A Golden Valley 'frier' has netted himself a first class award for fantastic fish and chips.

Marcus Lloyd, who has run his fish and chip shop at The Stables in Ewyas Harold since February, was delighted to receive the Seafish Fryers Quality Award for excellent standards.

Marcus, who runs the take away with his wife Sue, is officially one of the top 500 fish and chip outlets in the country and the only shop in the Welsh Marches to receive the accolade.

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To qualify, entrants go through a thorough inspection covering frying skills, hygiene and the quality of the cooked product.

"Inspectors checked where the fish came from and the quality of it and then they see if you ruin it when you cook it," Marcus joked.

From humble beginnings Marcus, from Abbeydore, started his business in a fish and chip van nearly seven years ago, which proved to be a hit throughout the Golden Valley.

The popularity of his fish and chip van showed when more than 300 people signed a petition supporting Marcus' planning application to convert The Stables into a shop last November.

Nowadays, Marcus and Sue concentrate solely on their shop. "We sold the van to a chap who use to help me in the shop - it was all too much. This is where I live and I want to keep this going as an investment for our future," said Marcus.

Marcus feared his time with his children Daniel, two, and four-year-old Chloe would be limited if he kept running both businesses.

Proudly showing off his certificate in the shop, Marcus said: "It is nice to get that sort of compliment when you are based in the middle of a little backwater."