IT’S ‘O-FISH-IAL’ WELSH FISH AND CHIP SHOP WINS TAKEAWAY OF THE YEAR

It’s the industry recognition that every fish and chip shop hopes to achieve and it’s Cardiff business Ship Deck which has bagged the coveted National Fish and Chip Awards’ Takeaway of the Year title.

The National Fish and Chip Awards is in its 36th year of acknowledging and championing businesses and individuals throughout the UK and beyond that make outstanding contributions to the foodservice industry. It also recognises great customer service, the opportunities industry professionals can access to further their growth, and most importantly, it’s a celebration of the nation’s love of fish and chips.

The category was sponsored by BD Signs, Friars Pride, Henry Colbeck, Kraft Heinz, McWhinney’s, OilChef, Pukka, Smales and VA Whitley.

Following months of nerve-racking assessments, a panel of industry experts scaled 40 hopefuls down to 20 and then 10 final businesses which were evaluated against criteria including environmental best practice, product knowledge, employer accountability and mystery visits. Coming in second place was Yarm Road Fish and Chips in Darlington, County Durham, followed closely by the Fish Works in Largs, Scotland.

Awards organiser and President of the National Federation of Fish Friers Andrew Crook comments: “It’s the one every chip shop wants so congratulations to Ship Deck for scooping the Takeaway of the Year award. The calibre of applicants this year has been absolutely superb, so we applaud all the finalists, but the hard work and long hours put in to serve countless portions of delicious fish and chips has truly paid off for Ship Deck. Well done!”

Seafood from Norway is the principal sponsor for the awards, with Victoria Braathen, UK Director of the Norwegian Seafood Council, adding: “It’s been wonderful to follow the journey of so many innovative and dedicated fish and chip shops across the country for this year’s Awards, and we congratulate Ship Deck with this brilliant achievement. We’re honoured to have been part of the fish and chip scene for so long in the UK, supplying quality cod and haddock to quality shops. We look forward to welcoming Ship Deck together with all the esteemed award winners to Norway!”

Ship Deck and all of the Category Winners have been invited has been invited to visit Norway in June for a once in a lifetime experience with Seafood from Norway.

The two-day study trip will take fish and chip shop teams on an unforgettable exploration of the Norwegian fishing industry, experiencing the cold, clear waters aboard the state-of-the-art longliner and Danish seine vessel, Østerfjord, to learn more about environmental and sustainable practices that ensure UK fish and chip shops are supplied with the freshest, highest quality produce.

They will also meet leading industry authorities and stakeholders to find out how fish stocks are sustained, as well as learning about frozen at sea white fish.

For more information and bits on the National Fish and Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.