Tuckers Fish and Chips in Cheddar will reopen this week for takeaway orders, but will be putting special measures in place to make sure customers and staff stay safe.

The takeaway side of the business will reopen for orders on Wednesday (May 6) with a phone and collect service.

Initially, Tuckers will be open Wednesday through to Friday, from 11.30am to 2pm, and from 4.30pm to 8pm, on Saturday from 11.30am to 8pm and on Sunday from 11.30am to 3pm.

Owner Sebastian Simeone told Cheddar Nub News: "We have set up a phone and collect service only, it's a slightly smaller menu but customers can call the shop, place their orders and pay by phone.

"Then our staff will confirm a collection time when customers can come to the shop door where they can collect their order and enjoy their Tuckers fish and chips at home.

"Obviously this is a new system but we hope it will be a smooth process for our customers, after all this could be the new normal for a while.

"We are hopeful that if there is the demand for it, we will look to open seven days a week in our Cheddar takeaway."

Sebastian's mother and father bought the first Tuckers in Wells in 1988 with the view to running it themselves, and they soon realised that the area had become very loyal to them, so Sebastian and his wife Julie moved back to the area from Weymouth where they had been running a fish and chip shop.

In September 2005 they bought their Cheddar shop as a new challenge for them, and Sebastian said: "With the loyal customer base we have and with the help of our children we are thankful to say trade keeps growing.

"All of our staff that work for Tuckers are trained in-house using the experience that our family have gained over the past 32 years.

"We tried hard to keep the shops open as coronavirus hit, but the concern for our customers and staff safety became a priority and we reluctantly closed - this together with limited availability of ingredients and ultimately the government lockdown.

"I am glad to say our suppliers have now got fairly robust supply chains and most stock is becoming available again."

Sebastian says it is hard to say how the takeaways in the Cheddar area have been able to cope during the crisis due to getting safe systems in place for staff and customers, and the availability of ingredients.

However, he does have a message for all the fish and chip lovers out there in the village: "We can't wait to see our loyal customers again, please bear with us while we get this new system up and running and we thank you for your custom. Stay safe and see you all soon."