The UK’s top young fish friers have been revealed today (17 August 2018) as part of the annual National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish.

Following initial judging, 10 young fish friers have been shortlisted for the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Competition – one of 14 categories in the 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards. The shortlisted young friers are (in alphabetical order by surname):

• Charlie Collins, Frydales, Leicester, Leicestershire
• George Ellinas, Golden Carp Chippy, Redditch, Worcestershire
• Adam Hutton, The Wetherby Whaler, Wetherby, West Yorkshire
• Maria Magdalena Ganea, Papas Fish & Chips, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• Katie Gray, Lows Traditional Fish & Chips, Westhill, Aberdeenshire
• Lauren Kellaway, Kellaway^s Fish and Chips, Truro, Cornwall
• Sam Parry, Top Chippy, Llanrwst, Conwy
• Alex Walker, Lows Traditional Fish & Chips, Westhill, Aberdeenshire
• Iona Wilson, Lows Traditional Fish & Chips, Westhill, Aberdeenshire
• James Workman, Millers Fish & Chips, Haxby, North Yorkshire

These 10 up-and-coming young friers will now progress to the next judging round in the competition, in their quest to be crowned the UK’s ‘best young fish frier’.

Over the coming weeks, the 10 shortlisted candidates will be subjected to further judging appraisal as they receive a skills based assessment – which includes chipping potatoes, making batter, frying fish – and undergo a personal interview during a comprehensive judging day at the headquarters of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) Training School in Leeds, West Yorkshire. This stage of judging will whittle down the shortlist to five finalists.

The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award was developed to encourage the fish and chip industry’s younger generation to nurture and expand their skills to become expert friers and positive role models for the next generation. Entrants to this year’s competition must be under 25 years at 31 December 2018 and have a minimum of 6 months’ fish frying experience to be able to enter.

The eventual overall winner of the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Competition will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards’ 31^stanniversary ceremony in London on 24 January 2019.