The Bay in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire named UK's Best Fish and Chip Shop 2013
The Bay in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, has been crowned the best British fish and chip shop in the 25th National Fish and Chip Awards held last night at the Lancaster London.
Run by Calum and Lindsay Richardson, The Bay also won the Good Catch Award, having shown great initiative in improving the environmentally responsible practices of their business and for raising awareness of the importance of sustainably-sourced seafood.
Richardson, said: "To be named the best fish and chip shop in the UK is a massive honour and a dream come true.
"This is without doubt one of our biggest achievements to date and is a great opportunity for the business to grow. It's been about hard work from all the staff and support and loyalty shown by our customers and suppliers that has helped us win.
"To say we are delighted is an understatement and we can't wait to take both awards back to take pride of place in our shop."
Ten of the UK's best fish and chip shops endured a tough judging process over the past few months, as well as presenting to a panel of industry judges in London in a Dragon's Den-style pitch. Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire earned second place, while Hanbury's in Babbacombe, Devon came third.
The final 10 shops were assessed on a wide variety of judging criteria including product quality, customer service, food preparation procedures, hygiene, innovation, staff training and development, promotional activity and approaches to sustainable sourcing.
Organised by Seafish, the award recognises the wealth of quality, value and choice offered by the nation's much loved independent fish and chip shops serving up Britain's national dish.
Paul Williams, chief executive of Seafish, said: "The competition gets fiercer each year and this year was definitely no exception with the battle for top shop getting more difficult for the judges to determine."
"The exceptionally high standards of entrants across all the award categories show their continual commitment to the industry and the effort towards sustainability and protecting the industry so future generations can enjoy Britain's favourite dish."
By Lisa Jenkins
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