It’s official.. Ballynahinch has the best fish and chips in NI

It’s official.. Ballynahinch has the best fish and chips in NI

8 October 2014

A BALLYNAHINCH business has battered the opposition to win the coveted independent takeaway fish and chip shop of the year award.

FishCity has won the prestigious Northern Ireland title and is now going for gold to win the overall UK crown.

The Belfast Road business is one of 10 fish and chip shops from across the UK which have been shortlisted for the final and the winner will be announced in January during a glittering ceremony at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

To reach the final stages of the competition organised by Seafish, FishCity and the other nine finalists have been put through a rigorous, multi-stage judging process. This included assessments on a wide variety of criteria including product quality, sustainable sourcing policies, marketing initiatives and customer service.

Staff at the Ballynahinch business will now put their presentation skills to the test when they face a panel of specialist industry and media judges. FishCity and the other nine regional winners will also be quizzed on a diverse range of industry related topics before the overall winner is announced.

Grainne Lavery, the owner of the Ballynahinch business, said being shortlisted in this prestigious award category “means the world to us.”

She continued: “I have a very hardworking team that is determined to succeed; this is a very rewarding experience for them. There is a great buzz in our shop and we look forward to the opportunities that this achievement will bring.

“At FishCity we take pride in our professional approach. We consistently strive to raise the standards of the industry, providing food and customer service to a high standard is our top priority.”

Grainne said given that fish provenance is such a topical issue at the moment, FishCity helps by only using fish that is responsibly sourced.

She added: “Our customers have been very supportive and enjoy how we try to keep on top of trends, offering a contemporary twist on the traditional fish and chips. We could not have asked for a better experience throughout the awards process.”

Staff at FishCity and the other finalists will now be invited to attend a study trip to Ålesund in Norway organised by award sponsor, the Norwegian Seafood Council, to see first-hand why the country is regarded as one of the world’s most sustainable fishing nations.