The UK’s best up-and-coming young fish friers, announced as part of the 2015 National Fish & Chip Awards, have returned from an educational study trip to Holland ready to impart their new found frying knowledge on colleagues and fish and chip lovers in their local areas.

 

Attending the trip, courtesy of Florigo, were the six Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year finalists:

 

Kat Deuchars of John Dory’s Traditional Fish & Chips, Belfast, Northern Ireland Amy Grimwood of Mister C’s, Selby, North Yorkshire Ryan Hughes of The Crispy Cod Fish Bar, Tonyrefail, South Wales James Houlston of Our Plaice, Hagley, West Midlands Jonathan Leech of Garstang Fish & Chips, Garstang, Lancashire Rachel Tweedale of The Elite Fish & Chip Company, Sleaford, Lincolnshire

 

As guests of Florigo, a leading frying equipment supplier, the finalists enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to the city of Woerden. Treated to an exclusive tour of the state-of-the-art Florigo factory, they witnessed first-hand the work that goes into building the most advanced, hi-tech frying ranges that are distributed globally.

 

The young enthusiasts also turned their hand to the Dutch style of fish frying in the Florigo test kitchens. They indulged in some unique Dutch delicacies such as Kibbeling (battered and deep fried fish pieces) and demonstrated how people traditionally fry fish in the UK.

 

The trip concluded with a short trip to Amsterdam, where finalists enjoyed a tranquil sightseeing tour along the iconic canals of the vibrant city.

 

Kate Cleary, Executive Assistant of Florigo, commented: "It was such a pleasure to take the six finalists around our factory in Holland.They seemed to really enjoy testing out the different ranges in our kitchen. Good food, great company and a true credit to our industry.”

 

Paul Williams, Chief Executive of Seafish, said: "Our nation’s fish and chip shops wouldn’t be able to create such overall tasty end product without the help of the industry’s best frying equipment. Technology is constantly evolving, therefore learning the important role it plays within the fish frying industry is becoming more crucial and is something that every fish and chip business should be more aware of.

 

"Having an in-depth tour at Florigo’s leading factory is hugely beneficial for our finalists. I hope they share their knowledge back home so that more fish and chip businesses might be encouraged to take a more active role in the future of our ever changing industry.”

 

The six finalists of the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award recently received a mystery judging visit at their respective workplace, combined with another test of their skills and knowledge whilst in their own working environment. The overall winner will be announced at the grand awards ceremony to be held at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20 January 2015.

 

The National Fish & Chip Awards recognises the best talent, quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses across the UK.

For further information on The National Fish & Chip Awards please visit www.fishandchipawards.com. Follow @FishnChipAwards on Twitter for all the awards news and information.