NORTHERN Ireland industry Minister Baroness Denton officiated at the opening ceremony of the new £1 million Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurant at the Yorkgate complex in Belfast this week. The outlet, Ramsden's first venture in the North, will provide full and part time work for over 100 people.

Amid the pleasantries about gestures of confidence and valuable new capital investment by private enterprise in the region the Baroness was allegedly overheard remarking to a press hack (or should it be hake?) that the eatery was .. . . a very fine place. Ouch!