A RYEDALE fish and chip shop has been shortlisted as one of the best in the country.

Scotts of Helmsley was nominated in the Best Newcomer Award ahead of the National Fish & Chip Awards 2014, organised by Seafish, the industry authority on seafood.

The award, sponsored by Frymax, is open to independent fish and chip establishments that have been operating since no earlier than September 30, 2011, and recognises the fledgling businesses that have excelled since day one of their existence, demonstrating the growth of the industry and the encouraging outlook for the future.

Scotts of Helmsley will now attempt to out-fry the other shortlisted shops from across the country in the hope of winning the Best Newcomer Award at an awards ceremony to be held at the Lancaster London hotel on January 22.

Owner Tony Webster, who formally rented sunbeds, said they were absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for this award.

“The National Fish and Chip Awards are a benchmark in the industry, so being shortlisted is great recognition for us,” he said.

“We have three core values which are quality, value for money and service with a smile.”

Tony said to improve their service they actively encouraged people to give us feedback.

“We are on Trip Advisor and we also hand out comment cards in the shop so people can tell us what they think, and we take absolutely everything on board.

“We are all about the customer, essentially, and the experience in our shop is all about family friendly fun. It’s quite a contemporary space with humorous branding and wordplay, so a little bit different from the more traditional fish and chip shop.”

Each shortlisted business will now receive a mystery judging visit from an industry specialist who will assess their performance in a variety of areas, including: product quality, customer service, food preparation procedures, hygiene, innovation, staff training and development, promotional activity and approaches to sustainable sourcing.

Andrew Marriott, brand and marketing manager of award sponsor Frymax, said: “Fish and chips is a great British tradition and will remain a favourite takeaway as long as the quality of the meal and the standards of customer service and hygiene are of the highest. The Best Newcomer Award rewards those new shops who are excelling in these areas of their businesses.”