Wetherby Whaler is a fish-and-chip restaurant and takeaway with six locations around Yorkshire…read more After hearing they offered gluten-free fish and chips, I decided to try out their Pudsey location and was reasonably impressed.
The concept is a little different to the traditional British chippy, as they have two areas, a restaurant area and a takeout area, this is where things get a little confusing as despite coming from the same kitchen, the menu is slightly different in both areas. The main difference is to dine in, they serve fish, chips and a hot drink or cordial as a meal, rather than separately, I guess this is just to get the cost up to pay for the dining area and the wages of the waiters etc.
I originally entered the restaurant area but was put off by the pricing, it would have cost almost £15 for my fish and chips, and then an extra £13 for the sausage, as it seemed it was impossible to order a sausage on its' own etc by the menu, meanwhile the takeout area would serve fish, chips and a sausage, for not much over £10. A much better deal!
PRO TIP: There is a customer parking lot around the back of their building, order take out to customise your order to your liking (and save money) and eat it in the car.
Gluten-free is available on a fresh, the staff were well trained to explain how their allergen processes work, and they explained that despite using a separate frier, they can not 100% guarantee due to gluten being handled in the environment, they also explained the sides I could and could not have such as the curry sauce being made without gluten, but as it is made off-site, they would not advise me to have it, as again it would be possible to have been contaminated.
The staff also seemed friendly, in letting me borrow a knife and fork, so I could eat the food in my car.
Extra touches to minimise cross-contamination included the kitchen applying salt (gluten-free vinegar also an option) for me, to avoid using the communal one which the regular customers would use.
My food was pretty good, while not the best fish and chips I've certainly had, it was a great value and tasty meal, the batter was crispy, and the sausage was particularly good, I would have preferred cod to haddock but again the quality was good, and it was hot and fresh, without being too greasy.
Friendly staff, good prices in the takeout area, some improvements to be made sure, but I would return. 4*