The Atlantic Fast Food fish-and-chips shop in Coatbridge, Glasgow, on Thursday captured first place at this year’s National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition, organized by Seafish.
Owner Giovanni Fionda, and his parents, Ida and Raphael Fionda, were presented with the trophy by fellow Italian and TV chef Aldo Zilli at a ceremony at the Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel in London.
This is the first year Atlantic Fast Food has entered the competition, but fish and chips is in the family blood, with Giovanni’s parents running shops for many years.
The takeaway was crowned champion after a rigorous judging process that included a customer vote, taste tests, two rounds of shop inspections and a presentation to a panel of industry experts.
Shops are judged on the quality of their fish and chips as well as all areas of the business, including responsible seafood sourcing, customer service, food hygiene, staff training and community spirit.
This is the third year running that a Scottish shop has scooped the fiercely-contested title.
“To win this competition as a first time entrant is a dream come true. It’s the best thing to have happened to us in our professional life and has made all the hard work worth it,” said Fionda.
Finnegan’s Fish Bar in Porthcawl, South Wales, was named runner-up, and The Great British Eatery in Birmingham placed third.
“The high standards of our fish and chip shops rival the top restaurants in the country,” said Zilli, the competition’s compere. “The best shop owners work hard to deliver outstanding quality by using the finest ingredients and a strong commitment to responsible fish sourcing.”
Nikki Hawkins, Seafish competition project manager, added, “Fish and chip shops are well-placed to prosper in the current economic climate as they offer value for money and a quality product with a feel good factor. Despite the credit crunch, people still want to enjoy small luxuries. In fact, 183 million portions of fish and chips were sold last year alone.”
The Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition has been ongoing for 22 years, and since then chippies have changed dramatically, with many now offering different varieties of fish such as pollock, coley and hake.
This year has been touted as the 150th anniversary of fish and chips.
January 20, 2010
UK crowns its top chippy
