod has
been the go-to fish and chip shop
in Hoddesdon, with the queue of
customers snaking out of the door
(particularly on a Friday and
Saturday evening) the stuff of
local legend.
Now, after a month-long closure
to completely refurbish the High
Street shop, it has reopened with
a totally fresh and modern new
look, and even a new name –
Captain’s Fish and Chips.
It is still run by the same owners,
Tony Forgione and his brothers
Luigi and Libby, who opened it
back in 1998.
Tony and his brothers are the
third generation of their family to
have been in the fish and chip
business, so they know how to
cook Britain’s traditional national
takeaway dish to perfection.
Originally based down the A10 in
Tottenham and Edmonton, Tony’s
grandfather started with a mobile
fish and chip van before buying a
shop that was right outside the
Spurs football ground. The shop
remained there until Spurs
recently bought the building to
make way for their new stadium
development.
As the Forgiones built their
business they moved out of
London, and opened the also
famous Mr Luigi’s fish and chip
shop in Harlow (you’ll still see
their Smart cars everywhere
around town ferrying takeaway
fish and chips to hungry
customers).
The family’s expertise in the
takeaway food industry is such
that they bought (and sold)
several Papa John’s pizza
franchises and currently own
Huckleberry Chicken franchises
as well as Nazeing Fish and Chips
(formerly known as Wilsons).
After spending the last few years
developing these other businesses
Tony has now turned his
attention firmly to repositioning
what is now Captain’s Fish and
Chips in Hoddesdon.
He himself spends a lot of time in
London’s on-trend areas such as
Shoreditch and Hoxton and he
has reflected that style to
completely modernise Captain’s,
aiming to introduce a new
younger generation to fish and
chips whilst still keeping his
traditional customers happy.
Captain’s is now open plan, so
you can see everything going on
in the kitchen, and also has some
tables and chairs for casual
dining, so if you’re in town and
fancy sitting down to eat great
fish and chips you can now do so
for the same price as a takeaway.
The revamp of the shop involves
a striking feature wall with
images of great British icons
covering subjects as diverse as
Only Fools and Horses, musicians
and James Bond – see you how
many you can name whilst
waiting for your fish and chips! –
as well as smart bespoke signage.
The modern approach also
extends to the food – fish is from
sustainable resources and a state
of the art new fryer means all
chips are double cooked for extra
flavour. The homemade tartare
sauce (to a secret family recipe)
remains another great reason to
visit and all takeaway boxes are
biodegradable and recyclable too.
Tony explained: “Fish and chips
is a great British tradition and it
will always be here. Our family
business has great experience in
fish and chips – it’s what we do.”
Captain’s Fish and Chips
60 High Street, Hoddesdon
EN11 8ET
01992 443043
