Harrogate fish and chip restaurant and takeaway Graveleys has been listed for sale for £195,000.

Graveleys established a reputation as Harrogate’s best-known fish and chip shop, popular with theatre goers and famous visitors.

But the family-run business, on Cheltenham Parade, was bought by Catch Seafood in 2019 and rebranded as part a radical makeover.

However, after Catch went into administration, Simon Pilkington, the son of the former Graveleys owner, reopened it in February this year.

The listing by commercial property agent Ernest Wilson says the business has an annual turnover of £702,000 with “excellent profit margins”. The asking price is £195,000 and stock valued at £7,000 is also available.

The agent describes Graveleys as “a local landmark” and “one of the north’s most famous fish and chips restaurants”, adding the sale includes:

“Superb commercial kitchen to the rear with an extensive range of high-quality catering equipment, pot wash area. Basement prep and storage areas with walk-in cold room.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Graveleys for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.

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Graveleys fish and chip shop in Harrogate served its first customers in more than 1,000 days today.

Owner Simon Pilkington was in town to oversee the reopening of the Harrogate institution, which appeared to have gone for good when it was sold in November 2019.

The takeaway is currently open five days a week and Mr Pilkington said he hoped the restaurant would return in about three weeks, but certainly by Easter, which he said was the trade’s busiest time of year. He said:

“It’s great to be back. My dad would have been elated today to see this if he was still alive.

“Being here has reminded me of all the good times, such as the Great Yorkshire Show week, when we were always absolutely rammed.”

Mr Pilkington said his family had no intention of selling Graveleys until Catch Seafood made an offer.

When Catch went into liquidation last year, the opportunity to return to the same site on Cheltenham Parade proved too tempting for him and his brother Andrew, who own other restaurants elsewhere.

Manager Sarah Knox holds a portion of chips.

Mr Pilkington reiterated the pledge made by manager Sarah Knox yesterday to go “back to basics”, adding:

“We will focus on providing quality fish and chips and then add some seafood delights depending on the feedback.

“Every day is a learning day. We will listen to what customers tell us and go with what they want.”

The takeaway menu includes fish and chips — either cod or haddock — for £9. The takeaway also sells a range of other fish and seafood, including squid, plus other chip shop basics, such as battered sausages and chicken nuggets.

One of today’s first customers

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One of Harrogate most famous names, Graveleys, is to make a comeback tomorrow.

The fish and chip restaurant and takeaway was a feature of Cheltenham Parade for decades until it was sold in 2019.

New owners Catch Seafood spent £250,000 refurbishing the property and introduced a champagne and oyster bar as well as cocktails.

But all five Catch restaurants ceased trading last year when the company went into administration, paving the way for Simon Pilkington, the son of former Graveleys owner Robert, to buy back the building.

The takeaway will reopen tomorrow at 11am.

The takeaway will open at 11am tomorrow and the restaurant is due to open in the next few weeks. A final date has not been confirmed.

Sarah Knox, manager of Graveleys, said the venue would be going “back to basics”, adding:

“The focus will be on fish and chips. We just want to get back to basics and serve quality products.

“We will listen to what customers tell us and adjust our menu accordingly. Come in and see us!”

Ms Knox, who has worked all her life in hospitality and was previously employed by Catch, said the new venture had come about quickly and she had spent the last week preparing for the reopening. New staff are wanted.

The takeaway will be open from 11am to 2.30pm and 4.30pm to 8pm from Tuesday to Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

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Catch Seafood, which bought the former Graveley’s fish and chip restaurant in Harrogate, has closed.

A spokesman for the company confirmed today all five Catch restaurants had ceased trading and the company had gone into administration, with the loss of 60 jobs.

It is the third major blow for Harrogate’s hospitality sector in a matter of days, with Samsons restaurant and restaurant and cocktail bar 63rd+1st also closing.

Catch bought Graveley’s in 2019 and reopened the restaurant on Cheltenham Parade in April last year after a £250,000 refurbishment.

Changing such a well known name was controversial.

Many people made a beeline for Graveley’s on trips to Harrogate, with former chat show host Michael Parkinson once describing his perfect day as watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes Test at Headingley followed by a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s.

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A Catch spokeswoman said at the time the restaurant reopened.

“Graveley’s is an institution in Harrogate so we appreciate it is going to be a big thing to change the name.”

The new venue boasted a champagne and oyster bat as well as cocktails. But 18 months on it has served its last customer.

