National Fish and Chip Award winners experience a trip of a lifetime.

This year’s visit to Iceland with the 2025 Top three fish and chip takeaways, Yarm Road,Darlington, The Fish Works Largs and Kellaways Truro, were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Iceland to experience first-hand the country’s fishing culture and heritage courtesy of one of the award’s consortium sponsor Seafood from Iceland.

This year’s trip gave the group which also included Julie Waites from The Frozen at Sea Fillet Association, FASFA and media from the UK and America, a fantastic tour of the picturesque and breathtaking areas North and East of the Island.

After an internal flight the visitors stayed at the fabulous Hotel Siglo in Siglufjörður a stones throw from the Artic Circle. They dined with the owners of Ísfélag followed by a welcomed dip in the hot tub.

The next day Jón Páll Kristófersson from Ísfélag welcomed them on board vessel Sólberg ÓF 1for a full tour of the fish processing process. It was interesting to hear how every single part of the fish is used.

This was then followed by a Beer tasting experience at Segull 67 Brewery with the most delicious fish soup.

Next was a visit to the state of the art Samherji Whitefish Plant in Dalvík.

We screamed stop the bus as we spotted whales. This was so exciting for the visitors and an experience they will never forget. Some of the team completed a rotten shark challenge and received a certificate.

The journey was long but extremely interesting with breathtaking views of the mountains, water falls and stunning Icelandic loopins.

One break took us to a Fish & Chip stop at Fish&Chips Lake Mývatn This was most impressive with outstanding fish and chips.

After seeing the geo thermal hot springs the guests enjoyed a coffee break at the most interesting and inspirational Fjalladyrd Möðrudal

The evening stop took us to Eskifjörður for Dinner at Randulf’s Sea House which serves locally produced delicacies and freshly caught fish.

Berglind and Sævar, the owners of Randulfs Sea House welcomed us like long lost relatives.

Our resting place for the next two nights was to be Neskaupstaður following an unsuccessful but fun fishing trip at midnight. The sky was daylight right through the night.

We woke to Fisherman’s Day, with the excitement filling the air. We were guests onboard Blaengur for a vessel race with all the families of the crew on board.

Lunch was a stunning Fish Pan whilst we watch the village rowing competition

We were extremely lucky to be VIP guests at the Sailors’ dinner at Hildibrand hotel and then partied hard at the Fisherman’s Ball. The band were incredible playing Icelandic and classic hits. The generosity of the owner of Sildarvinnslan, GunnÞór Ingvarsson was second to none.

Time to start our journey home but not before we had a packed day fun.

The children of Neskaupstaðu were enjoying an angling competition. We waiting whilst Julie Waite visited a supermarket for local delicacies and a puffin mascot for her bag.

Back to Eskifjörður for lunch at Randulf’s Sea House where we watched dolphins playing.

The Reindeer park was wonderful, allowing the party to interact with these beautiful creatures.

You cannot visit Iceland without a visit to Vök Baths, Egilsstaðir. A full two hours in heated pools with a dip in the cold lake for the bravest in the party.

Time to fly home but not before a farewell meal at Nielsen Restaurant, located in the oldest house in town.

Meeting the owners and chefs Kári and Sólveig. Their main focus is on local and seasonal ingredients.

Björgvin Pór Björgvinsson, project manager at Seafood from Iceland, sponsor of the award, says:

“This Iceland trip with our National Fish and Chip Award Top 3 takeaways and a media team from the UK and America was very special. Our guests were extremely interested in the visits and were great fun to host,It was not possible to have a better group of inquisitive participants.”

Josette Foster from the Award’s team,

“In our visits we met a lot of interesting characters and all of them were so open to share their knowledge, experience and passion with us. Their generosity was in abundance. As valued guests we have returned to tell the story about Icelandic frozen at sea fish, how delicious it was, how responsibly sourced it is and how important the UK fish and chip sector is to the Icelandic fishing industry. Thanks must go to Björgvin Þór Björgvinsson and Alisa Catherine Silveira for organising this sensational experience.”

Graeme Burrell winner of the Fish and Chip Takeaway 2025 says:

“Our hosts made sure we had an unforgettable time, totally immersing us in their culture and within a stunning environment. The highlights were definitely spending time on a sea trawler to see the hard work put into the fishing process, as well as being fully integrated into an authentic Icelandic fishing village, offering a real glimpse of what a fisherman’s life is like in Iceland.”

Julie Waites from FASFA Julie said, “ This trip was a great opportunity to see my members, their vessels and the crew. We were able to showcase to the winners the Icelandic fleet’s commitment to supply the UK with high quality, sustainable products for the UK fish and chip shops . The delegation were able to engage face to face with our overseas partners to learn about processes and fully experience the fishing culture. I would like to say a huge thank you to Business Iceland for coordinating and organising the itinerary. Thank you to my members for the generosity with their time and their wonderful hospitality. It surely was a most memorable visit.”

Ross Irvin comments:

“We were thrilled to get a such an incredible insight into the UK’s most popular takeaway dish and meet the people who work so hard to bring us the finest, freshest catch from Icelandic waters. It’s such a beautiful country and a great opportunity for us to be able to share what we have learnt with our customers.”

For more information about Seafood from Iceland, please visit www.seafoodfromiceland.com.