The top 10 fish and chip takeaway shops in the United Kingdom have been announced and will now compete for the top prize of Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year at the 2016 National Fish & Chip Awards, organized by the U.K. Seafish Authority.
The 10 businesses, one from each judging region in the country, are:
• Cromars in St Andrews (Scotland)
• Hikary’s Fish Bar in Neath (Wales)
• The Dolphin Takeaway in Dungannon (Northern Ireland)
• Mister C’s in Selby (Northeast England)
• Hodgson’s Chippy in Lancaster (Northwest England)
• Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham (Midlands)
• The Cod’s Scallops in Nottingham (Eastern England)
• Papa’s Barn in Ditton (London & South East England)
• Cox’s of Letchworth in Letchworth (Central & Southern England)
• Kingfisher Fish & Chips in Plympton (South & West England)
To get to this stage and to secure a place on the shortlist, each shop has been appraised across a variety of judging criteria, including responsible sourcing policies, shop appearance and facilities, staff training and development policies, marketing and promotional activity and local community involvement. They also received several mystery shopping assessments and audits by industry experts, to ascertain the quality of their fish and chips and the levels of customer service.
Having being named the top shop in each of their respective regions, the hopefuls will now be put through their paces in one last round – facing a specialist industry judging panel, consisting of representatives from the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), the National Edible Oils Distributors Association, the fish catching and processing sectors, past awards champions and the potato industry. They will be quizzed on a diverse range of industry related topics and have to showcase how they successfully run a profitable business.
Held in London on 19 January 2016, this final judging round will determine the overall national winner that will be announced at an awards ceremony, widely billed as the “Oscars” of the fish frying industry, taking place at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20 January 2016.
Past winners and finalists have gone on to reap substantial benefits, including international fame through industry trips overseas, increased shop footfall and turnover and launching their own products.
Handing over the independent takeaway crown will be current champions, Frankie’s Fish & Chips in Brae, Shetland.
“Being crowned champion was a huge honor for everyone here at Frankie’s. It was a goal for us since the moment we opened our doors in 2008 and since winning we’ve experienced so many benefits – including having customers travel over 700 miles just to get a taste of our fish and chips,” said Carolyn Kearney of Frankie’s.
Today there are approximately 10,500 takeaway fish and chip shops in the United Kingdom, collectively serving around 380 million meals per annum.
