The 20 best fish and chip shops for takeaway in Britain

When choosing a British national dish, fish and chips is always a top contender. The salty, vinegary combo is part of millions of families’ dinners every week, but sometimes even legends let you down, and there are few things worse than a soggy bag of chips. That’s where the National Fish & Chip Awards can be of help.

As you might expect, the awards, organised by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) exist to recognise the very best in British fish and chips. From the very tip of the Highlands to the southernmost point of Cornwall, judges seek out excellence, and give it a free trip to Norway. Plus, it helps us ordinary folks pick where exactly to source a Friday night treat from. 

Since its inception in 1988, the National Fish and Chip awards have been a big deal in the chippy world, and this year’s shortlist has just been announced. For the uninitiated, each year a panel of experts select a long-list, which this year was released in September, then a shortlist is revealed (that’s where we are now), before a final 10 are announced in November. The glitzy final will take place in February of next year, and a winner will be crowned.

Earlier this year, County Durham’s Yarm Road Fish and Chips claimed the top spot, but it hasn’t managed to get back into the shortlist this year. In fact, only two Welsh chippies made the cut, which is better than the zero from Northern Ireland. Better luck next time, Irish fish friers.

One of the final 20 is in London, while the region with the highest number of successes was Yorkshire, with a total of four shortlisted nominees.

The 20 best Fish and Chip shops in the UK

Here are the top 20 chippies in the UK, according to the NFFF.

• Kellaway’s Fish and Chips, Truro
• Bells Fish and Chips, Durham
• Emerald Fish Bar, Newton Abbott
• Taffs Fish and Chips, Torrington
• The Fish Inn, Clacton-on-Sea
• Taylors, Stockport
• Mike’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Eastleigh
• Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate
• Catch 22, Tattershall
• Brockley’s Rock, Brockley
• Harrison’s Fish & Chip Co., Oxford
• Mister C’s, Selby
• Shaws Fish and Chips of Dodworth, Barnsley
• The Fish Bank, Sherburn-in-Elmet
• The Scrap Box, York
• Finney’s Fish and Chips, Benllech
• Zero Plus Fish & Chips, Cardiff
• Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie
• Lows Traditional Fish & Chips (Berryden), Aberdeen
• The Fish Works, Largs

We’ll keep you updated when the short-shortlist comes out next month, but until then you battered fish enthusiasts have plenty to keep you fed and busy.

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