THE Chippie in Horrabridge has been named the best chippie in Devon and Cornwell in the latest stage of the national Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition.
Owner John Andrews was awarded the title after beating off competition from a record number of other shops to go through to the next stage of the competition.
It will now go head to head against Daniels Fish and Chips in Weymouth to be crowned the best in South West England and possibly go on to reach the ultimate goal of being the best in the UK.
To get this far, the shop has already been voted for by its customers. A mystery judge from competition organisers Seafish then undertook an assessment which deemed it to be the pick of the crop in the area. Across the UK, 20 other shops have made it this far.
The next stage of judging will whittle that number down to the best ten shops in the UK. The Chippie will now undergo a rigorous assessment including checks on its product quality, staff training, innovation, customer service, shop décor and cleanliness, staff hygiene and food preparation techniques. Shops also face questions regarding their policies on sourcing seafood from sustainable stocks.
Mr Andrews said: 'Getting to this stage of the competition recognises the hard work we've put in over the years. We deliver the best fish and chips time after time and it's great for our customers to know that they are getting the best in the area. We'll be doing all we can to make sure we make it through to the next round.'
The regional final is in November.