The final line up for the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award category of the 2015 National Fish & Chip Awards has been revealed.

This year’s competition has been so fiercely competitive that the judges have had to allow for an extra place in this years final to allow six competitors to battle it out for the title, rather than the usual five. A huge congratulations to the sixfinalists who are:

Kat Deuchars of John Dorys, Belfast;

Amy Grimwood of Mister C’s, Selby, North Yorkshire;

James Houlston of Our Plaice, Stourbridge, West Midlands;

Ryan Hughes of The Crispy Cod Fish Bar, Tonyrefail, South Wales.

Jonathan Leech of Garstang Fish & Chips, Garstang, Lancashire.

Rachel Tweedale of The Elite Fish & Chip Company, Sleaford, Lincolnshire;

The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year is an award category in the National Fish & Chip Awards that celebrates and rewards the best young fish friers across the UK whilst aspiring to encourage and nurture their individual skills and talent. The award was founded in 1995 and was initiated by the directors of Drywite Limited, Kelvin Lee and Briar Wilkinson, in memory of their late father Malcolm Lee, who had always had a passion for encouraging young people to succeed.

Briar Wilkinson, Sales Director at Drywite Ltd, said: "The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award was originally founded in 1995 by the directors of Drywite Limited, myself and Kelvin Lee, in memory of our late father, Malcolm Lee, who always had a passion for encouraging young people to succeed.

"He would be so proud of the high-standards that have been set due to this award and the aspiring young individuals who consistently strive to achieve greatness. It is vital to support our next generation of fish and chip enthusiasts, our industry relies on their passion and dedication.

"I have every confidence that each of the finalists will continue their journey to success in the industry. I wish them all the best with the awards and in their future careers.”

These six competitors travelled to the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) training school based in Leeds where they faced the industry experts during the full day of judging. The challenges included a practical exam, where the candidates would prepare and then fry their own fish and chips, demonstrating their knowledge of the raw materials, sustainability and good handling practices. They each in turn faced a round of questions designed to test their knowledge and understanding to the limits and also had to make a presentation about their journey and their successes to a panel of industry judges.

The judging team this year included Briar and Ken Wilkinson (Drywite), Rafael Chandler (NFFF Regional Director), Zohaib Hussain (YFFY 2012 Winner), Andrew Crook (NFFF Treasurer), Tracy Poskitt (National Fish & Chip Awards previous winner) Mark Drummond (NFFF Head of Training), Nigel Hodgson (YFFY 2000 Winner) all with vast experience of the fish and chip industry and involvement within the Young Fish Frier of the Year competition.

Rafael Chandler, NFFF Regional Director and judge said, "It was a pleasure to be asked to judge the third round of the Young Fish Frier of the Year competition, the standard was once again extremely high and it’s wonderful to see the younger generation being so keen and enthusiastic about their careers in the Fish & Chips Industry.”

The top six finalists will now be challenged to a mystery shop visit at their respective workplace, followed by another judging session based on their skills and knowledge whilst in their own working environment before all six finalists will now attend the prestigious awards ceremony to be held in London at the Lancaster London hotel on the 20thJanuary 2015, at which one will be crowned the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year 2015.

The National Fish & Chip Awards recognise the quality, value and choice offered by fish and chip businesses across the UK and rewards those judged to be the cream of the crop. With a variety of award categories, each celebrating different attributes of making and serving great fish and chips, the awards reward talented individuals across all aspects of the foodservice and fish frying industry.

For further information on The National Fish & Chip Awards please visit www.fishandchipawards.com. Follow @FishnChipAwards on Twitter for all the awards news and information.