Top Scran Awards: The best chips and gravy in Preston

Godwin's chips — Godwin’s chips, minus two because Yvonne has no self-control

Why not just chips? Because we’re in Preston, Cha, and if our blood isn’t at least 25 per cent gravy at all times we can’t repel the likes of food critic Jay Rayner and his mates. Then they’ll come back and start handing out free mayonnaise to our kids, which we all know is a terrifying gateway food that leads to a taste for southern fancies such as smashed avocado and wheatgrass shots. Think of the children.

We totted up Blog Preston readers’ nominations to find the top three, then a panel of Gormleys with a combined total of 208 years of chips and gravy eating experience gave them marks out of ten. The results are in, and there is a clear winner…

Third: Noblett’s Fish and Chips, Fulwood

Portion size: 10/10
Chip taste: 9/10
Gravy taste: 5/10
Gravy consistency: 7/10
Reader’s vote: 3rd (1 point)
Total Score: 32

Second: Godwin’s, Penwortham

Portion size: 9/10
Chip taste: 9/10
Gravy taste: 6/10
Gravy consistency: 7/10
Reader’s vote: 2nd (2 points)
Total Score: 33

First: Bill and Bens Chippy, Ribbleton

Portion size: 9/10
Chip taste: 10/10
Gravy taste: 8/10
Gravy consistency: 8/10
Reader’s vote: 1st (3 points)
Total Score: 38

The chips from all three chippies were fantastic, and worth every penny. The only thing that added an extra point to Bill and Bens’ chips in our taste test, was that we kept absent-mindedly eating them when we’d finished scoring.

A Bill and Bens chip. It’s lonely at the top

We agreed that the gravy from Goodwin’s and Noblett’s was a tad bland and floury compared to Bill and Bens’, tasting like the pastry around a meat and potato pie. It was fine, but didn’t add anything to the already excellent chips.

The gravy from Bill and Bens had significantly more flavour, and as well as being a darker brown colour it was slightly runnier, making it the perfect consistency to dunk or pour.

L-R gravy lineup: Bill and Bens, Godwin's, Noblett's — L-R gravy lineup: Bill and Bens, Godwin’s, Noblett’s

As this was specifically a chips and gravy competition, the lower scores for the gravy won’t deter me from trying all of the other items on the menus in Godwin’s and Noblett’s, especially as their chips were magnificent.

Thank you to all those who nominated the takeaway serving the best chips and gravy in Preston, and well done Bill and Bens!

Do you like your chips naked, or does gravy make them even better? Would you even put it on chips and cheese? Because if so, stop that. Dirty.