OLDSWINFORD Fish and Chips has been announced as one of the two best chip shops in the entire Midlands.

The Hagley Road chippy has come top of the ‘North Midlands’ category of the 2017 National Fish and Chip Awards battering off all opposition from the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire.

Competing to be crowned Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, the shop is now aiming for a ‘plaice’ in the grand final as the sole Midlands representative, as it takes on the Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire winner – The Golden Carp Chippy in Redditch.

To get to this stage of the competition – organised by Seafish – the shop has been appraised across a variety of judging criteria including responsible sourcing policies, marketing and promotional practices and staff training policies.

They also received mystery shopping assessments by industry experts to ascertain customer service levels and the quality of their fish and chips.

This next stage of the competition will whittle down the line up, establishing the UK top 10 regional winners that will compete for the overall national title to be announced in January 2017 after a seven-month long judging process.

Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, said: “The Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award is one of the highest honours a fish and chip business can receive.

“Many of our past winners and finalists have gone on to reap substantial benefits, including increased customer footfall and turnover and media fame; some have even launched their own branded products.

“Receiving this award is the pinnacle of many friers’ careers, but only one can take home the eventual overall national title.

“Before then, I would like to offer up my congratulations to the shortlisted businesses and wish them the best of luck as they battle for the regional titles.”

Culminating in an awards ceremony in London on January 26, 2017, The National Fish and Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent and respected seafood industry events in the UK.