Devon chippy crowned Britain's best

LOVERS of fish and chips will have to travel to Devon if they want to sample the best Britain has to offer.
Krispies Fish & Chips, from the coastal resort of Exmouth, has been crowned the UK’s best fish and chip outlet after winning the National Fish & Chip Awards 2019.
Owned and operated by husband and wife team Tim and Kelly Barnes, Krispies beat off competition from hundreds of prospective winners to clinch the title, which has led to previous champions doubling their turnover in the 12 months following the announcement.
Second place went to Captain’s Fish and Chip in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, while Low’s Fish & Chips at the Westhill Shopping Centre in Aberdeen came in third.
Krispies was also successful in the Staff Training and Development Award category.
Hailing from across the country, entrants are judged on far more than just the fish and chips they cook and serve. Sustainability, menu innovation, catering for special dietary requirements, customer service and marketing activity are all part of the package of what makes an award winning fish and chip shop.
Tim Barnes said: ‘What a journey this has been and what an incredible way to top it off by being crowned UK’s Fish & Chip Shop of the Year!
‘We love the awards and we’d recommend anyone in the industry to enter. It teaches you so much about your business, not just showing you areas where you could improve but also highlighting how good you already are, something that people find hard to see when they run their own business.
‘Krispies has come so far since we opened 20 years ago and we can honestly say it is a dream come true to win this award.
‘But we didn’t do this alone, we are so proud of our team and what they have achieved. We want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their hard work and faith in us.
‘We are so excited to be looking after this prestigious award for the next year and we will do everything we can to honour its reputation before passing it on to another worthy winner next year.’
Marcus Coleman, CEO of Seafish, which organises the event, said: ‘The National Fish & Chip Awards has been raising the bar in the industry for 31 years now, and we know how much it means to operators to win what is a famously tough competition.
‘Securing one of the 13 award titles can be transformative for a business and each of the winners should be incredibly excited for what’s in store for them in the weeks and months to come. Congratulations to them all, thoroughly deserved.’
The 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards ceremony took place yesterday at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
The full list of winners for each of the 12 additional award categories are:
Best Newcomer Award: Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove, Upton, Chester;
NFFF Quality Award ‘Champion’ Award: Blacks Finest Fish & Chips, Halton, Lancashire;
From Field to Frier Award: Papa’s Fish & Chips, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire;
Good Catch Award: Frasers Fish & Chips, Penzance, Cornwall;
Staff Training and Development Award: Krispies, Exmouth, Devon;
Marketing Innovation Award: Nana Jan’s Buckshaw Village, Chorley;
Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year Award: Trenchers Restaurant, Whitby, North Yorkshire;
Top Foodservice Operator Serving Fish and Chips: The Little Brown Jug, Tonbridge, Kent;
Best Seafood Week Campaign: Quayside Restaurant & Fish Bar, Gourdon, Aberdeenshire;
Healthy Eating ‘Fish and Chips’ Award: Harbourside Fish & Chips, Plymouth, Devon;
Best Mobile Fish and Chip Operator Award: Dodson’s Fresh Catch, Morley, Leeds;
Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Competition: Lauren Kellaway, Kellaway’s Fish and Chips, Truro, Cornwall.
Picture: Tim and Kelly Barnes of Krispies pick up their award at the ceremony yesterday