UK’s top 10 fish and chips shops announced for 2017

The top 10 are the shortlisted businesses, who will now go forward to compete to be named the top fish and chip shop overall; officially the awards category of the best Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year 2017.

The final judging stage will take place on 25 January 2017 in London, with the overall national winner announced at an awards ceremony on 26 January 2017.

• Fochabers Fish Bar in Fochabers, Moray (Scotland) - (pictured)​
• Hennighan's Top Shop in Machynlleth, Powys (Wales)
• The Dolphin Takeaway in Dungannon, County Tyrone (Northern Ireland)
• Miller's Fish and Chips in Haxby, North Yorkshire (North East England)
• Hodgson's Chippy in Lancaster, Lancashire (North West England)
• Oldswinford Fish & Chips in Dudley, Stourbridge (Midlands)
• Burton Road Chippy in Lincoln, Lincolnshire (Eastern England)
• Henley's of Wivenhoe in Wivenhoe, Colchester (London & South East England)
• Godfrey's Fish and Chips in Harpenden, Hertfordshire (Central & Southern England)
• Kingfisher Fish and Chips in Plympton, Plymouth (South & West England)

To reach this stage, finalists have already proven themselves across a range of criteria including sustainable sourcing, staff training, and marketing. Mystery shoppers will have visited the site to ascertain customer service levels and the quality of the fish and chips.

The top 10 will now face a specialist judging panel and will be quizzed on a range of topics, including how to run a profitable business and their plans for the future development of their shops.

Representatives from each shop will now also receive a paid study trip to Norway’s west coast, thanks to sponsors Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).  

The champions for 2016 were Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Overall, there are 13 different fish and chip categories across the awards, with shops competing across 10 judging regions, including Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus the whole of England across seven areas.

Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, said: “The Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award is one of the highest honours a fish and chip business can receive. The judging process is extremely challenging with shops thoroughly being put through their paces – these 10 finalists are a credit to the industry and I commend them for reaching this stage of the competition.”