Top fish and chip professionals recognised by National Fish & Chip Awards 

Three professionals from County Durham, Devon and Yorkshire have stood out in the Employee of the Year category for the National Fish & Chip Awards and have made it to the final stage of the competition.

Whether they’re frying up a storm, serving customers with a smile or coming up with ingenious ideas behind the scenes, these superstar employees are stepping up to the plate, showing dedication, teamwork and creativity with far-reaching impact within their workplaces and communities they feed.   

The National Fish & Chip Awards recognise and underpin sector best practice and now in its 38^th instalment, the standards continue to elevate year after year. A team of leading industry figures have designed a thorough review process, which examines candidates’ knowledge of the trade, approaches to sustainability and cooking top quality chippy food.

The ones to watch for the Employee of the Year award have been nominated by their colleagues and the judges have selected the finalists based on their proficiency with food preparation, operational tasks, front-of-house service, leadership abilities, their resourcefulness, consistency in whipping up unbeatable fish and chips, plus more.

The golden guardians of great British grub being promoted to awarded-winning status like 2025 winner, Georgia Lye of Seafare Guildford in Surrey, are:

County Durham

Donna Whitfield – Bells Fish & Chips, Durham

Devon

Zak Bishop – Squires Fish Restaurant & Takeaway, Braunton

Yorkshire

Hollie Hutton – Towngate Fisheries, Bradford

The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) organises the event and its President Andrew Crook comments that the nominees are true champions of the trade: “Employee of the Year is a big celebration of the people at the heart of our nation’s fish and chip shops and we are grateful for professionals like our finalists. They give themselves fully to all they do, whether it’s supporting their teammates, overcoming obstacles or running service like clockwork, it’s a demanding profession but they make it look effortless. It’s a huge achievement to be up for this award and there’s no limit on how far Donna, Zak and Hollie can go in their careers.”

Bobby Joyce is sales and marketing director at sustainable fish and seafood supplier Smales, which is the sponsor of the award. He says of this year’s competitors: “The strength of the industry is the thousands of people working within it, who put their heart and soul in to ensuring that our national dish of fish and chips remains of the highest standard.

“All of this year’s finalists have shown a huge amount of passion and care for the businesses they represent and consistently go beyond expectations in their role. This award is an excellent way to recognise and celebrate the people that really make a difference within a business and it’s clear that the three finalists are highly valued by their respective employers.”

Having taken home the prize earlier this year Georgia Lye from Seafare Guildford, shares a message of encouragement for the 2026 cohort: “The awards experience was surreal, it was incredible winning Employee of the Year and I’m proud to represent my family business, and the industry. The award has really put the business on the map, and lots of customers ask about it! Good luck to all the candidates this year, keep up your incredible work!”

Want to know who will seal the deal and win? Order your tickets for the National Fish & Chip Awards at https://thefishandchipawards.com/event-tickets/. For more information and bits on the National Fish & Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com