All eyes are on three chip shops in County Durham and Wales which have made it to
the National Fish and Chip Awards’ Field to Frier category final.
There have been several tough rounds with industry experts conducting interviews
and examining the hopefuls’ knowledge on all-things potato, including seasonal
variety selection, approaches for preparation and storage, as well as frying methods
for the all-important, crunchy exterior and fluffy-centred chip.
The awards’ judging processes are designed so that competitors are required to dig
deep to help raise the bar on standards and keep the fish and chip industry
energised and full of opportunity.
The awards ceremony on 28 February at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is the
next stop for the finalists, where they’ll find out who the Field to Frier winner is. The
businesses hoping to be crowned all that and a bag of chips are:
County Durham
Bells Fish and Chips, Durham
Wales
Finney’s Fish and Chips, Benllech
Ship Deck, Caerphilly
Andrew Crook, president at the National Federation of Fish Friers, which organises
the National Fish and Chip Awards, says the Field to Frier category has been
outstanding. “The level of knowledge and skills these three fantastic fish and chip
shops have demonstrated to the experts is to be greatly applauded.
“The care and passion for creating delicious food is a testament to their success and
there’s no doubt that these chippies have even more to offer not only to their
customers but to the industry as well. It’s inspiring to be associated with such great
businesses and to play a small part in encouraging their growth.”
Isle of Ely Produce, supplier of more than two million bags of potatoes to the fish and
chip industry annually, is sponsoring the award alongside Agrico and its Babylon
variety - a newcomer in the potato game which is proving to be a hit with UK
chippies.
Alex Moore, sales manager for Agrico, comments: “This is an extremely good top
three for our Field to Frier category. We look forward to them all trying Babylon
potatoes soon and the day of the awards to crown the winner.”
Isle of Ely Director Oliver Boutwood adds: “Once again, our award has been hotly
contested. Here at Isle of Ely Produce we look to champion the journey of the potato,
and these three finalists will all help us to do this in the coming year.”
Book your tickets now for the National Fish and Chip Awards on 28 February to
avoid disappointment later. Visit https://thefishandchipawards.com/event-tickets/.
For more information and bits on the National Fish and Chip Awards, please visit:
About Isle of Ely Produce:
Isle of Ely Produce supplies over 2 million bags of potatoes into the UK's fish and chip shops a year! That's around 70 million portions of chips. It has strong links to hundreds of growers and has educated thousands of chip shops on potato choice, storage and much more via its Field to Frier platform. It has seen strong growth recently in the export of potatoes to Europe and further afield. www.isleofely.co.uk
About Agrico UK – Babylon:
Agrico UK offers new and innovative varieties of potatoes of proven quality, developed to
meet both the present and future demands of the UK market. Babylon is one of the latest
varieties winning praise from many of the UK's best fish and chip shops. Babylon is proud to
be the joint sponsor of the Field to Frier Award. www.agrico.co.uk
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