UK’S 10 best fish and chip shops named for 2012

20 October 2011

Ten of the UK's best fish and chip shops are celebrating making it through to the final of this year's National Fish & Chip Awards 2012 after being named the Independent Takeaway Fish & Chip Shop of the Year in their respective regions.

The shops will now compete against each other for the coveted title of the nation's Independent Takeaway Fish & Chip Shop of the Year announced at the grand final held in London on 17 January 2012.

Meanwhile, at the start of November, all 10 regional finalists will enjoy a study trip to Norway, where they will learn about the supply chain of fish from Norway to the UK, to help them further improve their commitment to sustainability.

The national finalists are:

Scotland: The Bay, Stonehaven

Wales: Crispy Cod, Mid Glamorgan

Northern Ireland: Pit Stop, Kilkeel

North East: Quayside, Whitby, North Yorkshire

North West: Seniors, Thornton, Lancashire

Midlands: The Big Fish, Stratford Upon Avon

Eastern: Linfords, Market Deeping

London & South East: Seafare, Guildford

Central & South: Wigmore Fish & Chips, Luton

South West: Hanbury's, Babbacombe

The final 10 places were hard earned after an unannounced visit from industry judges. Shops 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.

First time winner, Matthew Williams, owner of welsh champions Crispy Cod, was overwhelmed with the accolade: "Words just can't describe it. To win against such big competition in Wales is fantastic and goes to show the level of self belief we had to push ourselves to this level.

Matthew started the shop four years ago with strong support from his girlfriend, Anna Ingram, and the rest of his family, in particular his mother who sadly passed away in 2009.

"We set this as our target two years ago and to be named the best in Wales makes all those early mornings and extra effort worth it for me, the shop's manager Ryan Hughes and the rest of the staff.

"My mother was the backbone of our family and when I heard the news of the shop's win she was the first person I wanted to call. It's credit to her that we've come so far.

"I can't even think how we're going to celebrate this; we'll need to come back down to earth first!"

Organised by Seafish, the authority on seafood, the Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award recognises the wealth of quality, value and choice offered by the nation's much loved independent fish & chip shops. The title has in the past resulted in a sales increase of up to 100 per cent for the winning shop.

Nikki Hawkins, foodservice and events manager at Seafish, said: "The UK's fish and chip shops are a national institution, which this award has recognised now for the past 24 years.

"This competition has been our fiercest yet with each finalist facing stiff competition. The high standards and quality displayed by the UK's top 10 fish and chip takeaways is testament to the high standards of the industry and committed approach to a sustainable future."

With over 250 million fish and chip meals sold each year from over 10,500 shops across the UK, fish and chips remains the nation's favourite takeaway.  Devotees can tuck into their fish and chips knowing that they contain 36 per cent less calories than a chicken korma and pilau rice, and 42 per cent less fat than a doner kebab with pita and salad.  Recent studies also showed that fish and chips had the lowest salt content of all the takeaways tested.