Celebrating Good Friday with National Fish and Chip Awards Finalists

Good Friday is one of the busiest days of the year for fish and chip shops, and this year was no different. Across the country, queues formed early as customers flocked to their favourite chippies for the traditional Easter treat.

We caught up with some of the finalists from the National Fish and Chip Awards to hear how their day went — and what makes Good Friday so special in the world of fish and chips.

“Today has been incredibly busy, with a constant stream of customers keeping us on our toes—it’s been wonderful to see so many familiar faces coming in to enjoy their Good Friday fish and chips.”

Alex Garcia, Hook of Clacton, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

“We always plan for a busy day today as we know the Easter weekend is especially popular for fish and chips, particularly at the seaside. And so far, it’s definitely been a busy start which we hope continues. A massive thank you to our team for their hard work.” 

Alanna French, French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea

“The weather hasn’t been as kind as previous Good Fridays, but that hasn’t stopped the queues — we’re still buzzing with visitors to the shop! 

Thankfully, our app and website have kept us flat out with Click & Collects and deliveries, giving customers the option to stay dry. A huge thanks to everyone for your continued support! Happy Good Friday to everyone.”

Tiffany Irvine, co-owner, The Fish Works, Largs

“As always, Good Friday was one of our busiest days of the year, with continuous queues and our team working tirelessly to serve every customer. A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our team for all their hard work.”

Chris Marsh, general manager, Trenchers Spanish City, North Tyneside

“Good Friday is always a busy and a full-on day for us personally and as an industry. The markets have been great, and we have some fantastic produce arriving from the south coast. We can’t wait to welcome our guests and showcase how good seafood can be.”

-Dan Rosser, chef/owner, Noah’s, Bristol

“It’s been a very busy lunchtime with people queuing for tables from midday and we are anticipating it to carry on throughout the evening.”

Kelley Asbridge, branch manager, Whitby’s Fish & Chip Restaurant, Doncaster

“It’s been a fantastic Easter Fry-day here in Pitlochry – a warm welcome for all our customers at McKays, with locals and visitors alike embracing the tradition and making it a celebration to remember.”

Delia Keating, McKays, Pitlochry

“This order was for the local care home who wanted 30 fish and chips for the residents after their kitchen had to close. It’s been a great day for us so far, record lunchtime and already have a few large orders scheduled for this evening. Looking forward to a crazy day!”

Mike Issac, owner, Mike’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Eastleigh

Credit: Andreas Anastasis

“This Easter Fry-day, we’re celebrating the buzz, the queues, and most importantly – you, our incredible customers! Thank you for bringing the Easter Fryday magic to Brockley’s Rock– our iconic queue is all because of you!”

Kyriacos Karoulla, owner, Brockley’s Rock, Brockley

“Wow, what a busy day – from serving queues out the door to delivering 50 fish and chips meals to the Willand Good Friday Community Lunch. Moments like these remind us how sharing a simple meal can truly bring people together, and we’re so proud of our amazing team for making it all happen!”

Felicity Whitehead, Alan’s Fish & Chips, Cullompton

“The queue for the shop’s been out the door with the good weather and a lot of customers have used the National Fish & Chip Awards’ 40 best fish and chip takeaways map to find us. We were this year named by the awards as one of the top 20 fish and chip shops in the UK and Garioch Fish Bar is where you’ll also find Glen Morrison, the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year 2025. Happy Easter to all.”

Murray Morrison, owner, Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie

“All I can say about Good Friday is, ‘busy, busy’. We always feel that Good  Friday is bigger holiday in England than Scotland but we were certainly kept busy.” Gillian Pirie, Sea Salt + Sole, Aberdeen