Chippies are all the same, aren’t they? It’s mostly batter anyway, and what’s the difference from one tweet to the next?
Wrong. Oh, so very wrong.
The difference between a good chip shop and an average one is absolutely huge. Would you get on a bus to travel to a mediocre chippy? Exactly.
Now, in the olden days we used to have to rely on trial and error to find out who did the best fish and chips, not to mention your pickled eggs, battered sausages and all the other accoutrements. Yeah, I said accoutrements. What are you going to do about it?
But we live in the future now. They have the internet these days, and you can use it to trim the fat when it comes to the best and worst of fish and chips.
Not literally, though, you want your cod to turn paper see-through from the levels of grease.
Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, the 2018 National Fish & Chip Awards. That’s next year. See – living in the future.
In the ‘Fish and Chip Shop of the Year’ category, there’s a shortlist of 60 – read it and weep, sixty – chippies across all four countries of the United Kingdom, with the English entries broken down on a regional basis.
That means there’s a pretty good chance of there being an elite chip shop near you. No more handing over your money and gambling on a decent meal.
Here are the best chip shops in Scotland:
Cromars Classic Fish & Chips, St Andrews
Dinos, Ayr
Forehill Café, Ayr
Low's Traditional Fish & Chips, Aberdeen
The Real Food Café, Tyndrum
The Wee Plaice, Largs
And in Wales:
Hennighan's Top Shop, Machynlleth
Hooked@31, Fishguard
Penaluna's Famous Fish & Chips, Hirwaun
Posh Fish & Chips, Cardiff
The Crispy Cod, Gelli
The Crispy Cod, Porth
Northern Ireland:
Chaska, Enniskillen
Fish City, Belfast
Silverfin Traditional Fish and Chips, Newry
Superbites, Crossmaglen
The Dolphin Takeaway, Dungannon
The Friary, Carrickfergus
North East England:
Fish and Chips At 149, Barnard Castle
Sidhu Fish & Chips, Wallsend
Millers Fish & Chips, Haxby
Mister C's, Selby
Towngate Fisheries, Bradford
Pantrini's Fish and Chips, Whitley Bay
North West England:
Frydays of Kendal, Kendal
Fylde Fish Bar, Southport
Seniors, St Annes
The Big Blue, Warrington
The Codfather, Northwich
The Esk Café, Longtown
Midlands:
Merchants, Bewdley
Merchants, Stourbridge
Norton Fisheries, Norton
Oldswinford Fish & Chips, Dudley
The Golden Carp Chippy, Redditch
Winyates Chippy, Redditch
Eastern England
Burton Road Chippy, Lincoln
Fishtastic, Peterborough
Grosvenor Fish Bar, Norwich
Platten’s Fish and Chips, Wells-Next-The-Sea
The Cod's Scallops, Nottingham
The Elite Fish & Chip Company, Sleaford
London & South East England
Brockley's Rock, London
Henley's of Wivenhoe, Wivenhoe
Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate
Olley's Fish Experience, London
Papa's Barn, Ditton
Seafare, Guildford
Central and Southern England
Arlesey Fish and Chip Shop, Arlesey
Best Fry, Southampton
Broughton Award Winning Fish and Chips, Milton Keynes
Captain’s Fish and Chips, Hoddesdon
J Henry’s Fish & Chips, Southampton
The Codfather, Southampton
South & West England
Bishopston Fish Bar, Bristol
Dornan's Fish & Chips, Brixham
Harbourside Fish & Chips, Plymouth
Henbury Fryer, Henbury
Krispies, Exmouth
The Codfather’s, Portland
(Images: iStock)
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