Tim Hughes tries out Jericho's only proper fish and chip shop

If nothing else, the proprietors of Jericho’s only proper fish and chip shop can be commended for their confidence and extraordinary self-belief. After all, it’s a brave move calling yourself Posh Fish – especially if you’re a humble chippy.

So does it live up to it’s high-falluting name?

The lack of a white-gloved doorman, red carpet or limo service did cast initial doubt on the establishment’s pretensions to poshness. Indeed, on my visit, on a sunny Saturday lunchtime, the establishment seemed to be open to all manner of hoi-polloi. Myself included. As for the decor... well, the only way that could be deemed to be posh, was if they were going for that ironic shabby-chic/ picnic table/ outside-in look – which, I’m led to believe, is quite the thing in the smarter parts of London and Manhattan.

But that’s unfair. The sign, of course, promises only posh fish – not furnishings. And on that crucial point it scored highly on my posh-o-meter.

A portion of cod was cooked freshly as I waited, and came exactly how I like it: a thin crisp light amber-coloured batter (soft where it meets the fish and crunchy at the ends) giving way to a whale of a fillet of juicy white fish. The meat was so fresh it flaked to the touch of my little (comfortingly un-posh) wooden fork.

The chips were standard Southern chip shop fayre – not a patch on those Up North, but as good as any in Oxford, and better than most. And the portion was huge; I had to take most of mine home to eat later that night (though, fully in the knowledge that no manner of re-heating ever does justice to a chip shop chip).

Feeling flush, we fancied something posh to accompany our meal, but with quail eggs, truffle oil and foie gras off the menu, we settled on a polystyrene pot of baked beans.

I would have preferred mushy peas, but relented to avoid causing a scene and upsetting the rarefied atmosphere. And, to be fair, they were equally okay.

The service was brisk and friendly, the tables were clean, the prices what one would expect, and the portions generous. For a fish which is a cut-above the average, I wouldn’t hesitate to go Posh. Just don’t expect silver service.

Posh Fish, 109 Walton Street, Jericho, Oxford. Call 01865 310355