The company is a regular winner in the National Fish & Chip Awards - but this year there is a slight change for Trenchers.
The famous Whitby chippy opened a new restaurant beneath the handsomely renovated dome of Whitley Bay 's Spanish City last year and it is this venue which has won acclaim.
It has been named as a finalist in the 2020 awards and will be competing against fish and chip restaurants from Devon to Aberdeenshire. The restaurant award category is open to all UK fish and chip businesses with a sit-in restaurant at the main business location.
The excited team said on their Facebook page: "Oh my 'Cod'! We are absolutely over the moon to have been shortlisted in the Top 10 Fish & Chip Restaurants of the Year in the National Fish & Chip Awards 2020. Our team have worked so hard for this, especially after having only been open in Whitley Bay since last year."
Judges say the award is not just about food quality but also things like excellence in the sustainable sourcing of key ingredients, staff training and development policies and career opportunities for young people. And also the creation of innovative menu options for those with allergies and dietary requirements.
Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, who organise the awards, said: “The UK is world-renowned for fish and chip takeaways, but there are plenty of incredible restaurants serving tasty, healthy fish and chips to sit in customers day in day out. We have 10 of these exceptional restaurants represented in this list. Each is a credit to our industry and we wish them all good luck in the final round of judging.”
The winner of the Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year Award will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards’ 32nd anniversary ceremony in London in January.
Earlier this year, at Battle Hill, Wallsend, was shortlisted in the top 60 takeaways nationwide but did not make the top 20 for that category.
The full top 10
- Fish City Belfast, Belfast
- Knights Fish & Chip Restaurant, Glastonbury, Somerset
- Malt and Anchor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Quayside Restaurant & Fish Bar, Gourdon, Aberdeenshire
- Saltwater Fish Restaurant, Torquay, Devon
- Something Else Fishy, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset
- The Cods Scallops, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- The Fisherman’s Wife, Whitby, North Yorkshire
- fish! Borough Market, Borough Market, London
- Trenchers Restaurant, Whitley Bay
