As part of the 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards, Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, has unveiled the three leading fish and chip businesses offering healthier menu options.
The finalists in the Healthy Eating ‘Fish and Chips’ Award are:
· Harbourside Fish and Chips, Plymouth, Devon (dish pictured)
· Papa’s Fish and Chips, Willerby, Hull, East Yorkshire
· Penaluna's Famous Fish & Chips, Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf
To reach this stage of the competition, finalists were assessed against a wide variety of criteria including menu diversification and innovation, staff training, knowledge of product nutrition and promotional activity around healthier options. They were also scored on how they collected feedback on healthier dishes from customers, as well as the actions taken as a result of the comments received.
Each finalist will now undergo one final round of judging, where both their front and back-of-house practices will be carefully scrutinised. This stage of judging will determine the overall UK winner, who will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards ceremony in London on 24 January 2019.
Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said, “We know from research that fish and chips have a superior nutritional offering versus many other takeaway options. A portion of fish and chips is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamin B6 and B12, iron, calcium and phosphorous, as well as crucially important dietary fibre.
“These three finalists have invested a huge amount of time and energy into showing how healthy fish and chips can be, and that is what has netted them a place in the final of this awards category.”
Seafish Ambassador Nutritionist, Adrian Delaney added, “Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet means eating food from a variety of food groups to get the energy and nutrients that your body needs, this is often difficult to achieve in the purchasing of ‘takeaways’.
'It is great to see that fish and chip shops now recognise the importance of offering healthier options, as well as including dishes for coeliac, gluten free and other dietary issues. These three shops have gone over and above to promote Healthy Eating within their shops.”