Opening The Hatch On A New Business

Famous as the birthplace of the deep-fried Mars Bar, The Carron Fish Bar in the coastal town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, has long been a destination for fish and chip lovers from across the UK and beyond. But now, instead of waiting for customers to come to them, they’re taking their award-winning food on the road with the launch of The Carron Catering, a mobile fish and chip van.

Launched at the start of the year, the van is headed up by Claudia Puscasu, while her partner Murray Watson remains behind the range at the Stonehaven shop. The venture has enabled the couple to expand the business they acquired in 2012, without the staffing challenges and responsibilities that come with operating a second shop.

“The Carron is a well-established fish and chip shop, but we saw a gap in the market,” says Claudia. “We looked at areas around Stonehaven and Aberdeen and noticed a lack of fish and chip shops. A lot of our customers already travel half an hour or more to visit us, so when the opportunity to get a van came up, we said, why not?”

The van covers three villages across Aberdeenshire on three evenings a week – Monday, Tuesday and Friday – but with the busy summer season now over, Claudia says there’s potential to expand further. It’s also proving popular at private functions, corporate events, weddings, birthday parties and local community days. Most recently, The Carron Catering was invited to the prestigious Nexo Championships at Trump International Golf Links, a golf course in Balmedie owned by US president Donald Trump. 

“That was a great one,” Claudia says. “It was long days, but it was really nice to be there and meet everyone.”

The mobile menu is deliberately streamlined: one size of fish, chicken fillets, and sausages are the staples, along with sides like curry, mushy peas, tartare sauce and garlic mayo. Weekly specials add variety without overcomplicating things or overloading the four pan frying range. 

“We rotate different puddings like white and black pudding, Stornaway pudding, king ribs, mock chops, pulled pork, burgers, smoked sausage and scampi,” explains Claudia. “They were the items people were asking for the most. We post the specials on social media in advance so customers know what to expect, and it keeps things interesting without overwhelming us.”

Preparation is key, and most of it happens back at the shop, which has the facilities to support the van.

“We’ve got the storage, walk-in fridge, chiller and potato prep area so we get everything ready, load the van and go. In the beginning, it was trial and error figuring out stock levels, and we did run out of fish a few times. But now we’ve got it right. That’s the good thing about private events, you know exactly how many portions you're going to be serving.”

Maintaining the same high standards on the road as in the shop has been the biggest challenge, especially with just two and a quarter hours at each location. But Claudia says their commitment to quality hasn’t changed.

“We use the same products and the same suppliers as the shop. Murray’s used Ceres for years, and so we’ve carried that over to the van. Their products are great and they work for us.

“The Natural Batter Mix is brilliant. It produces a batter that is very crunchy and flaky, and our customers love it. People often ask for scraps because the flavour is so good.”

Claudia mixes the batter by hand in the van, using chilled water for extra crispiness and Ceres’s 2L batter bottles, which not only fit neatly into the onboard fridge but also ensure the correct ratios of water to batter.

“I keep the batter in a barrel secured for travel. You have to think about everything being secure when you’re working in a van,” adds Claudia.

For private functions, they also cater for gluten free customers using Ceres Gluten Free Batter Mix.

“We get requests in advance for gluten free fish, so we prepare the van accordingly – clean the pans, use fresh palm oil and cook those first to avoid cross-contamination.”

For consistency, Claudia also uses Ceres Flow Cups to maintain the same batter mix every time.

The mushy peas are another highlight, made fresh every morning in the shop and kept hot in a bain marie.

“We use Ceres Mushy Peas Seasoning because it gives a great flavour and a nice, vibrant colour to the peas. The seasoning is so easy to use as it’s one consistent product rather than measuring and mixing from scratch. Customers love our mushy peas and we do sell a lot.”

Ceres Gravy is another popular side, which has been added after repeated customer requests. Claudia adds: “It's really flavourful, it holds well in the bain marie and is quick to prepare at the shop.

“With all the Ceres products, customers are getting the same quality and experience that they would expect from the shop – consistency is everything. And there's never any shortage of stock so I never have any worry about trying to find something else or telling customers an item is not available.”

Claudia is also currently trialling the Ceres Fishcake Mix, using recipes from the Ceres booklet. “We’re seeing what’s most popular and if they work well, we might bring it into the shop,” she adds.

By taking The Carron on tour, the chippy is widening its customer base to include those who wouldn’t normally be able to visit.

“It’s not eating into shop sales,” Claudia says. “We’re reaching new customers,  people who can’t drive or who can’t leave the house. We have customers who bring lists of orders to deliver to neighbours and older members of the community. It brings everyone together.

“We once filled in at a car boot sale when their regular burger van dropped out. I was queuing to park and people were already excited, saying, ‘The Carron is here!’ Other customers who don’t know us are amazed that we can serve the volume of food we do from a van and keep the same high quality.”

For Claudia, the mobile side of the business is proving to be both rewarding and instrumental in driving growth by introducing their fish and chips to new and diverse audiences.

“I love it,” she says. “It’s exciting. Each week we're in a different location, meeting new people, and that makes a real difference.”