The UK’s top 10 fish and chip restaurants were announced today (Tuesday 29 September) as part of the 2016 National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish.

The 10 shops –

• Chesters in Chesterfield, Derbyshire;
  
• Drakes Fisheries in York, North Yorkshire;
  
• Fylde Fish Bar in Southport, Merseyside;
  
• Hanbury’s Famous Fish and Chips in Torquay, Devon;
  
• No 1 Cromer in Cromer, Norfolk;
  
• Papa’s Fish and Chips in Willerby, East Yorkshire;
  
• Something Else Fishy in Milborne Port, Somerset;
  
• The Scallop Shellin Bath, Somerset;
  
• Trenchers Restaurant in Whitby, North Yorkshire 
  
• The Tailend Restaurant in St Andrews, Fife
  

The top 10 will now ‘batter’ it out as they vie for the Independent Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year Award and aim to claim the title of best fish and chip restaurant in the UK.

To get to this stage and secure a place in the coveted shortlist, the restaurants have been appraised across a variety of judging criteria including responsible sourcing policies restaurant appearance and facilities, staff training and development policies, marketing and promotional activity and how they cater for customers with specific dietary requirements. They also received mystery shopping judging assessments by industry experts to ascertain the quality of the fish and chips on offer and the levels of customer service provided by staff.

Over the coming weeks, the restaurants will be subjected to further mystery judging evaluations and in-depth judging audits. This next stage of the competition will whittle down the top 10 to establish the UK top five restaurants that will compete for the top accolade at the 2016 awards ceremony.

Award sponsor David Lovell, Business Director of Goldensheaf, said: "With a heritage of over 60 years as the UK’s leading batter mix, we can identify with the importance of being recognised as a quality performer within the industry.

"This award category rewards those businesses that provide an outstanding fish and chip dining experience for their customers while continually striving to improve the standards in their business as a whole.

"We congratulate the 10 restaurants in reaching this tough stage of the competition and wish them good luck in the next round of judging.”

Paul Williams, Chief Executive of Seafish, said: "The aim of the National Fish & Chip Awards has always been to showcase the very best fish and chip businesses and individuals in the UK while setting incredibly high standards for the industry to aspire to.

"With the popularity of fish and chip dining establishments on the increase, the restaurant dining experience has now come up to par with the traditional ‘chippy’ takeaway and is a potent symbol of British identity that is catering to the ‘posh nosh-talgia’ trend.

"With this being said, the importance of recognising and rewarding our country’s best fish and chip restaurants cannot be overlooked. The high level of standards and professionalism embedded within the businesses that entered this year has been outstanding, and I know the judges had a tough job determining the top 10 businesses.

"I’d like to offer up my congratulations to all of those who made the shortlist and wish them the very best as they prepare for the next stage of the competition, but also thank them for upholding our high industry standards and helping us to reinforce the UK’s reputation as the home of the world’s best fish and chips.”

Culminating in an awards ceremony at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20 January 2016, The National Fish & Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent and respected seafood industry events in the UK. Widely considered as the ‘Oscars’ of the fish frying industry, they celebrate the great British tradition of fish and chips, recognising the best talent, quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses.