National fish and chips day: the ten best shops in the country

We reveal where to go if you plan to honour the day with a dish

A chef poses with a plate of fish and chips at Poppies fish and chip restaurant in east London on 26 January 2015 (AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL)

It is National fish and chip day, and hungry Britons around the country will be looking to honour one of our country’s favourite dishes.

If you’re looking for the best of the best however, you may have to travel a fair way, as we reveal the top ten in the country.

1) Frankie’s Fish & Chips in Brae, Shetland, Scotland

Frankie’s Fish & Chips was crowned the best fish and chip shop in the UK in the 2015 National Fish & Chip Awards in January, organised by Seafish.

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. Of which Frankie’s came out on top.

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."

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

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

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

Second and third place respectively were:

2) Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

3) Papa’s Barn in Ditton, Kent

Other regional winners included:

Wales: Penaluna's Famous Fish & Chips, Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan

Northern Ireland: FishCity, Ballynahinch

North East England: Mister C's, Selby

North West England: Papa's Fish & Chips, Warrington

Eastern England: Burton Road Chippy, Lincoln

South & West England: Harbourside Fish & Chips, Plymouth, Devon

South & Central England: Broughton Fish & Chips, Milton Keynes