Chip shop near Birmingham, named one of Tom Parker Bowles’ “ultimate chippies”.

Just last month we enjoyed a chip shop that made us feel like we were on holiday. The Merchants in Bewdley is right next to the river and the town’s historic bridge, meaning you can enjoy delicious food in a truly picturesque setting.

It seems we’re not alone in our praise for this restaurant and takeaway. Queen Camilla’s critic son Tom Parker Bowles has compiled a guide to his 37 ‘ultimate chippies’ and Merchants is one of them. He says the award-winning fish and chip shop is “loved for good reason”.

He adds that it’s a “favourite” of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and serves up some “serious fish and chips”.

Read our review of Traders here: I tried fish and chips in a gorgeous riverside town near Birmingham and felt like I was on holiday

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And, having “dined in over 5,000 restaurants,” he knows a thing or two about food. Writing for Mail Online, he said: “Winner of many awards, Merchants is adored for good reason.

“This Midlands chippy (and there are three branches) serves up some serious fish and chips. Owner Kyriacos Akathiotis handed over the baton after 50 years to his son Anthony. “It’s a favorite of Robert Plant, that Led Zeppelin legend, and the quality, almost as he once played, remains the same.”

Reacting to being named on the list, Merchants owner Anthony Akathiotis told the Kidderminster Shuttle that consistency matters. He said: “The boys here deserve it. We have a good working team. We are consistently good and that is what matters.”

Merchants is on Load Street in Bewdley, Worcestershire – about an hour from Birmingham, traffic permitting, via the A456 Hagley Road, via Hagley and Kidderminster. A more fun way to get there might be to take a train from Birmingham Snow Hill to Kidderminster and then board the Severn Valley Railway to Bewdley.