The 2021 Fry Awards have been announced and nine Welsh fish and chip shops are among the top 50 in the UK.
Following an unannounced and mystery dining visit, fish and chip shops across the UK were marked on more than 40 aspects of their business, from the quality of the food and customer service to their social media presence and Covid safe practices.
Food was of course the main focus with everything from the flakiness of the fish, crispness of the chips and crunch of the batter considered, alongside the value for money.
Despite the challenge of restrictions from Covid, according to organisers Fry Magazine, entrants didn't let standards slip with the pass set at 97% for takeaways, the highest in the awards' history.
The nine chip shops in Wales, in alphabetical order, recognised in the awards are as follows:
Castiglio's Fried Fish & Chips, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
Chippy Chippy, Holyhead, Anglesey
Farnhams Fish And Chips, Boverton, Llantwit Major
Fintans Fish & Chip Co, Llanishen, Cardiff
Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea
The Crescent Fish & Chip Shop, Flint, Flintshire
The Golden Fry, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey
The Horseshoe Fish Bar, Pontnewynydd, Torfaen
Yan’s Fish Bar, Cardiff
Commenting on this year’s awards, Reece Head, competition organiser, said: “Without doubt, the last 12 months have been tough for fish and chip operators and many will not have dealt with this level of crisis management before.
“Allowed to operate during the pandemic, there was a lot they had to implement in a very short space of time to operate in a Covid safe manner. Many takeaways had to flip their businesses to click and collect and delivery, serve at the door, introduce card payments and work in much smaller teams. Likewise, mobile units introduced pre-orders and added new routes and additional vans to keep the nation fed.
“During a time of uncertainty, these operators have helped maintain a sense of normality. They’ve been at the heart of their communities, with a smile on their faces and hot food in their hands. And the fact that we’ve had our highest pass mark ever is testament to their hard work and dedication, and we would like to congratulate each and every one.”
The Fry Awards 2022 will be open for entry in May when the 10 Best Restaurants category will return too.
