Fish and chips is a British staple – with scores of people flocking to their local chippy each week for their fix. And now the UK’s best fish and chip shops have been revealed.
The top 40 shortlist includes an array of businesses from across the country with the The Takeaway of the Year gong handed out by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF).
They put fish and chip shops through challenges, interviews, test their product knowledge, evaluate their customer service and other tasks to judge who comes out on top.
Experts from the fish and chips industry judge the restaurants on these categories before announcing the winner.
The full list of restaurants that made the top 40 shortlist is as follows…
Cornwall
Kellaway’s Fish and Chips, Truro
County Durham
Yarm Road Fish and Chips, Darlington
Devon
Taffs Fish and Chips, Torrington
Dorset
The Forum Frier, Blandford Forum
Essex
The Hook of Clacton, Clacton-on-Sea
Greater Manchester
Taylors, Stockport
Hampshire
Mike’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Eastleigh
Kent
Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate
Lancashire
Farington Chippy, Leyland
Westend Fish and Chips, Oswaldtwistle
Leicestershire
Frydales (Hinckley Road), Leicester
Lincolnshire
Elite on the Bail, Lincoln
Linfords Traditional Fish and Chips, Market Deeping
London
Brockley’s Rock, Brockley
Stones Fish and Chips, Acton
Norfolk
French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea
Nottinghamshire
Angell’s Fisheries, Newark-on-Trent
Oxfordshire
Harrison’s Fish & Chip Co., Oxford
Somerset
The Oyster Shell, Bath
Surrey
Seafare Guildford
Teesside
Robinsons Traditional Fish and Chips, Billingham
West Midlands
Hawthorn Fish Bar, Birmingham
Yorkshire
The Fish Bank, Sherburn-in-Elmet
Locker’s Fish & Chips, Redcar
Mister C’s, Selby
The Scrap Box, York
Two Gates Fisheries, Barnsley
Scotland
Aberdeenshire
Carron Fish Bar, Stonehaven
Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie
Lows Traditional Fish & Chips (Berryden), Aberdeen
Mike’s Famous Fish & Chips (Blackburn), Aberdeen
Redcloak Fish Bar, Stonehaven
Sea Salt + Sole, Aberdeen
Ayrshire
The Fish Works, Largs
Fife
The Wee Chippy, Anstruther
Perthshire
McKays Fish & Chip Shop, Pitlochry
Inverness-shire
Hilton Chip Shop, Inverness
Wales
Anglesey
Finney’s Fish and Chips, Benllech
Glamorgan
Posh Fish and Chips (Llandaff), Cardiff
Zero Plus Fish & Chips, Cardiff
President of the NFFF, Andrew Crook, said: “Fish and chips is such an iconic British staple and it takes huge amounts of skill and hard work to not only perfect the dish and other menu offerings but to also overcome challenges and sustain the business while keeping employees motivated and fulfilled.
“There’s a lot to it and each awards season we see greater depths of talent, expertise and business acumen and this trend has continued this year, too.
“Takeaway of the Year is the big one, so it goes without saying that the journey it takes contenders on is very intense. At each stage learnings and recommendations are provided to encourage the hopefuls to keep pushing forward and that’s why the National Fish & Chip Awards is seen as the competition for chip shop owners that want the additional steer to become better than they were before.
“We’re off to a brilliant start and we’re excited for the next rounds and to honour these deserving people.”
Tickets for the National Fish & Chip Awards are available here. More information can be found here: www.thefishandchipawards.com.