UK's Best Fish and Chips Shops

(froy). Submitted on Mon, 23 Jan 2012

For many people, January means a month of dark nights and frugal dinners after the excesses of Christmas. But for the UK's huge array of fish and chips shops, it means the National Fish and Chip Awards. This prestigious accolade is awarded by Seafish, the UK authority on seafood, and has been operating for 24 years. Fish and chips are often called the UK's favourite takeaway - and with 250 million fish and chip meals estimated to be sold in the country every year, it's no surprise why. According to Seafish, there are 10,500 fish and chips shops across the nation but where will you find the best ones in the UK?



In 2012, Seafish named Seniors in Thornton, Lancashire as the UK's best fish and chips shop, and the region is a great place to go for fish suppers. Seniors serves 13 different types of fish on its menu, including red snapper, sea bass and John Dory. The chip shop, which also has a branch in the Lancashire town of Lytham St Annes near Blackpool, came in third place in 2011 - so it's come a long way since its humble beginnings in a car park in 2006.

But it's not the only fish and chips shop in the north of England to be honoured. Third place in the competition was given to Quayside, a fish restaurant in Whitby, Yorkshire. Yorkshire's beautiful coastline and deeply held affection for the humble fish supper means it attracts people from all over the county and neighbouring regions to its fish and chips shops, and Quayside lets its customers eat in restaurant as well as doing takeaways. The restaurant is owned by the Fusco family, who are known as a fish and chip dynasty in Whitby and also own the Royal Fisheries fish and chip shop in the town. Not far from Whitby, the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough is also known for its high quality fish suppers and trains to Whitby and Scarborough leave regularly from major towns in Yorkshire and the north-east.

At the other end of the country, Hanbury's in Devon was named in second place in the National Fish and Chip Awards for 2012. Located in the historic seaside resort of Torquay - famously the location of Fawlty Towers - Hanbury's is a competition veteran, having made the final 10 seven times since it opened over 20 years ago. Moreover, it's seen off some fierce competition from local rivals: Devon, Cornwall and Dorset are counties that are well-known for the high quality of their fish and chips shops. One highlight for anyone visiting the area is Stein's Fish and Chip Shop, run by renowned chef Rick Stein. First opened in 2004, it serves an imaginative range of fish and has branches in Padstow and Falmouth.

Other stand-outs among the competition finalists were Seafare in Guildford, Surrey, The Big Fish in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Bay in Aberdeenshire. Scotland has traditionally performed strongly in the National Fish and Chip Awards. In 2010, Atlantic Fast Food in Coatbridge, near Glasgow, was named best the winner, an accolade that saw many people in the UK taking trains to Glasgow to visit the restaurant and sample its award-winning fish suppers. Previous winners from Scotland include the Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant in Fife and The Townhead Cafe in Biggar, also near Glasgow.

 

About the Author

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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