A WEST Devon fish and chip shop has been shortlisted in a national competition to find the best purveyor of the UK?s favourite fast food in the country. The Chippie at Horrabridge is one of five shortlisted from Devon and Cornwall ? the next step of the competition will involve a visit by a mystery judge, who will mark the shops on the quality of their fish and chips, customer service, hygiene, approaches to sustainable sourcing and staff training. John Andrews, of The Chippie, said: ?We?ve never entered the competition before, so we are really chuffed to bits to be in the top five. ?The staff are brilliant here, we?ve worked really hard, spent a fortune and done as much as we possibly can with the business ? we are a pretty smart fish and chip shop!? John, who has been at The Chippie for six years, said he hoped the business had what it took to beat off the opposition in the next round of the competition. ?We?ve got a huge menu ? we try and cater for everybody. We?re only open from Wednesdays to Saturdays but we want our customers to come in two or three times a week; that?s why we give them such a choice.? Andy Gray, Seafish project manager and competition judge, said: ?This competition is all about finding the best people in the industry and showcasing their talents to the nation. ?Quality and service continues to rise every year and with consumers increasingly interested in where their fish comes from, the competition recognises the hard work of the most committed shops to source their sea food sustainably. ?For example, we are seeing more and more shops starting to offer customers different varieties of fish, such as coley, pollock and hake, which takes pressure off the more popular species.? The highest scoring fish and chip shop in the area will be announced in September ? it will then go head-to-head with other area finalists to find the UK?s top ten chippies, before the grand final is held in London in January, an event hosted by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott.
