Ballykelly chippy runners-up - 28/01/2004

Tommy’s Hot Food Bar from Ballykelly has failed at the last hurdle in its quest to scoop the coveted title of the 2003 Fish & Chip Shop of the Year – announced today (Wednesday 28 January).

Owners Thomas and Dominic Hassan were awarded the runners-up prize by TV chef and passionate fish and chip fan Antony Worrall Thompson at an awards lunch at London’s Tower Thistle Hotel, hosted by competition organisers the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish).

Tommy’s lost out to eventual winners Finnegan’s Fish Bar from Bridgend, South Wales – who beat off stiff competition from ten regional finalists representing the very best of the UK’s 8,500 strong fish and chip shop industry. 

The Fish & Chip Shop of the Year Competition, now in its 16^th year, uses a combination of customer nominations, mystery shopping and in-depth interviews to select the overall winner. 

Competition organiser Andy Gray from Seafish says the standard of this year’s entries has never been higher, with Tommy’s Hot Food Bar unlucky to miss out on the coveted title.  He adds: “Fish and chips is still the UK’s favourite takeaway food, with more than 280 million meals consumed last year - it’s a great industry, part of our national make-up.  And although Tommy’s didn’t win the national title, it is still a regional winner and deserves to be up there with the best of the nation’s best.”

Ends

Issued on behalf of Seafish by Weber Shandwick, public relations consultants.  For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact Lisa Palompo on 07770 886 916 or Chris McSparron on 07770 886 902.

NOTES TO EDITORS

·        Last year, 280 million fish & chip meals were consumed in the UK, making it the nation’s most popular takeaway meal.

·        There are more than 8,500 fish and chip shops in the UK, with the industry enjoying an annual turnover of £900 million

·        In 2002 more than twice as many meals were sold from fish and chip shops than Indian restaurants.

·        Cod is the most popular fish sold in UK fish & chip shops, accounting for 61.5% of fish sold, followed by haddock (25%) and whiting (6%).

·        90% of all cod sold in the UK comes from areas such as the North Atlantic and the Icelandic waters, rather than the North Sea.  Many fish and chip businesses use cod which is frozen at sea within six hours of catching and is of excellent quality.

·        Seafish was established by the Government in 1981 and is a Non Departmental Public Body.  Seafish serves all sectors of the UK seafood industry - fishermen, processors, wholesalers, importers, exporters, seafood farmers, fish friers, caterers and retailers - and is also responsible for consumers.

·        The Fish & Chip Shop of the Year Competition is sponsored by the Frozen at Sea Fillets Association (FASFA). FASFA is a trade organisation representing trawler owners (from the UK, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Russia and Greenland) and UK distributors of ‘frozen at sea’ filleted fish.