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Fish Friers

7 out of 10 Finalists for Best Chippy celebrate as MSC #TurntheTide supporters

Article Date: 2016-10-07

Seven of the ten finalists for this year’s ‘UK’s Best Fish and Chip Shop’ award are MSC certified, with an eighth soon to join them. The MSC says that the news "…underlines the growing importance of provably sustainable sourcing for fish and chip shops.” All eight sustainable chippies recently supported the MSC’s TurnTheTidecampaign to show their customers they have the power to end overfishing and ensure healthy oceans by choosing MSC fish.

Today’s news comes shortly after the completion of the MSC’s 11-day #TurntheTide campaign. It had the backing of all 75 MSC certified UK fish and chip shops and followed recent research which reveals four in five (80%) fish and chip fans believe that all of the UK’s fish and chip shops should serve certified sustainable fish and over two thirds of these fans recognise that certified sustainable chip shops have a positive impact on the health of the oceans (70%).

Launched by last years winners

The campaign was launched by Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, winners of the current, 2016 Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award. Simpsons marked the event by giving away portions of chips with their sustainable fish. Other shops joined in on twitter and facebook, running competitions and telling their customers about how choosing certified sustainable fish and chips can help protect the future of our oceans. Many of the certified chippies used the eye-catching #TurntheTide campaign display material in their shop windows.

The shortlisted ten finalists, seven of which are MSC certified, will now compete for the ultimate accolade and aim to claim to the title of ‘best fish and chip shop’ in the UK.

The seven MSC certified finalists for the award, which are also best in their respective regions, are:

The Dolphin Takeaway in Dungannon, County Tyrone (Northern Ireland) Miller^s Fish and Chips in Haxby, North Yorkshire (North East England) Hodgson^s Chippy in Lancaster, Lancashire (North West England) Burton Road Chippy in Lincoln, Lincolnshire (Eastern England) Henley^s of Wivenhoe in Wivenhoe, Colchester (London & South East England) Godfrey^s Fish and Chips in Harpenden, Hertfordshire (Central & Southern England) Kingfisher Fish and Chips in Plympton, Plymouth (South & West England)

To become a UK finalist in the awards, the fish and chip shops were judged on their industry-leading frying skills by top experts across a variety of criteria including menu development and innovation, sustainable sourcing policies, staff training processes, and marketing and promotional activities. Mystery shopping assessments were used to ascertain customer service levels, product quality and in-depth judging audits to appraise a wide range of criteria.

The final judging stage will determine the overall national winner and be announced at an awards ceremony on 26 January 2017. The finalists will also face a specialist judging panel where they’ll be quizzed on a diverse range of industry related topics.

Simpson’s, current holders of the 2016 Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award, were proud to lead the nationwide, #TurntheTide seafood sustainability campaign with many other certified chippies also showing their support.

James Ritchie, Co-Founder of the UK’s best Fish and Chip shop, Simpsons Fish & Chips, comments, "As a frontrunner in the fish and chip industry, sustainability is of paramount importance to us and is vital to ensuring that our industry thrives. We believe both chippies and customers alike play a vital role in safeguarding the future of fish. We are proud to be supporting the Turn the Tide campaign and this is just one of the ways we go the extra mile to remind our customers to always seek out a certified sustainable catch. This in turn protects the Great British dish we all know and love and ensure generations to come can still tuck in to generous helpings of fish & chips.”

They also commented on their success and the opportunity these awards provide for these leading chippies: "Winning the 2016 National Fish & Chip Awards was a life changing experience and a moment we’ll treasure forever… "From the minute we were crowned winners we saw a dramatic increase in business across both our takeaway and restaurant. The award has given us real recognition and respect.”

George Clark, UK commercial manager for the MSC, adds: "Congratulations to those MSC chippies who are officially now the best in their regions! We wish them success in the final stage of the industry awards for the UK’s top shop, and for the Good Catch Award, which looks for excellence in seafood sustainability. This great news comes after the huge amount of support from MSC chippies and customers for the MSC’s #TurntheTide campaign andunderlines the growing importance of provably sustainable sourcing for fish and chip shops. It helps to demonstrate that there’s overwhelming support, from fish and chip customers throughout the UK, for all chippies to serve certified sustainable fish.

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