SEASONAL FISH AND CHIP OPERATORS FRY UP AS PART OF 

THE NATIONAL FISH & CHIP AWARDS 2014

The 2014 National Fish & Chip Awards have announced the shortlisted businesses for the "Best Seasonal Fish and Chip Operator Award" category. 

Organised by Seafish, the authority on seafood, The National Fish & Chip Awards celebrate the very best fish and chip businesses across the UK. The Best Seasonal Fish and Chip Operator Award, sponsored by the Responsible Fishing Scheme, is a brand new award category and aims to target fish and chip shop businesses that operate purely on a seasonal basis. Businesses are judged on a wide variety of criteria relating to their seasonal trade, including; marketing activity, staff training policies, product sourcing, general business practices and commercial awareness.

The three shortlisted businesses are:

Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall. Tralee Bay Holiday Park in Oban, Argyll. Dodson’s Fresh Catch in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

All three are now invited to the prestigious awards ceremony, hosted by Michelin-starred TV chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, to be held at the Lancaster London hotel on 22 January 2014, at which the overall winner will be crowned.

Judge Mick Bacon, who is also Manager of The Responsible Fishing Scheme, commented: “It has been a pleasure judging this new category, we’ve had some fantastic entries and they have all been of an exceptionally high standard.

“From The Responsible Fishing Scheme’s point of view, it’s good to know that there are businesses outside the traditional fish and chip takeaways and restaurants who are committed to sustainable sourcing of product. Sustainability is integral to ensuring the longevity of the frying trade as a whole, so it is encouraging to see that all types of businesses, from 12 foot long trailers to 100 seat restaurants are taking it into consideration.”

Paul Williams, CEO at Seafish, said: “There are a huge number of fish and chip shops which only operate throughout key tourist seasons - our many pier cafés, caravan, camping and theme parks and leisure sector outlets - bringing our traditional dish to the many revellers from across the UK and abroad that visit every year. We wanted to recognise and reward the contribution these businesses make to the industry and thought there was no better way to do this than introduce an award category dedicated to these seasonal operators.

“The National Fish & Chip Awards are committed to celebrating quality fish and chips wherever they are found so it was only natural to open up the competition to seasonal operators like these three finalists that showcase this great dish so well.”

For more information on the awards please visit www.fishandchipawards.com or follow @FishnChipAwards