Robert Pickering lived at Meadow View House on Whitehouse Avenue with his family. Part of the house was used for the business, frying fish and chips in one of the front rooms in two big pans over a coal fired range.
Many people would get off the bus outside the shop after a night out, and finish off the evening with fish and chips. Elva Hockaday (nee Talbot), Margaret Ledger (nee Coates), Harry Barron, Sid Hockaday and Alan Ledger remember purchasing a bag of chips for 3d after youth club.
Robert jnr. Pickering ran a wet fish van to the Langley Park area and George Pickering served the customers in the Craghead area, selling wet fish from his van.
The business also manufactured potato crisps. The packet declared “Stand against all (for quality) Pickerings’ Potato Crisps Please buy – What Nice Crisps”. Manufactured by Robert Pickering and Sons, Burnhope, Co. Durham.
The Pickerings’ Potato Crisp manufacturing business was sold to Tudor Crisps of Sunderland. In 1961 Tudors was acquired by Smiths Crisps, which was later bought by Nabisco, which also owned Walkers Crisps, and later became part of the Walker Division of Pepsi Co.
There were several other shops on Whitehouse avenue including Mr Garbutt at the top end, Mr Nurse in Jubilee House and Mr Rutherford in Jaw Blades House, the last house on Whitehouse Avenue. All were general dealers and later became a wool shop, baby wear shop and hairdresser.