Shortlisted as semi-finalists in the awards, which are widely considered as the ‘Oscars’ of the fish frying industry, the 10 shops - Eric's Fish and Chips in Thornham, Norfolk; The Mayfair Chippy in Mayfair, London; Quays Fish and Chips in Lancaster, Lancashire; Stargazy Fish Bar in Tetbury, Gloucestershire; Edwards Plaice in Hereford, Herefordshire; Longsands Fish Kitchen in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear; MyChippy.com in Enfield, Middlesex; Catch Seafood in Halifax, West Yorkshire; Frydayz Fish Bar in Catterick,  North Yorkshire and North Beach Fish and Chips in Bridlington, East Yorkshire - will now ‘fry’ for glory in the race to bag the overall Best Newcomer Award. 

To get to this stage and secure a place in the coveted shortlist, businesses have been appraised across a variety of judging criteria including innovative approaches to running a new fish and chip shop, promotional activity undertaken and approaches to sustainable and responsible sourcing of fish and other ingredients. 

Over the coming weeks, the shortlisted business will be subjected to mystery shopping assessments by industry experts, evaluating both product quality and customer service levels. This next stage of the competition will whittle down the top 10, forming the UK’s top 3 finalists that will go on to compete for the top accolade at the 2017 awards ceremony. 

Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: “Being shortlisted in this award is a fantastic achievement for newly opened fish and chip businesses. It demonstrates their incredible talent, dedication and commitment to thrive; traits that are to be applauded. 

“I’d like to offer up my congratulations to the shortlisted shops and wish them all the best as they continue in their quest towards becoming one of our finalists. I also want to 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.” 

Sponsored by Frymax, the Best Newcomer Award is open to independent fish and chip businesses that have been operating since no earlier than 1 October 2014 and recognises those that are excelling in upholding the high standards of the fish and chip trade. 

Cyril Solomons, Marketing Consultant for Frymax, commented: “Frymax is pleased to once again sponsor the Best Newcomer Award which recognises the excellence of new friers joining the industry. All the entries showed great passion and commitment to our trade, and there were some great innovative ideas which bode well for the future of the fish and chip trade. It has been a pleasure to witness such high quality entries and I wish the semi-finalists all the best for the next stage of judging.” 

Culminating in an awards ceremony in London on 26 January 2017, The National Fish & Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent and respected seafood industry events in the UK. They celebrate the Great British tradition of fish and chips, showcasing the best talent, quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses through 13 different award categories. 

For further information on The National Fish & Chip Awards please visit www.fishandchipawards.com. Follow @FishnChipAwards on Twitter for all the awards news and information.