The National Fish & Chip Awards

This page has information about the Awards. It also provides details on other promotional activity we're running to support this seafood sector.

Promoting great fish and chips

We’re always celebrating fantastic fish and chips across the UK with Love Seafood, our consumer marketing brand. Use the links below to visit the Love Seafood website and find content on:

• The best fish and chips on your summer staycation
• Fish and Chips – How Do You Eat Yours?
• Best fish and chip shop pun names

2021 and 2022 awards cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic

The 2021 National Fish & Chip Awards would have taken place in January this year. We cancelled the awards ahead of the start of the entry process last summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. You can read a news article with our statement on this.

While uncertainty remains, our Awards event will not take place in January 2022 either. This has given us an opportunity to consider the future of the Awards and other Seafish event activity. It comes as part of a wider review looking at all our trade events and our presence at consumer marketing events. You can find out more about this review from our page on Promoting seafood through trade and consumer events.

About the National Fish & Chip Awards

Running for over thirty years, The National Fish & Chip Awards celebrate businesses serving the best of the nation's favourite takeaway dish - fish and chips!

Entrants to the Awards are appraised against areas that highlight best practice. As part of the judging process mystery dining judges visit the shops. As well as sampling the food they assess and reward businesses for other factors including:

• responsible sourcing practices,
• customer service,
• staff training policies, and
• marketing innovation.

No matter how far a business gets, taking part offers an excellent opportunity for business development. Entrants receive mystery dining reports and can benefit from media coverage and support from sponsors. Winners and finalists are invited on study trips to learn more about the seafood supply chain.  

The most recent Awards were presented on 23 January 2020. The ceremony was hosted by Mark Sargeant. It took place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London and was attended by over 600 guests. Awards were presented for 16 categories:  

• Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award 
• Best Newcomer Award 
• NFFF Quality Award Champion 
• The Field to Frier Award (Potato Sustainability) 
• The Good Catch Award (Seafood Sustainability) 
• Staff Training and Development Award 
• Marketing Innovation Award 
• Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year Award 
• Best Foodservice Operator (Leisure Outlet, Cafe, Bakery) 
• Best Seafood Week Campaign Award 
• Menu Development and Innovation Award 
• Best Mobile Fish and Chip Operator Award 
• Outstanding Achievement Award 
• Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award 
• Best Multiple Fish and Chip Operator Award 
• Seasonal UK Seafood Award 

Winners and Finalists

The winners and finalists in the 2020 Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award were:

• National Winner: The Cod’s Scallops, Wollaton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire – go to the Cod’s Scallops website
• 2nd place: Shap Chippy, Shap, Penrith, Cumbria – go to the Shap Chippy website
• 3rd place: Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove, Chester, Cheshire – go the Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove website

To see a full list of winners and finalists from all award categories you can download the winners and finalists brochure from the link below:

Winners of the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award in previous years were:

• 2019: Krispies, Exmouth, Devon
• 2018: Millers Fish and Chips, Haxby, Yorkshire
• 2017: Kingfisher Fish & Chips, Plymouth, Devon
• 2016: Simpsons Fish & Chips, Cheltenham Gloucestershire
• 2015: Frankie's Fish & Chips, Brae, Shetland
• 2014: Quayside, Whitby, North Yorkshire
• 2013: The Bay, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
• 2012: Seniors, Thornton, Lancashire
• 2011: Fish and Chips at 149, Bridlington, East Yorkshire
• 2009-2010: Atlantic Fast Food, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire
• 2008: Anstruther Fish Bar, Anstruther, Fife
• 2007: Townhead Cafe, Biggar, Lanarkshire
• 2006: Petrou Brothers, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire
• 2005: Hodgson's Chippy, Lancaster, Lancashire
• 2004: Our Plaice, West Hagley, West Midlands
• 2003: Finnegan's Bar, Bridgend, Cardiff
• 2002: Brownsover Fish Bar, Rugby, Warwickshire
• 2001: Allports Fish and Chip Shop, Pwllheli, Wales
• 2000: Les's Fish Bar, Crewe, Cheshire
• 1999: Bizzie Lizzies, Skipton, North Yorkshire
• 1998: Zanre's, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
• 1997: The Bervie Chipper, Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire
• 1996: Halfway Fish Bar, Poole, Dorset
• 1995: Hutchinson's, Helston, Cornwall
• 1994: The West End Cafe, Rothesay, Isle of Bute
• 1993: Reed Square Fish Bar, Birmingham, West Midlands
• 1992: Elite Fish Bar & Restaurant, Ruskington, Lincolnshire