AN UPTON chippy has been crowned the UK’s best new fish and chip shop at the 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards.

Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove battled it out with two other shortlisted businesses from across the UK to net the prestigious title.

Organised by Seafish, the National Fish & Chip Awards is a UK-wide competition celebrating true excellence in the fish and chip industry.

The Upton chippy was set up by potato merchant Richard Foster and his wife Josette with the aim of bringing their experience of providing good old fashioned British fish and chips to Chester.

They said: "We are delighted to say we have been crowned the best newcomer at the National Fish And Chip Awards 2019!

"Thank you, everyone, for the support and to our amazing team for the hard work they put in. Without them, we simply couldn’t do it!"

In order to take home the ‘Best Newcomer Award’, Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove was appraised across a variety of judging criteria including how owners and staff approach running a new fish and chip shop, promotional activities and approaches to the responsible sourcing of key ingredients. They also received mystery shopping judging assessments by industry expert judges, evaluating product quality and customer service levels.

The business then faced further in-depth judging visits from an awards auditor who assessed both front and back-of-house operational aspects.

Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: “A massive congratulations to Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove on being named the best new fish and chip shop. The future of the fish and chip trade relies just as much on new entrants coming into the industry as it does on the sustained success of longer established shops. It’s no easy feat starting a new business – especially in an industry that is relatively niche and already populated with many thriving and long-established businesses, but Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove has risen to the challenge. We wish them the very best of luck for the future.”

Andrew Marriott, UK Brand and Marketing Manager for award sponsor Frymax, the leading all-vegetable frying fat for the fish and chip trade, added: “The future of our trade relies on top-quality, highly-motivated fish and chip businesses like Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove. There’s no denying the business has brought new ideas to the fish and chip trade and truly deserves the crown.

“A rewarding aspect of our involvement as a sponsor of this award category is to see new, talented businesses that are passionately driven to produce great tasting fish and chips for their customers. We wish Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove the best of luck and hope they will enjoy many years of success in our trade."