Five young up and coming fish friers have been shortlisted in the Drywite/NFFF Young Fish Frier of the Year Award category at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2013, run by Seafish, the authority on seafood. The shortlisted five are: Dean Chappelhow of Angel Lane Chippie, Penrith, Cumbria Leigh Foster of Pantrini^s, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear Carlyn Kearney of Frankie^s Fish & Chips, Brae, Shetland Matthew Martin of Mother Hubbard^s, Swaffham, Norfolk Cem Oktem of Packet Bridge, Carnforth, Lancashire.

All five will now attend the glitzy evening awards ceremony in London at the prestigious Lancaster London hotel on 24 January 2013 to find out who will win the Young Fish Frier of the Year Award.

The National Fish & Chip Awards are designed to celebrate the very best fish and chip businesses Britain has to offer and 2013 marks the award^s 25th anniversary – ensuring this year^s awards ceremony will be extra special and the titles even more coveted as the various judging teams seek to find worthy winners.

The Young Fish Frier of the Year Award was founded in 1995 and was initiated by the directors of Drywite Limited, Kelvin Lee and Briar Wilkinson, in memory of their late father Malcolm Lee, who had always encouraged young people to succeed.

Briar Wilkinson, sales director at Drywite Ltd, said: "Drywite is always impressed by the high standards and the talent of individuals shortlisted for the Young Fish Frier of the Year Award category. Every year the competition gets tougher and we wish them all well as they launch their careers in this exciting industry.”

The shortlisted finalists have taken part in a gruelling judging process which included testing their knowledge on matters including preparation and cooking of fish and chips, health and safety and customer service. The young contenders also had to impress during a tough telephone interview.

The final five will now receive a shop visit to determine the overall winner.