Best fish and chip shop in the UK announced at National Awards

One of the toughest annual food competitions in the UK has crowned its champion

Manager John Gold, owner Valerie Johnson and her daughter Carlyn Johnson from the Fryer of Frankie's celebrate winning the UK's Best Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year (John Stillwell/PA Wire )

If you're looking for fish and chips, it seems you may have to travel a fair distance before you find the best in Britain.

Frankie’s Fish & Chips in Brae, Shetland, Scotland, has been crowned the best fish and chip shop in the UK.

Organised by Seafish, the 2015 National Fish & Chip Awards took place on 20 January at the Lancaster London Hotel, London.

Competitors were put through a rigorous, multi-stage judging process during the last few months. All top ten finalists, representing their respective parts of the UK, went up against each other in a "Dragon’s Den style" pitch as they fought to win.

Valerie Johnson, owner of Frankie’s Fish & Chips, said: "This is the highlight of my working life. I can’t thank Seafish and my brilliant team enough. 2015 is Frankie’s year."

The final 10 places were shortlisted during earlier judging rounds which included unannounced shop visits from industry judges.

They were assessed on a wide variety of judging criteria including product quality, sustainable sourcing policies, marketing initiatives and customer service.

Coming in at a respectable 2nd and 3rd place were Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Papa’s Barn in Ditton, Kent.

Paul Williams, Chief Executive of Seafish, commented: "Frankie’s Fish & Chips stood out throughout the judging process."

Now in their 27th year, The National Fish & Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent seafood industry events in the UK. Previous winners have reported sales increases of up to 100%.