Fish and chips is a quintessential British takeaway – and whether you like yours doused in vinegar or eaten with a side of mushy peas, we all have our favourite places to order from.
But if you’re looking to try somewhere new, or simply curious to see if your local has made the cut, the 20 best fish and chip shops in the UK have been revealed by Seafish; a public body that supports the seafood industry.
Every year, a panel of judges scrutinise fish and chip shops up and down the country before crowing a winner of the National Fish & Chip Awards in January – and we’ve got our hands on the shortlisted 20 shops for 2019.
So what do the judges look for? It goes beyond just how good the battered cod and chips taste, according to Seafish.
The awards recognise shops that create innovative menu options for those with allergies and dietary requirements; train staff and develop policies and career opportunities for young people; and maintain excellence in the sustainable sourcing of key ingredients – along with providing excellent customer service, of course.
Marcus Coleman, chief executive officer at Seafish, said of the awards: “Fish and chips is the healthiest of the traditional takeaways, and we’re pleased to say that the quality on offer across the UK is just as healthy, if not more so, than it was when we launched these awards 32 years ago.
“If you see your local shop on the list, get down there tonight and show your support.”
To find out if yours made the list, below are the top 20 shops in alphabetical order.
Belmont Bay Fish Bar, Harrow, London
Carron Fish Bar, Stonehaven, Grampian
Dolphin Takeaway, Duncannon, Country Tyrone
Fiddlers Elbow, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
Fish ‘n’ Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset
Fish and Chips at Weston Grove, Chester, Cheshire
French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Hiks, Swansea, West Glamorgan
Hook & Line, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Hooked@31, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Low’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Aberdeen, Grampian
Mike’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Eastleigh, Hampshire
Rockfish, Brixham, Brixham, Devon
Seafare Guildford, Guildford, Surrey
Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria
The Bearded Sailor, Leeds, West Yorkshire
The Chip Shed , Warwick, Warwickshire
The Cod’s Scallops, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
The Frying Squad, Bangor, County Down
Walnut Tree Traditional Fish and Chips, Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire.
The winner will be chosen at an awards ceremony on 23 January 2020.
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.