232 High Street was purpose built as a general store by William and Emma Kennerley sometime between 1900 and 1902, after purchasing the land in 1880, for £66, 10 shillings, and 6pence, from Lord Delamere, via John Henry Cooke.
The shop (we believe) was then rented out to their son William Jr. Sadly, by 1907 both William Senior and Emma had passed away. They had left the property to William, who ran the store for another 19 years. William Jr later passed 232 High Street onto to his wife Fanny, after his death in 1926. At this point we believe his wife Fanny and her son Albert, took over the running of the store for a further 12 years.
We now know that Fanny passed away in 1944, but not before handing the deeds over to her son, Albert, in 1938 who kept 232 High Street as a general store for at least another year. After this the history of FoodCraft goes into obscurity. All we know is, that sometime between 1940 and approximately 1942, the purpose of “Kennerley’s General Store’ had now changed into what it is today… Winsford’s first known fish and chip shop!
We know that Howard Chapman and his wife, both from Lamb Cottage in Whitegate, took ownership of 232 High Street (still owned by Albert Kennerley) which at this point, was already an established fish and chip shop, in 1960, and created FoodCraft! Seven years later in 1967, John D Finney took over and introduced the town to our now famous award winning pies!
Fast-forward 45 years, and John and Iris Finney have enjoyed seeing their family business become Winsford’s most popular chippy, and continue to thrive under the 2nd generation of Finneys, with John Finney Jr now at its head alongside his brother Christopher.
With a long-standing and experienced team of staff, John, and his father before him, FoodCraft has built a reputation for top quality fish and chips throughout the local area. Our frying oil is never too old; our chips are never soggy; and our secret-recipe batter is so crispy you can hear it.
We hope you enjoy what our family have created at FoodCraft; we have certainly enjoyed building it and becoming part of 232 High Street’s proud history!