Seniors in Thornton, Lancashire, has been named the best British fish and chip shop after beating rivals in the National Fish and Chip Awards 2012 on 17 January 2012.
The shop, run by brothers Alastair and Dominic Horabin, was announced as Independent Takeaway Fish & Chip Shop of the Year 2012 by celebrity chef Richard Corrigan at an awards ceremony in London’s Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel.
The north-west shop was also a finalist in the Independent Restaurant of the Year and Good Catch categories.
Hanbury’s in Babbacombe, Devon, earned second place, while Quayside in Whitby came third.
Alastair said: “To be named the best fish and chip shop in Britain is an honour beyond our wildest dreams. We were delighted to come third last year and spent the past 12 months looking at the ways we can improve our business and add further value to the experience of staff and customers in the shop with this being our ultimate goal.
"We've had the same management with us since we built the shop from a car park in 2006 and our success is thanks to their hard work, passion and dedication. I'm overjoyed for them all and I'm proud to be their boss.”
The final 10 places were hard earned after an unannounced visit from industry judges. Shops were assessed on a wide variety of judging criteria including; product quality, customer service, food preparation procedures, hygiene, innovation, staff training and development, promotional activity and approaches to sustainable sourcing.
Organised by Seafish, the Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award recognises the wealth of quality, value and choice offered by the nation’s much loved independent fish and chip shops. The title has in the past resulted in a sales increase of up to 100% for the winning shop.
Nikki Hawkins, foodservice and events manager at Seafish, said: “This competition has undoubtedly been our fiercest yet and we congratulate Seniors for their stellar effort in achieving the number one spot.”
