Have had the experience where have bought vacuum packed fish from sainsburys which was rank when opened the following day. My understanding is that vacuum packing is only likely to help if you are buying fish whole (and even then you do not know how long it has been stored before that point, I have also caught them presenting fish from the freezer as fresh). This is because fish starts to rot the moment it is filleted (enzymes in the gut). I can only say that you have been fortunate Michael.

Would rather avoid that experience by travelling to a local fishmonger, where you can see the fish prepared in front of you, even if sadly it is not in SE23. Supermarkets put far less back into the local economy than a local shop anyway.

Each to their own taste!

Agreed re shops and food shelf life. I was making a point about value for money.