The future of the nation's chippies hangs in the balance thanks to rising costs and youngsters choosing to eat elsewhere.

That's the assessment of Jackie, manager of Grandad's Chippy on Princes Street in Stockport Town centre, who is constantly fighting against price increases in fuel, fish and other business expenses.

"The price of fish has gone up by about 50 percent over the past couple of years and we're trying really, really hard not to put our prices up for the customers," she told Nub News ahead of National Fish & Chip Day today (5 June).

"We've actually put the price of a small fish meal down, but without a drink, because a lot of our clientele are pensioners and it still gives them a choice to have a meal if they can't afford a full one. I'd love to be able to put the prices down more for pensioners, but I can't, and we've got our staff to keep on, too."

Jackie is fully behind a new campaign spearheaded by Michelin-starred chef, Tom Kerridge, to lower VAT on hospitality venues to 10 percent. However, she would also like to see local authorities throw more weight behind floundering Stockport business in general.

"Stockport isn't doing enough for businesses. They're doing all this building, but neglecting the existing businesses, and it's those that bring all the people into Stockport.

"You can't rely on the nighttime economy, and we don't open in the evenings because it's just not busy enough in the town centre. We've tried it with the cinema [The Light, just a few yards away at Redrock], but it just doesn't work."

Grandad's isn't a typical chippy where customers take their food away wrapped in paper. It's a restaurant first, with a jigsaw of tables and chairs extending to the far end of the building. At 61, Jackie is pretty much the youngest person in the room.

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"I might be old fashioned, but I love the older people," she says. "Fish and chips is still our biggest seller. We get people travelling for miles on the bus to come here for the fish, so it's very popular.

"Most of our clientele come to eat in rather than takeaway, and we've got disability access as well, so we get quite a few carers coming in. We even get people from care homes who just want some proper fish and chips."

Despite Grandad's enduring popularity among Stockport's older residents, it hints at potential younger customers buying their dinner elsewhere. Stockport didn't have the same concentration of coffee shops and cafes when Jackie began her time at Grandad's eight years ago, nor when she was frying and serving before that at the long-lost Reggie's by the bus station.

Tastes and habits change, but it isn't only chip shop managers who are trying to draw in more punters.

Gary Lewis, the organiser or National Fish & Chip Day and president of the National Edible Oil Distributors' Association (NEODA) said: "National Fish & Chip Day is a celebration not only of a much-loved British tradition, but also of the innovation helping to secure its future.

"We're encouraging shops and customers to explore a wider range of fish beyond cod and haddock; from hake to pollock and other responsibly sourced species.

"By embracing variety, we can support sustainability, reduce pressure on key stocks and ensure that fish and chips remain a staple of British life for generations to come."

Chippies at the seaside, especially those near ports, often have menus stuffed with unusual fish: rock, John Dory, even skate if you're lucky enough to visit Penzance or Newlyn in Cornwall. The choice isn't as wide away from the coast, but Jackie still has some diversity in her fryer.

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"We do haddock as well, but cod's the most popular. This is a very traditional place – we don't do rubbish fish; it's good cod from Scandinavia."

Not that Jackie will be tucking in to her catch any time soon.

"I hate fish. Everyone thinks it's hilarious. I think it's the smell, but now it's my constant deodorant. That's not very good advertising it is?"