Seniors in Thornton, Lancashire, on Tuesday was named the best fish-and-chip shop in Britain at the Seafish-organized National Fish and Chip Awards 2012.
The restaurant, run by brothers Alastair and Dominic Horabin, was announced as Independent Takeaway Fish & Chip Shop of the Year 2012 by celebrity chef Richard Corrigan at an awards ceremony, attended by more than 500 guests, in London’s Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel.
Seniors was also a finalist in the Independent Restaurant of the Year and Good Catch categories.
Click here to access the SeafoodSource Facebook page to view photos from the event >
Hanbury’s in Babbacombe, Devon, earned second place in the 24th edition of the competition, while Quayside in Whitby came in third. The other regional finalists were: The Bay (Scotland), Crispy Cod (Wales), Pit Stop (Northern Ireland), The Big Fish (Midlands), Linfords (Eastern), Seafare (London & South East) and Wigmore Fish & Chips (Central & South).
“To be named the best fish-and-chip shop in Britain is an honor beyond our wildest dreams. We were delighted to come third last year and spent the past 12 months looking at the ways we can improve our business and add further value to the experience of staff and customers in the shop with this being our ultimate goal,” said Seniors’ Alastair Horabin.
On presenting the award, Corrigan of the famous Bentley’s Oyster Bar & in London’s Piccadilly and the award-winning Corrigan’s Mayfair, and who has also agreed to open a new seafood bar in Harrods, said previous winners of this award have seen their takings increase by as much as 700 percent.
“This award is very important for business. Fish and chips are an iconic meal and part of British culture. No matter what type of chef you are, we all love fish and chips,” he said.
Entries were assessed on a wide variety of judging criteria, including product quality, customer service, food preparation procedures, hygiene, innovation, staff training and development, promotional activity and approaches to sustainable sourcing.
More than 250 million fish and chip meals are sold each year from over 10,500 shops across the UK.
