I LIKE my fish and chips and so, in my experience, do the more mature of us Brits.

My Grandma for example was a sucker for fried hunks of potato which she would so saturate in vinegar they would start to float.

That is why I was so encouraged to see more than a few grey-haired customers in the restaurant section of the Eltham Grill one Friday lunchtime.

Pensioners know their fish and chips and the fact the Chequers Parade chippy also has a sizeable sit-down area – well populated by over 65s when I visited – is another plus.

The fare must be ok if enough people are prepared to park themselves to enjoy it rather than running for the door and scoffing it outside in five minutes like most takeaways.

Unfortunately this is near enough what my colleague and I ended up doing; so hungry were we and so hot and tasty-looking the portions of chips we both ordered.

Neither of us had the stomach for a slab of fried fish for lunch either, though the tray of creamy batter below the fryer looked good enough to stick a cheeky finger in.

My smoked mackerel salad for £4.50 was a healthier choice with the decent portion size making up for the lack of promised dressing.

But I did cast a jealous eye over the fried onions in my colleague’s £2.90 cheeseburger; a filling more takeaways could do with providing rather than leaving it to burger vans.

Our £1.40 portions of chips were sizeable though not quite crispy enough on the outside or fluffy enough on the inside.

On reflection it was foolish not to try a bit of cod; I recommend the people of Greenwich get down to the Eltham Grill and get battered themselves.

The Eltham Grill, 2-3 Chequers Parade, Eltham, London SE9 1DD.

Food: *** Decent but could be better.

Service: ***** V friendly and you do your own salt and vinegar.

Interior/Decor: **** Classic chippy.