We love a good chippy up North, and some of Yorkshire’s finest fish and chip shops have been revealed as among the best in the UK—a fact that won’t surprise many of us. Of course, we all know our local chippy is the best, and no one can tell us otherwise. However, these awards are fantastic for the county and for the chippies themselves, giving them well-deserved recognition in what is undoubtedly a challenging time for businesses.
The National Fish & Chips Awards for this year have taken place and although Yorkshire’s finest didn’t take away some of the bigger awards – we did take away some prizes. The awards – now in its 37th year – honoured the skills, innovation and dedication of businesses and individuals in the UK and beyond that are elevating the fish and chip experience.
Prizes were awarded across 15 categories which covered everything from sustainability to quality to customer service, and everything in between, not forgetting the crucial ability to dish up undeniably delicious fish and chips.
The awards are decided by an industry decision-making group created a lengthy schedule of interviews, tasks, skills presentations and anonymous taste tests, resulting in the decoration of the fish and chip sector’s most outstanding businesses at the acclaimed event, which was hosted by popular television personality Matt Baker.
East Yorkshire’s own, Mackerel Sky, won Newcomer of the Year award. The fish & chip shop has been in the village in some kind or other for over 80 years. We’ve put it on our list of things to try this year, that’s for sure. The Scrap Box on the outskirts of York, won Quality Accreditation Champion, and is a great little hidden gem.
Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, says this year’s entrants have shown the abundant passion for fish and chips is only deepening. “The bar for the National Fish & Chip Awards is set higher each year across the criteria the competitors are evaluated against, and our new titleholders have put everything into elevating their menus, sharpening their skills and developing their expertise.
“The quick-service sector is constantly changing but what remains is that customers expect a high-quality product that tastes like heaven, that sustainability is carefully considered throughout the experience and the service is on-point. Each winner hits the mark on all these fronts and their hard work is achieving national attention. On behalf of the NFFF, I’d like to say a big ‘congratulations’ and ‘thank you’ to these businesses for being shining examples of greatness in the fish and chip industry.”
