CHEERFUL Kate Mancer has one hundred reasons for saying that the humble chip supper is good for you.
She and her husband used to run a fish and chip shop in Basford and Kate still enjoys the traditional British treat as she celebrates her 100th birthday today.
Now the centenarian usually chooses fried egg and chips cooked by her daughter at their home in Newthorpe.
But memories of serving customers at Baxter's still bring a smile to her face as she talks of long hours behind the counter, often switching on the frier again when a late-night customer popped in and pleaded for supper.
Mrs Mancer, who is known as Kit, said: "We would be getting ready to shut at 11pm and someone would come in and say 'you haven't finished, have you?' so we would light up again to fry fish and chips. We didn't let anyone go without."
She was born on Brown's Croft, off Lincoln Street, Basford and went to local schools, remaining in the suburb during her teens.
The chip shop had been opened by Sarah Baxter and was hugely popular.
Mrs Baxter ran it with her son Willis, who married Mrs Mancer on Christmas Day 1937.
So she began to help in the shop. In those days everything was fried in lard and the meal was wrapped in newspaper to keep it warm.
Daughter Kathleen Wright, 71, was the third generation to work in the shop and she said: "We had a meat hook on the wall and asked our neighbours for old newspapers.
"We put the newspapers on the hook but always used clean new paper to wrap the food, then wrapped it all up in the newspaper."
The fish was always cod but Willis made meat pies and fishcakes to maintain a menu to satisfy all their customers.
In the 1950s, chips were five old pence a bag. If you wanted peas with them, you had to pay an extra penny. A fish cost two shillings.
Mrs Mancer said: "It was a good diet. It will never die out. I like my chips. I still have chips two or three times a week."
Occasionally daughter and son-in-law Fred, 72, will buy her a small portion of fish and chips from a local shop but Mrs Mancer's favourite is home made.
"I fry the egg and we have oven chips. She likes it with tomato sauce all over it," said Mrs Wright of Mill Road, Newthorpe.
Mrs Mancer's husband Willis died in 1966 aged 54 and the chip shop never reopened. It was sold for redevelopment but it still warmly remembered by former customers.
After several years alone, Mrs Mancer married again but her second husband Fred died in 2011 after having to move into a care home. His children Alison and David regularly visit her.
Mrs Mancer had three children but her eldest daughter Brenda died last year. Mrs Wright and 66-year-old son Graham will be at her birthday party today . She has seven grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
Son-in-law Fred said: "She loves her family and they all love her. She is wonderful with all the children."
Grandson Ian Wright, 50, a further education trainer, added: "My grandma is not just a grand old lady, she's a lovely genuine caring person.
"I can honestly say I've never heard her say a bad thing about anyone and it's great to see her getting some well deserved recognition."
