New for 2024 at the National Fish and Chip Awards is the Overseas Fish and Chip Shop category, which has been created to recognise international businesses putting Britain’s much-loved staple on the map.
Due to the worldwide locations of the chip shop contenders – and despite droves of volunteers offering to travel to far-flung destinations to sample the goods – the specialist panel of seasoned industry ‘pro-fish-ionals’ has conducted its assessments from UK soil and is now naming which chippies are in the running to take home the trophy.
The National Fish and Chip Awards prides itself on helping the sector strive for greater standards and while the new category’s elimination rounds couldn’t be conducted in the same way as the UK-based takeaway and restaurant competitors, the process has been just as rigorous.
The finalists’ businesses have been explored in detail, with the owners put through their paces to evidence how they have overcome the unique challenges faced with producing authentic fish and chips abroad.
The three chip shop finalists making waves around the globe with classic British cuisine are:
Iceland
Fish and Chips Vagninn, Reykjavik
Vietnam
Union Jack’s Fish and Chips, Ho Chi Minh City
USA
Wright’s Fish and Chips, Georgia
The winner of the Overseas Fish and Chip Shop award will be announced on 28 February at the official ceremony at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
President of the National Federation of Fish Friers, and organiser of the awards, Andrew Crook, is thrilled to introduce another opportunity to celebrate the industry’s achievements on a wider scale. He says: “The chip shop is an incredible institution for our nation and brings people together from all backgrounds and generations.
“Capturing all the flavour and texture nuances, and even the aromas, that makes fish and chips undeniably British is not easy to replicate away from UK shores. However, there are a growing number of businesses across the globe doing an outstanding job in bringing traditional fare and a slice of Britain’s culture to new places and people. We are really impressed and proud of what they are all achieving.”
Sponsoring the category is JFK, a leading fish producer with over 100 years of history in the Faroe Islands. With vast resources and expertise, its portfolio includes sea-frozen ground fish from the North Atlantic and processed fish from Faroese waters.
JFK launched its brand-new vessel, GADUS, to the company fleet at the end of last year. The modern trawler is optimised for fishing, processing, and freezing cod and haddock at sea, with sustainability the key driving factor behind its planning and construction.
The new trawler utilises all the raw material from the fish resources, which is a significant improvement to the prior fishing vessel. The vessel uses the most recent energy efficient technology to ensure a low CO2 emission.
Jógvan Hansen, sales and operations director at JFK, says: “JFK is proud to be at the helm of the Faroese fishing industry. The launch of GADUS heralds a new level of quality and freshness of produce for our chip shop customers across the globe. We’d like to congratulate the finalists and wish them every success for the awards and beyond.”
For more information and bits on the National Fish and Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.
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Notes to Editors
About the National Fish and Chip Awards:
Organised by the National Federation of Fish Friers, the National Fish and Chip Awards is in its 36th year. The awards acknowledges and champions businesses and individuals throughout the UK making outstanding contributions to foodservice to ensure the nation enjoys its fish and chips, receives great customer service and professionals in the industry have access to opportunities to further their growth. Seafood from Norway is the principal sponsor for 2024.
About JFK:
Steps are taken at every juncture of the fishing process to ensure that JFK’s frozen-at-sea products are as fresh as possible. Frozen-at-sea has been called “fresher than fresh,” because within four hours from leaving the sea the fish is processed and frozen. www.jfk.fo
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Cake + Ice Cream PR
Louise Adu
T: 07845 807569
Or
Jane Clark
T: 07522 767640
