Sometimes we can't help thinking that these sorts of lists are produced solely to provoke outrage. What else could explain a list of the greatest fish and chip shops in Britain without a single nominee from Sussex or Cornwall?
The 20 chosen chippies are the Top 20 shortlisted for the 2018 Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award, the top prize available in what will be the 30th National Fish & Chip Awards. There has apparently been 'extensive judging' thus far, with more scrutiny to come before the list is whittled down to 10 – the winner will be announced on 25 January.
You can see the full process and criteria at the official website, but let's get to the bit you really want to know about: the fish and chip shops themselves. There are a couple of finalists for each of 10 regions:
Scotland
Cromars Classic Fish & Chips
St Andrews, Fife
Forehill Cafe
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Wales
Hennighan's Top Shop
Machynlleth, Powys
Penaluna's Famous Fish & Chips
Hirwaun, Rhonda Cynon Taff
Northern Ireland
Superbites
Crossmaglen, County Armagh
The Dolphin Takeaway
Dungannon, County Tyrone
North East England
(Northumberland, Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire)
Fish and Chips At 149
Barnard Castle, County Durham
Millers Fish & Chips
Haxby, North Yorkshire
North West England
(Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire)
Fylde Fish Bar
Marshside, Merseyside
Seniors
St Annes, Lancashire
Midlands
(West Midlands, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire)
Oldswinford Fish & Chips
Dudley, West Midlands
The Golden Carp Chippy
Redditch, Worcestershire
www.golden-winyates-chippy.co.uk
Eastern England
(Lincolnshire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire)
Burton Road Chippy
Lincoln
Platten’s Fish and Chips
Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk
www.plattensfishandchips.co.uk
London & South East England
(Greater London, Middlesex, Essex, Sussex, Kent, Surrey)
Henley's of Wivenhoe
Wivenhoe, Essex
Newington Fish Bar
Ramsgate, Kent
Central & Southern England
(Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire)
Best Fry
Southampton
www.southamptonfishandchips.co.uk/bestfry
Captain’s Fish and Chips
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
www.thecaptainsfishandchips.co.uk
South & West England
(Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Avon)
Bishopston Fish Bar
Bristol
Harbourside Fish & Chips
Plymouth
www.barbicanfishandchips.co.uk
The best country pubs in England
Are any of our favourite pubs local to you?
10 best restaurants in West Sussex
Country Life picks the best restaurants in West Sussex, from Gravetye Manor to The Kennels at Goodwood
The 10 best restaurants in Surrey
Surrey offers a variety of excellent dining from elegant restaurants to traditional British pubs. We find the ten best restaurants
-
'A bluff, honest man in the trappings of greatness': The extraordinary story of the Foundling Hospital, and the sailor who saved the abandoned children of LondonA remarkable charitable endeavour to save abandoned children on the streets of London has a touching legacy in the form of the The Foundling Museum in the very centre of London. John Goodall tells its story; photographs by Will Pryce.
-
The elegant country home of a motor racing daredevil who drove round the world in a 1936 Bentley and crashed a Range Rover into his own front porchPeasemore House, with its collection of barns, workshops, stables and more, is an ideal home from which to plan an adventure — something that was a passion of its present owners. Penny Churchill explains more.
-
David Beckham and Tom Parker Bowles whip up one of the guest editor's favourite childhood mealsFrom Sunday roasts to Spanish delicacies, good food is one of the pillars of Sir David Beckham’s life, as Tom Parker Bowles discovers when the pair cook up a comfort-food storm at Claridge’s.
-
'If your boyfriend makes carbonara with pancetta or bacon, break up': Tom Parker Bowles on how to make a classic carbonaraGetting to grips with a Roman classic.
-
What is everyone talking about this week? Forget British wine, British olive oil is the next pot of goldWeek in, week out, Will Hosie rounds up the hottest topics on everyone's lips, in London and beyond.
-
Clare Coghill's indulgent recipe for bacon and Mull Cheddar scones from her debut cookbookThe VisitScotland food ambassador is bringing out a new cookbook full of Hebridean-inspired dishes and reimagined Scottish classics.
-
Raising the steaks: Which native animal produces the best beef?We tasked eight gourmands — including food writer Tom Parker Bowles and chef Jackson Boxer — to find out which native British cow produces the best côte de boeuf.
-
What is everyone talking about this week? Is this British wine’s best year yet?Wineries are expanding and tourism is booming.
-
Embrace preserving with Gill Meller and his recipe for bean and apple chutneyProlong summer ingredients with this easy and delicious chutney.
-
Nibbling at wild fruit is in our bones, so here's how to harvest the finest hedgerow bountyIf you know where to look and what to do with it, profound pleasure can be gleaned from foraging autumn’s hedgerow bounty.
