Chippies of the highest quality reach fish and chip award finals

Three businesses recognised as outstanding by the organisers of the National Fish & Chip Awards have been announced as 2026 finalists with the hope of receiving the Quality Accreditation Champion title.

The highly regarded award acknowledges all fish and chip outlets that have obtained National Federation of Fish Friers’ (NFFF) Fish & Chip Quality Accreditation Scheme status, which is designed to strengthen the principles of consistency, quality and ongoing development within businesses. These eateries can be identified by ‘Big Q’ Quality Accreditation signage at their premises, which lets customers know their meal has been prepared with five-star credentials behind it.

Chippies putting themselves forward for the competition – like 2025 award recipient the Scrap Box in York, Yorkshire – are honoured by the industry for their dedication to using the certification to set themselves all-new benchmarks. Sector experts review candidate approaches to criteria such as sustainable sourcing, food safety, hygiene, employee upskilling, customer service excellence, and of course having an appetising fish and chip menu.

The finalists which have shown they are dishing up top-tier service from start to finish are:

Somerset

Knight’s Fish Restaurant, Glastonbury

Yorkshire

Mister C’s, Selby

Kent

Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate

The National Federation of Fish Friers is also the organiser of the 38^th annual awards. Its president, Andrew Crook, says of the ambitious businesses: “Quality Accreditation Champion is much more than an award; it’s an outward display of amazing commitment from entrants to offer the best of the best for customers. There are so many requirements to become certified in the first instance, and this is deliberate to separate the great from the outstanding. We now have three of the industry’s finest ready to battle it out and it’s going to be a tough call for the panel of judges to make!”

Aman Dhesi, co-owner of the Scrap Box, speaks of the impact the award win earlier this year has made on the business: “Being named Quality Accreditation Champion was an unforgettable experience for us. It highlighted the hard work our team puts into delivering quality day in, day out. Since winning, we’ve seen a fantastic uplift in trade and customer engagement. The award gave us huge momentum and inspired us to push our standards even further. To all the 2026 finalists, enjoy every moment of the journey and best of luck! you’re already among the best in the business.”

Knight’s Fish Restaurant, Mister C’s and Newington Fish Bar will find out their fate on 25 February when the awards ceremony takes place at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.

Not got your tickets for the National Fish & Chip Awards? Head to https://thefishandchipawards.com/event-tickets/ before they sell out!

For more information and bits on the National Fish & Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.