Watch: We try new takeaway's signature masala chips that customers 'love'

Arjy's on Wombridge Road in Trench, Telford, a fish and chip shop and Indian takeaway, opened in late November without much noise.

The owners, Raj Chatha and head chef Lally Pal, were waiting for the new year to have a grand opening - 'ArjyFest', as Raj put it.

But according to the pair, one menu item has sent their customers crazy: masala chips.

A highly prized and tip-top secret recipe, the most I could get out of them was confirmation that it was battered.

"As prized as the Colonel's secret spices," Raj said with a smile.

Raj claimed that on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, you "couldn't move" for the number of customers, who were happily waiting up to an hour for a portion.

"For every one portion of regular chips we sell we're selling at least six or seven portions of these," Raj said. "We never could have imagined how much they've taken off.

"First week was nice and steady, but then word got round and it just exploded - people just love our masala chips."

Raj, 52, had until recently been working in retail in some of London's most famous stores. After a busy working life, 2023 to be his long-awaited gap year.

He said: "I wanted to have a year off, I went backpacking in India and Thailand. I've worked almost every day since I was 18, I wanted some down time to find myself."

But that was before the father of three heard about a chip shop up for grabs on Wombridge Road. So Raj teamed up with his chef friend, Lally to open up Arjy's.

Lally, 53, who has worked as a chef since 1996, has worked in restaurants around the world, including 11 years in Italy.

"Lally has always experimented," Raj explained, "he created a masala, played with it, tweaked it with his own secret ingredients and came up with something that's absolutely fantastic."

Now I didn't see any sign of heaving crowds when I got to Arjy's in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday - but who is getting chips at 3pm on Sunday? Me, apparently.

The staff, it must be said, were absolutely delightful. Also working behind the counter was 53-year-old Manjit Kaur, Telford born-and-bred, she was volunteering at the shop to help out her friends after recovering from a battle with cancer.

She very kindly cooked up a portion of chips for me to try.

While I love a carb, the greasiness of chip shop chips means I don't usually partake with much gusto. But these were battered and fried to perfection, and without a greasy drip in sight.

The batter was thin, but crispy, and tasted a little reminiscent of popcorn chicken - with a mild curry twist.

I am, as of yet, unable to independently verify how wild the community have gone for Lally's secret recipe masala chips, but I can confirm - it's worth a trip.