Three fish and chip shops from the north and north-east have been named in a list of the UK’s top 50 fish and chip takeaways.
Fochabers Fish Bar in Fochabers, McLeod’s Fish and Chips in Inverness and Sea Salt + Sole in Dyce were all highly praised in the annual Fry Magazine awards.
The awards were decided following unannounced visits to the chippies across the UK which were marked on over 40 aspects of their business, from the quality of the food and customer service to their social media presence and their Covid safe practices.
However, the food remained the main focus, with all outlets assessed on the flakiness of the fish, the crispness of the chips and the crunch of the batter, alongside value for money.
Dave Mcleod, owner, of Mcleods Fish and Chips, said: “It’s an honor to be included in this list with so many other great chippers.
“Quality of food and service is something we have built our business on over the last five and a half years.
“The covid pandemic has been tough for everyone and we’ve really had to think on our feet.
“We are very lucky to have a great team behind us and fantastically patient customers who have usually had to wait outside in all weather conditions for their fish and chips”
Reece Head, competition organiser, said: “Without doubt, the last 12 months have been tough for fish and chip takeaways and many will not have dealt with this level of crisis management before.
“Allowed to stay open during the pandemic, there was a lot they had to implement in a very short space of time to operate in a Covid safe manner.
“Many had to flip their businesses to click and collect and delivery, serve at the door, introduce card payments and work in much smaller teams, but they did and they kept the nation fed including our elderly and vulnerable, those shielding and our key workers.
“This year’s judging criteria took into account these changes and we’re delighted to acknowledge that, despite the difficulties and added pressure, Mcleods fish and chips never let standards drop.
“During this pandemic they have been at the heart of their communities, with a smile on their faces and hot food in their hands.
“We’re proud to have them in our 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways for 2021.”
Rikki and Gillian Pirie, owners of Sea Salt + Sole, have been regularly featured in the awards over the years.
Mr Pirie said: “It’s been a tough year with Covid so we were delighted to have been recognised as a UK top 50 shop.
“The award reflects the hard work of all our staff over the past year.”
The 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways winners in alphabetical order are:
- Auckley Friery, Auckley, South Yorkshire
- Callaways Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset
- Carlo’s, Alnwick, Northumberland
- Castiglio’s Fried Fish & Chips, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
- Chippy Chippy, Holyhead, Anglesey
- Chips @ No.8, Prestwich, Manchester
- Chish & Fips, Norwich, Norfolk
- Cox’s At The Lighthouse, St Neots, Cambridgeshire
- Croft Street Fisheries, Farsley, Leeds
- Davenport’s Fish & Chips, Louth, Lincolnshire
- David’s Fish And Chips, Brixham, Devon
- Dhillons Fish Inn, Throckley, Newcastle
- Dunkeld Fish Bar, Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross
- East Coast, Musselburgh, East Lothian
- Every Fish Bar, Harrow, London
- Farnhams Fish And Chips, Boverton, Llantwit Major
- Fiddlers Elbow Fish and Chips, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
- Finn’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Reading, Berkshire
- Fintans Fish & Chip Co, Llanishen, Cardiff
- Fish ‘n’ Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset
- Fisherman’s Bay, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
- Fochabers Fish Bar, Fochabers, Moray
- Fraser’s Fish and Chips, Penzance, Cornwall
- Frydays of Kendal, Kendal, Cumbria
- George’s Fish And Chips, Hanham, Bristol
- Harlees Fish & Chips, Westbury, Wiltshire
- Henley’s of Wivenhoe, Wivenhoe, Essex
- Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, Glamorgan
- Hooked On The Heath, Knutsford, Cheshire
- Jason’s Fish And Chips, Rackheath, Norwich, Norfolk
- Land & Sea, Sowerby, York, North Yorkshire
- Linfords Traditional Fish and Chip Shop, Market Deeping, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Market Hill Fisheries, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
- McLeod’s Fish and Chips, Inverness
- My Plaice Fish and Chips, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk
- Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate, Kent
- Priory Plaice Fish and Chips, Ulverston, Cumbria
- Sea Salt + Sole, Dyce, Aberdeen
- Seasmiths Fish + Chips, Porthtowan, Truro, Cornwall
- Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria
- Shaw’s Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Smith’s Chippy, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
- Sykes, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester
- The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfriesshire
- The Cottage by Haddocks, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire
- The Crescent Fish & Chip Shop, Flint, Flintshire
- The Esk Cafe, Carlisle, Cumbria
- The Fish At Goose Green, Wigan
- The Fish Bar, Crewe, Cheshire
- The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire
- The Friary, Carrickfergus, County Antrim
- The Golden Fry, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey
- The Horseshoe Fish Bar, Pontnewynydd, Torfaen
- The Little Chippy, Manchester
- The Plaice to Be, Kilmarnock, Troon, South Ayrshire
- The Shire Fryer, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- Tony’s, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
- Towngate Fisheries, Idle, Bradford, West Yorkshire
- Valerio’s Fish And Chips, Lanark, South Lanarkshire
- Yan’s Fish Bar, Cardiff