Prestwich chippy overjoyed as shop named in UK’s Top 50 for third year running

21st March 2023

A beloved Prestwich chip shop has been named amongst the UK’s best for the third year running – and its owners are absolutely chuffed.

Prestwich chippy Chips @ No.8 was named amongst the very best in the country by 2023 Fry Magazine Awards.

Sharing the news with followers, owner Dan Edwards wrote: “Whoop whoop! Our little shop has made @frymagazine UK’s Top 50 fish & chip shops list for the 3rd year running!

“Very proud of our team who consistently deliver great fish and chips and fantastic service, even when they’re under immense pressure.

“They really are a brilliant group of young people and we’re very lucky to have them here! A massive thank you to all our customers who continue to support us. We are eternally grateful.”

Daniel has previously revealed that when he opened the shop four years ago he didn’t even like fish and chips, and had only fried three fish in his life.

Having sunk ‘almost everything’ he had into doing the shop up and spending the rest down the road at All The Shapes manchester on ‘breaks’, six months later he opened his doors for a moment of truth.

He called the move “a moment of madness”, and said that he had “just wanted to be my own boss” – adding “I either sank or swam… fortunately, I discovered I was incredibly bouyant.”

He’s not wrong. Locals absolutely rave about his little chip shop down a side street – and now, the national judges are too.

The UK’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways and 10 Best Fish and Chip Restaurants 2022/2023 see mystery judges go into premises unannounced and secretly scrutinise a host of aspects including the quality of the food, the cleanliness of the premises, staff knowledge, value for money, ease of ordering and social media presence.

Shops can achieve 100% if they score top marks on every section of the mystery dine, but had to achieve at least 95% or over for takeaways to win an award and 92% or over for restaurants.

This is the 11th year the awards have been held and each year the judging criteria reflects the changing nature of the business.

Reece Head, competition organiser, comments: “Once again we’ve had another year where it’s simply got harder to operate a fish and chip business, with rising energy, labour and ingredient costs taking a heavy toll.

“It’s not easy but operators are working harder and smarter, staying ahead of changing tastes and behaviours and adapting accordingly.

“Although the profits might not be in fish and chips like they have in years gone by, the passion certainly is. And our awards are a testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment these operators put into running successful businesses. We’re seeing shops introduce vegan and gluten free options to appeal to a wider customer base, instal self-serve kiosks and develop online ordering apps to make serving easier, invest in new frying equipment to produce better quality fish and chips, and embrace social media to engage with and reach more customers.

“The businesses that make up our 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways and 10 Best Fish & Chip Restaurants represent the best in the industry. They are pushing forwards while not losing sight of what makes the chippy so engrained in British culture – high quality, value for money food with great customer service and inviting surroundings.”

The full list of Fry Magazine’s 50 Best Fish & Chip takeaways:

Ainsworth’s Fish & Chip Shop, Caernarfon, Gwynedd

Angells Fisheries, Newark, Nottingham

Auckley Friery, Auckley, Doncaster

Bredon Village Fish and Chip Shop, Bredon, Tewksbury, Gloucestershire

Burnham Fish and Chips, Burnham, Berkshire

Catch Netherlee, Glasgow

Chips @ No.8 Prestwich, Manchester

Churchill’s Fish & Chips, Eastbourne

Codfella’s, Greenwich Avenue, Ipswich

Croft Street Fisheries, Farsley, Leeds

Dunkeld Fish Bar, Dunkeld, Perth

Ernie’s Fish and Chips, Hoyland, South Yorkshire

Farnhams Fish and Chips, Brook, Llantwit Major

Fiddlers Elbow Fish & Chips, Leintwardine, Herefordshire

Finney’s @ Port Chippy, Amlwch Port, Anglesey

Finney’s @ The Golden Fry, Benllech Anglesey

Fish and Chips on The Waterfront, Anstruther, Fife

Fish Kitchen 1854, Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly

French’s Fish Shop, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk

Garioch Fish Bar, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire

Greg & Lou’s, Redruth, Cornwall

Harbour Fish and Chips, Felbridge, West Sussex

Hiks, Swansea

Hill Top Fisheries, Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire

Hillycroft Fisheries, Morley, Leeds

Hooked on the Heath, Knutsford, Cheshire

Howe & Co Van 22, South Buckinghamshire

Kirbys of Horsforth, Horsforth, Leeds

Kirbys of Meanwood, Meanwood, Leeds

Land & Sea, Thirsk, North Yorkshire

Lily’s @ Hornsea, Hornsea, Essex

Lighthouse Fisheries Of Flamborough, Flamborough, East Yorkshire,

Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate, Kent

Off The Hook Fish And Chips, Sale, Cheshire

Pennington Plaice, Leigh, Greater Manchester

Pisces, Fleetwood, Lancashire

Portside Fish & Chips, Harrogate Road, Leeds,

Scott’s Plaice, Gosport, Hampshire

Sea Salt +Sole, Dyce, Aberdeen

Stones Fish & Chips, Acton, West London

Sykes Fish and Chips, Pendlebury, Swinton, Greater Manchester

The Bearded Sailor, Pudsey, Leeds

The Chippy Van, Penrith, Cumbria

The Fish at Goose Green, Goose Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester

The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire

The Friary, Carrickfergus, East Antrim

The Hook of Halstead, Halstead, Essex

The Lincolnshire Fryer, Lincolnshire

The Oyster Shell, Bath, Somerset

The Village Fish & Chips, Petts Wood, Kent

The Real Food Café, Tyndrum, Stirling

Yans Fish Bar, Heath, Cardiff

Feature image – Chips @ No. 8