Rawtenstall fish and chip shop crowned one of best takeaways in country

The Cottage by Haddocks in Rawtenstall was crowned a winner in this years' Fry Awards, organised by fish and chip trade publication, Fry Magazine.

The Bacup Road Chippy was subjected to a mystery visit and was marked on more than 40 aspects of their business, from the quality of the food and customer service, to the social media presence and Covid-safe practices.

Chris Haddock, who runs the Rossendale chippy said: "I am more than surprised to have made the top 50 list to be honest.

"We are a fairly new business as we only started in 2020 but we've had a lot of positive feedback from customers and people in the local area.

"I terms of the Fry Magazine awards, it was an opportunity for someone else to have a look at what we do and provide us with some constructive feedback, which put us in the top 50.

"I'm absolutely over the moon. We also won a best pie award last year and are one of the only places to do a pie in beef dripping, so this is a fantastic achievement for us."

Chris Haddock and employee Rayanne outside The Cottage by Haddocks in Rawtenstall

A spokesperson for Fry Magazine said: "After a tough and challenging year for the fish and chip industry, we are pleased to announce the winners of our 50 Best Takeaways 2021.

"Following an unannounced mystery dining visit, shops and mobile units were marked on over 40 aspects of their business, but once again, the food remained the main focus, with all outlets assessed on the flakiness of the fish, the crispness of the chips and the crunch of the batter, alongside value for money.

"And despite the challenges and restrictions posed by Covid, entrants didn’t let standards slip with the benchmark to pass set at 97 per cent for takeaways and 92 per cent for mobiles - the highest in the awards’ history."

The 50 Best Fish and Chip Takeaway winners, in alphabetical order are:

• Auckley Friery, Auckley, South Yorkshire
• Callaways Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset
• Carlo’s, Alnwick, Northumberland
• Castiglio's Fried Fish & Chips, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
• Chippy Chippy, Holyhead, Anglesey
• Chips @ No.8, Prestwich, Manchester
• Chish & Fips, Norwich, Norfolk
• Cox’s At The Lighthouse, St Neots, Cambridgeshire
• Croft Street Fisheries, Farsley, Leeds
• Davenport’s Fish & Chips, Louth, Lincolnshire
• David’s Fish And Chips, Brixham, Devon
• Dhillons Fish Inn, Throckley, Newcastle
• Dunkeld Fish Bar, Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross
• East Coast, Musselburgh, East Lothian
• Every Fish Bar, Harrow, London
• Farnhams Fish And Chips, Boverton, Llantwit Major
• Fiddlers Elbow Fish and Chips, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
• Finn's Traditional Fish and Chips, Reading, Berkshire
• Fintans Fish & Chip Co, Llanishen, Cardiff
• Fish 'n' Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset
• Fisherman’s Bay, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
• Fochabers Fish Bar, Fochabers, Moray
• Fraser's Fish and Chips, Penzance, Cornwall
• Frydays of Kendal, Kendal, Cumbria
• George's Fish And Chips, Hanham, Bristol
• Harlees Fish & Chips, Westbury, Wiltshire
• Henley's of Wivenhoe, Wivenhoe, Essex
• Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, Glamorgan
• Hooked On The Heath, Knutsford, Cheshire
• Jason's Fish And Chips, Rackheath, Norwich, Norfolk
• Land & Sea, Sowerby, York, North Yorkshire
• Linfords Traditional Fish and Chip Shop, Market Deeping, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
• Market Hill Fisheries, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
• McLeod's Fish and Chips, Inverness
• My Plaice Fish and Chips, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk
• Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate, Kent
• Priory Plaice Fish and Chips, Ulverston, Cumbria
• Sea Salt + Sole, Dyce, Aberdeen
• Seasmiths Fish + Chips, Porthtowan, Truro, Cornwall
• Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria
• Shaw’s Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Smith’s Chippy, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
• Sykes, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester
• The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfriesshire
• The Cottage by Haddocks, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire
• The Crescent Fish & Chip Shop, Flint, Flintshire
• The Esk Cafe, Carlisle, Cumbria
• The Fish At Goose Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester
• The Fish Bar, Crewe, Cheshire
• The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire
• The Friary, Carrickfergus, County Antrim
• The Golden Fry, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey
• The Horseshoe Fish Bar, Pontnewynydd, Torfaen
• The Little Chippy Tyldesley, Manchester
• The Plaice to Be, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire
• The Shire Fryer, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
• Tony’s, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
• Towngate Fisheries, Idle, Bradford, West Yorkshire
• Valerio’s Fish And Chips, Lanark, South Lanarkshire
• Yan’s Fish Bar, Cardiff

Competition organiser, Reece Head, said: “Without doubt, the last 12 months have been tough for fish and chip operators and many will not have dealt with this level of crisis management before.

“Allowed to operate during the pandemic, there was a lot they had to implement in a very short space of time to operate in a Covid safe manner.

“During a time of uncertainty, these operators have helped maintain a sense of normality.

"They’ve been at the heart of their communities, with a smile on their faces and hot food in their hands.

"And the fact that we’ve had our highest pass mark ever is testament to their hard work and dedication, and we would like to congratulate each and every one.”

The Fry Awards 2022 will be open for entry in May when the 10 Best Restaurant category will return too.