Herefordshire fish and chip shop named one of UK's best

The Fiddlers Elbow Fish & Chips in Rosemary Lane, Leintwardine, is the only chippy in the county to make the prestigious list this year, and the owners are delighted.

The award follows a search by trade publication Fry Magazine to find those takeaways serving up the finest fish suppers.

To make the top 50 Fiddlers Elbow, in north Herefordshire, had to impress a mystery diner who marked the chippy on more than 40 aspects of their business from the quality of the food and customer service to social media presence and their Covid safe practices.

"Once again, the food remained the main focus, with all outlets assessed on the flakiness of the fish, the crispness of the chips and the crunch of the batter, alongside value for money," Fry Magazine said.

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"And even despite the challenges and restrictions posed by Covid, entrants didn't let standards slip with the benchmark to pass set at 97 per cent for takeaways and 92 per cent for mobiles - the highest in the awards' history."+

Linzi Morris of Fiddlers Elbow

Dominic Eusden and Linzi Morris, who run the chip shop, said: "We are excited and proud to say Fiddlers Elbow has won the best 50 takeaways for fish and chip shops after being judged by Fry Magazine for the third year running.

"We would like to thank our team and customers for their continued support."

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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."

All takeaways and mobile units that entered will receive their mystery dining report and competition packs over the next few days, the magazine added.