Fisherman's Bay takeaway in Whitley Bay through to next round of fish and chip shop 'Oscars'

Fisherman’s Bay, which is in Whitley Bay, is the ONLY fish and chip shop in the North East to have made it to the final 10.

The shortlist was originally made up of 20 venues but this was halved following a rigorous judging process.

The top ten takeaways from across the UK will now be judged further by an anonymous panel of industry experts and the winner will finally be announced at the the National Fish and Chip Awards 2023.

Hosted by The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), the ceremony will take place on February 28 at the Park Plaza in London, hosted by comedian Jason Manford.

The Takeaway of the Year category is sponsored by Pukka Pies, McWhinneys, Smales, VA Whitley, Friars Pride, Henry Colbecks and B D Signs.

Andrew Crook, President at the NFFF, said: “It was a tricky job whittling down the top 20 to the top 10, but the chosen takeaways have demonstrated a clear reason as to why they are deserving of this accolade.

"All finalists should be extremely proud and our judges are looking forward to getting stuck into the next set of judging!”

Speaking when Fisherman’s Bay got through to the final 20, manager Steven Dhillon said: “We have faced all the challenges that we could have possibly faced: Covid, price increases, struggles with energy costs.

“But we have always just relied on the quality of service and food that we do. That will always be our backbone.

“We have over time won local awards, but the big one that we want to reach for is the National Fish and Chip Awards. It is the Oscars of fish and chips."

The awards are hosted by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) and judged by industry groups, suppliers, media, and past winners.

Judges make decisions based on businesses’ submissions, popular votes, and unannounced visits to shops to taste items on the menu. Any chip shop in the UK can enter the competition.