Award winning North-East chippy cooks up a storm in Japan

The owner of award winning fish and chip shop The Bay Fish and Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire is set to return to Japan in 2014 after serving up 10,000 fish suppers in just two weeks on a recent visit to the country.

Calum Richardson, owner of The Bay, which was crowned the UK's number one fish and chip shop earlier this year, was invited to appear at an annual British fair by Japanese Hankyu Hanshin department store chain.

Richardson spent a week in Fukuoka and a week in Osaka serving an average of 100 fish suppers per hour.

All the MSC certified North Sea haddock used to prepare the classic British dish was landed in Peterhead, then frozen and shipped out to Japan by North-east suppliers, along with pre-chipped UK potatoes, The Bay's homemade batter mix and Vegware eco-friendly packaging.

Ingredients used to make The Bay's famous tartare sauce were bought locally during the visit, and 15-20 litres was made every day to cope with customer demand.

"I was delighted to be invited to visit Japan, not only to prepare fish and chips for the Japanese public, but to also teach locals how to cook chip suppers. The visit involved an immense amount of work, and I cut all the fish myself and prepared all the tartare sauce with the help of my Japanese assistants.

"Visits like this are highly important to The Bay as it showcases both fish and chips and Scotland to a worldwide audience."