Who’s the UK’s chippy of the year?

Two weeks of voting for the 22nd annual National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year in the United Kingdom came to an end on Friday.

The competition involves multiple rounds of judging. The top five fish-and-chip shops, or chippies, in each of the UK’s 19 geographical areas will be unveiled this month. The list of finalists will be whittled to 19 in October and then to 10 before the grand prize winner is crowned at an awards ceremony in London on 21 January.

On Wednesday, Seafish (the Sea Fish Industry Authority), which organizes the event, opened a Twitter account so the public, media, sponsors and industry can follow the competition.

Last year’s winner was the Anstruther Fish Bar in Fife, Scotland.

The number of entries has increased steadily over the past 22 years of the competition, said project manager Nikki Hawkins.

“The industry as a whole has benefited with more shops not only focusing on providing a quality product, but also concentrating on sourcing responsibly,” said Hawkins. “It’s great to reward those that are committed in producing excellent quality fish and chips.”

New to this year’s competition are the “Good Catch Award,” sponsored by the Marine Conservation Society, the Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Choices Alliance; the “Responsible Fishing Award,” sponsored by the Responsible Fishing Scheme; and the “Multiple Retailers Award,” sponsored by Unique Seafood Ltd.

In late August, Seafish reported that fried-fish sales are up by 15 million portions so far this year, as cost-conscious consumers shy away from upscale restaurants in favor of an old-time favorite.

Fish-and-chip shops represent just over half (51 percent) of fried-fish sales nationwide. There are about 9,500 chippies across the UK.

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