A Fish Supper and a Chippy Smile : Love, Hardship and Laughter in a South East London Fish-and-Chip Shop
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''A brilliant memoir of a strong woman'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review
''A must-read that will break your heart but also make you laugh'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review
''Oi, Hilda, the sign outside says you''re frying today but I ain''t seeing nothing done in ere!''
The voice cut through my daydream. Already there was a queue of hungry customers on the cobbled street of London''s East End.
In 1950s and 60s Bermondsey, the fish-and-chip shop was at the centre of the community. And at the heart of the chippy itself was ''Hooray'' Hilda Kemp, a spirited matriarch who dispensed fish suppers and an abundance of sympathy to a now-vanished world of East Enders.
For Hilda knew all to well what it was like to feel real, aching hunger. Growing up in the slums of 1920s south-east London, the daughter of a violent alcoholic who drank away his wages rather than put food on the table, she could spot when a customer was in need and would sneak them an extra big portion of chips, on the house.
As Hilda works in the chippy six days a week, she hears all the gossip from the close-knit community. There are rumours that the gang wars are hotting up: the Richardsons and Krays are playing out their fights. And the industrial strike is carrying on for a painfully long time for the mothers with many mouths to feed. At home, Hilda''s children are latchkey kids, letting themselves in from school and eating whatever is in the larder until she gets in from her long day at work.
With a cast of colourful characters - dirty ragamuffins, struggling housewives, rough-diamond gang members - Hilda''s story is one of grit, romance, nostalgia and British endurance. Told to her granddaughter Cathryn, this memoir is the uplifting sequel to ''WE AIN''T GOT NO DRINK, PA'' and a testament to a woman who lived life to the full, enjoyed laughter and loved fiercely - even though her heart was broken many times over.
''A lovely, nostalgic portrait of a strong woman in a vanished world'' Prima
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