Following on from my last blog post on the photograph of the Broads Floating Food Market which had been sent to me by Mick Middleton, I thought I’d post up another photo from the Broadland Memories archives which shows a rather different venture from the past.
Fish & Chips Bar pictured on the River Bure in the 1970s - by courtesy of Iain Gray
The photograph on the right was taken by Iain Gray in the 1970s and shows the floating fish and chip bar which also operated on the River Bure. It appears to have been yet another short-lived venture and one which Health & Safety would surely prohibit these days – the thought of large fat fryers full of boiling oil on a boat is quite terrifying! Mick Middleton also remembers this fish and chip boat and recalls that it used to moor up on the Bure between Salhouse and Wroxham Broads. The boat itself was one of the Windboats Flat-a-Float’s, a wonderful promotional film for which can be found on the British Pathe website – more details of that film and the Flat-a-Float itself can be found in this previous blog post. After the Food Market disappeared Mick says that a “Take-Away” boat called Once Bittern arrived on the Bure. It used to drop anchor on Salhouse Broad and an inflatable would then do the rounds with take-away menus from which you could place an order, the food would be brought to you later in the evening. Once again, this apparently only lasted for a couple of seasons.
If you remember any other floating “foodie” ventures on the Broads over the years then please do get in contact.