Catch also had fish and chip restaurants in Holmfirth, West Vale, Headingley and Street Lane.

The spokesman for the company said today he had been advised not to comment until the liquidation process was underway.

Stray Foodie reviews are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

Frances independently chooses which restaurants she will visit. This week, Frances reviews Harrogate’s new fish restaurant, Catch.

More years ago than I care to remember, I have happy childhood memories of what a big treat it was to go to the original Harry Ramsden’s in Guisley. It was a warm, vibrant, exciting place through a child’s eyes, with great greasy smells and wonderful crunchy fish with a succulent interior. Harry’s had two sides to it, one was a takeaway in newspaper which added to the excitement and the other was where you had the vinegar and tomato sauce on the table, with bread and butter and you ate off a plate! The plate side never tasted so good as the newspaper!

Catch Harrogate has a great takeaway business with all those attributes I have just mentioned. On arrival at the seated side, no expense has been spared as far as the interior is concerned. It cuts a modern, clinical and safe impression. Hospitality at the moment is suffering in more ways than one, its latest problem is the lack of competent staff. Not so here at Catch, as its name suggests. The staff were charming, helpful and knowledgeable.

It’s ‘posh’ side with its Oyster Bar, which I am sure is very joyful experience at any time, leads on to its very extensive menu with breads, bao buns, prawn and crab nachos, sea salt and pepper squid, tempura of tiger prawns, monk fish wings and smoked salmon. These are all starters ranging from £4 – £8.

Then on offer, ‘Bigger’, as they call it, are platters of fish, fish pie, mussels, grilled steak sandwiches and grilled halloumi open sandwiches, traditional fish and chips and ‘sides’ galore. The ‘Bigger’ varies from £25 for a platter of fish down to a halloumi open sandwich at £12. The choice of 6 different desserts are around £6 each.

Frances chose the cod with seafood curry and monkfish pakora

I was reminded of a restaurant that I once went to where you chose your meat and you had the choice of two sauces to put with it, which always struck me as being somewhat odd, as trying to please all tastes was rather prostituting the experience of a kitchen. After being seated at a very comfortable table, I was told that I could have cod, salmon, sea bass or swordfish, all costing around £18. Having chosen my fish, I could have it with a choice of garnish: seafood curry, coriander rice, monkfish pakora and raita; Moroccan roasted vegetables, toasted giant couscous and halloumi salad; seasonal vegetables, new potatoes and herb butter (gf); or beef dripping chips with dressed house salad and salsa verde. Any of the said fishes would be finished with a Catch spiced blend and served with the garnish of your choice.

The Verdict: 2.5 stars

I opted for the cod with the seafood curry, and found myself dreaming of the succulent interior of deep fried fish of the aromas coming from the takeaway next door. Then I wondered, although very tasty, if the monkfish pakora was not a little on the ‘too crispy’ side, along with my chosen cod. Fish can be a very temperamental thing to cook and it needs care and attention, as does presentation of one’s food on the plate. This is a menu that tries to please everyone, but perhaps smaller offerings and a fresh fish dish of the day would be less stressful for the kitchen to produce, and to the customer’s advantage.

Opening a new restaurant in these times is a very hard thing to do and I take my hat off to Catch for what they have done. I look forward to returning as there is such a great need for an honest fish restaurant in Harrogate, and these are early days.

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Famous Harrogate fish and chip restaurant Graveley’s is to re-open under its new name Catch in a fortnight.

The business was sold two years ago to Harrogate-based Catch Seafood, which owns four other fish and chip restaurants in Yorkshire.

The site on Cheltenham Parade has undergone a £250,000 transformation during lockdown, and will open as a takeaway on April 19.

The restaurant is due to open in May in line with government restrictions.

A press release by Catch today said the kitchen had been upgraded and the menu would be broadened.

It added:

“A new bar area has also been incorporated into the refitted restaurant, which will serve a range of draught products, delicious cocktails and fantastic wines.

“Exclusive to Catch Harrogate is a champagne and oyster bar for diners to enjoy.”

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Sarah Stuttle, managing director at Catch, said:

“Graveley’s has been a part of the local community for a long time, and we’re excited to welcome these loyal customers to Catch, as well as some new faces, when we reopen.”

The Catch group also has fish and chip restaurants in Holmfirth, West Vale, Headingley and Street Lane.

The company, which describes itself as ‘a casual seafood dining experience built on family values’, is owned by three Yorkshire-based entrepreneurs — Patrick Allen, Andrew Bartle and Philip Rushfirth.