It's the first full-squad catch-up of the year. We cover how January trade really played out, David Miller's fish and potato market update (including why cod prices look stable for now), and why "cheaper alternative species" marketing often backfires. We also get practical on price anchoring, portion strategy, and why Just Eat/Deliveroo can add incrementalsales if you price it properly. Plus: how to win younger customers without bloating the menu—and a TikTok hiring test that delivered 75 applications in a day.

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Mark Petrou & Danny Hennessy discuss how fish and chip shop valuations have changed dramatically — and why most owners don't realise it. In this episode, they break down how shops are valued today, why profit now matters more than turnover, how banks really view the industry, and what owners should be thinking about if an exit is on the horizon.

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Stelios sits down with seasoned restaurateur James Fowler to explore the resilient world of UK hospitality. From his early days starting a fruit bar on Bournemouth's beach to running successful venues like The Larder House for over 15 years, James shares his passion for quality food, community-driven high streets, and the joys of wood-fired cooking.

Dive into candid discussions on post-COVID consumer shifts, the impact of rising business rates and minimum wage increases, and the push for VAT reductions to foster growth in restaurants, pubs, and fish and chip shops. James also opens up about innovative responses to recent budgets, including a bold campaign highlighting the need for better government support to revive local economies and mental health through social dining.

Packed with optimistic insights and practical advice for hospitality owners facing unpredictable trade, this conversation reminds us why thriving high streets are essential for UK communities.

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Mark Petrou is joined by Warren and Sarah Paul of Paramount Creative for an open and wide-ranging conversation about the Scottish Fish and Chip Awards, visibility and what real recognition means for fish and chip shops.

Warren and Sarah share their journey from hospitality publishing and design into creating some of the UK's best-known industry awards, including the Scottish Fish and Chip Awards. They explain why public voting matters, how credibility is built through transparency, and why regional recognition can be more powerful than chasing a single national title. The conversation also looks ahead to the upcoming English Fish and Chip Awards, set to take place in Manchester, and what this expansion means for fish and chip shops across England.

The discussion covers the realities facing family-run fish and chip businesses today, from rising costs and competition to the importance of community support, local media and social proof.

Along the way, Mark reflects on his own experiences attending the awards and what makes these events land differently with operators and guests alike.

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Stelios is joined by Allen Simpson, CEO of UKHospitality, and Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, for an open and detailed discussion on the pressures facing hospitality businesses across the UK.

The conversation explores business rates, rising rateable values, wage policy, VAT, employment reform and why many pubs, restaurants, hotels and fish and chip shops feel increasingly constrained. Allen and Kate explain how recent budget decisions have played out in practice, why promised reforms have fallen short, and what these policies mean for jobs, investment and long-term viability.

They also discuss wage compression, youth employment, apprenticeships and welfare-to-work schemes, alongside the importance of engaging directly with MPs rather than relying on social media to drive change.

Episode highlight powered by Ceres Heavy Duty Degreaser

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Newsfeed

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Stelios is joined by Giles Fuchs from Burgh Island Hotel for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to run a hospitality business when the pressure is real.

Giles shares lessons from building, losing, and rebuilding businesses, including why even a single customer can become your strongest long-term asset if you get the experience right. The discussion explores staffing costs, government policy, and the unintended consequences that hospitality operators feel first, long before they appear in headlines.

The episode also looks at trust, personal risk, and the mental load of being responsible for a business and the people in it. Giles explains how stoicism and preparation help him stay steady in uncertain conditions, offering a practical mindset rather than motivational slogans.

Episode highlight powered by Ceres Traditional Batter Mix

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Newsfeed

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

In this Podsquad episode of The Ceres Podcast, Stelios Theocharous is joined by David Nicolaou and Mark Petrou for a frank conversation about the pressures fish and chip businesses are facing right now.

The discussion starts with real-world stories from the coalface, including a frozen bank account without warning and the serious consequences of a missed Companies House filing. Those experiences lead into a wider debate about risk, compliance, and why relying on government fixes such as VAT cuts is not a strategy for survival.

From there, the Podsquad tackles soaring cod prices, whether cod should still be the default choice on fish and chip shop menus, and how operators can adapt pricing and menus to protect margins without losing customers. It is an honest, practical discussion aimed squarely at owners and operators who want to focus on what they can control.

If you run a fish and chip shop or hospitality business, this episode offers clear thinking, lived experience, and straight-talking insight from people who understand the realities of the trade.

Episode highlight powered by Ceres Deep Fryer Cleaner

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Newsfeed

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.

Stelios is joined by Andrew Markou, CEO and co-founder of BusinessesForSale.com.

Together they break down what really drives the value of small hospitality businesses, with direct relevance to fish and chip shops. The conversation focuses on why cash flow matters more than turnover when valuing a business, what realistic multiples look like, and how owners can increase value by building systems that reduce reliance on them personally.

They also explore succession trends, the do's and don'ts of improving a business after purchase, and why franchising is growing in the UK, plus what independent operators can learn from a franchise-style mindset. Practical, grounded and full of trade-ready insights for anyone buying, running, scaling or preparing to sell a hospitality business.

Episode highlight powered by Ceres Calculators.

Download your FREE copy of the Fish & Tips E-Book and boost your business today.

Ceres Facebook Page

Ceres Newsfeed

Ceres Podcast

📮Join the Ceres email list to keep updated and get monthly offers.