Award-winning, family friendly chippy Scotts of Helmsley has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification to serve up sustainable fish suppers to York and Helmsley locals. This means that all the MSC certified fish on both of their restaurant menus can be traced back to sustainable, well-managed fisheries.

Managed by a chef that spent 10 years in the fine dining and restaurant trade, Scotts of Helmsley proves that fish and chips is a cuisine worthy of top chefs. The York branch chef, Roxana Vasai, is also a semi-finalist for the 2016 Drywite Young Fish Fryer of the Year Award.

Tony Webster, owner of Scotts of Helmsley and Scotts at Bilbrough, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this important industry accreditation for both our Helmsley and York fish and chip shops.

"This international certification means that environmentally-conscious customers dining at Scotts can be assured that our supply of fish only comes from sustainable sources.”

Shane White, Scotts chef manager, said: "It’s an important standard to have and one that we intend to keep for many years to come. We shall certainly be displaying the certificates with pride in both venues.”

George Clark, UK Commercial Manager for the MSC, said: "It is fantastic that Scotts have pursued this certification for not one but both of their chippies. It really shows their commitment to sustainable seafood. Scotts are truly helping to protect the marine environment by choosing MSC certified sustainable fish for their menus, making sure that there will be fish for now and for future generations.”

The restaurants have had many unusual bookings, including a wedding breakfast, and providing a non-battered fish supper for birds of prey in a local centre.

The Marine Stewardship Council

The MSC is the world^s leading certification and ecolabelling programme for sustainable seafood, working with partners to transform the world^s seafood markets and promote sustainable fishing practices. It involves fisheries from all the world’s oceans and supply chain partners across the globe. Currently, there are over 260 MSC certified fisheries globally catching close to nine million metric tonnes of seafood between them – close to 10% of the total wild capture seafood catch.