The UK’s 20 top fish and chip shops have been revealed today (August 27th 2019). These shops are semi-finalists in the running for the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award, the flagship category in the 2020 National Fish & Chip Awards.
Organised by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, The National Fish & Chip Awards are the UK’s premier awards for fish and chips businesses.
The Top 20 fish and chip shops in the UK are, in alphabetical order:
- Belmont Bay Fish Bar, Harrow, London
- Carron Fish Bar, Stonehaven, Grampian
- Dolphin Takeaway, Duncannon, Country Tyrone
- Fiddlers Elbow, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
- Fish ‘n’ Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset
- Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove, Chester, Cheshire
- French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
- Hiks, Swansea, West Glamorgan
- Hook & Line, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- HOOKED@31, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
- Low’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Aberdeen, Grampian
- Mike’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Eastleigh, Hampshire
- Rockfish, Brixham, Brixham, Devon
- Seafare Guildford, Guildford, Surrey
- Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria
- The Bearded Sailor, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- The Chip Shed , Warwick, Warwickshire
- The Cod’s Scallops, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- The Frying Squad, Bangor, County Down
- Walnut Tree Traditional Fish and Chips, Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire
Fish and chips is the healthiest of the traditional takeaways providing an excellent source of protein, along with carbohydrate and many essential vitamins and minerals. The awards recognise outstanding businesses across the country that are serving incredible fish and chips and providing excellent customer service. Shortlisted businesses have gone above and beyond to secure their place in this stage of the competition and showcase the nation’s favourite takeaway dish.
It’s not just about food quality, there are a wide variety of additional factors that make these businesses outstanding, including:
- Excellence in the sustainable sourcing of key ingredients
- Staff training and development policies and career opportunities for young people
- Creation of innovative menu options for those with allergies and dietary requirements
There are a number of rigorous judging stages to overcome en route to being named the best fish and chip shop in the UK, including mystery shopper judging visits and full business performance audits of premises, followed by presentations to an industry judging panel. The Top 20 shops will next enter a draw process to determine who they will each compete against in the next round of judging in order to determine which ten shops will progress to the competition final. The judging draw will take place at 11 am on Tuesday 27 August 2019 at the premises of last year’s competition winners, Krispies Fish and Chips, Exmouth, Devon.
Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive Officer at Seafish, said: “Fish and chips is the healthiest of the traditional takeaways, and we’re pleased to say that the quality on offer across the UK is just as healthy, if not more so, than it was when we launched these awards 32 years ago. It’s not easy to break into the Top 20, so every one of these businesses should be celebrating today.
“Our judges really do scrutinise every aspect of running a fish and chip business, so reaching this stage is a real achievement. If you see your local shop on the list, get down there tonight and show your support. Best of luck to all of them in the next round.”
A portion of fish and chips can also contribute towards one of the recommended five a day portions of fruit and vegetables if mushy peas are included. It can also be one of the recommended two portions of fish a week that we should all be eating as part of a balanced diet. Fish and chip shops cater to a diverse range of lifestyle and health choices with small portions, gluten free options and various types of fish widely available. Innovation is key for many businesses, with fish and chip shops constantly evolving and adding options.
The winner of the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards’ 32nd anniversary awards ceremony in London on 23 January 2020.
20 businesses are shortlisted across 10 judging regions: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, North East England, North West England, Midlands, Eastern England, London & South East England, Central & Southern England and South & West England.