A coastal chippy is still in the running to be named the best fish and chips restaurant in the UK after reaching the finals of a national competition.

Eric’s Fish and Chips, in Thornham, is the only business in the south east of England to have placed in the 2024 National Federation of Fish Friers’ Top Five UK list.

Up against four other establishments, the competition is not over yet as Eric’s will not find out the results until February at the National Fish and Chip Awards in London.

Eric Snaith’s love of cooking spurred his desire to open his fish chip shop in 2015. He said: “We just wanted fish and chips in the traditional way, like I remembered it as a child living in Titchwell, on the coast.

“We worked with Interior designer Shaun Clarkson to create a unique environment, marrying traditions of fish and chips with the industrial history of the building.”

This is not the first time that the restaurant has been highly praised as it has already been in the top 50 for Fry Magazine’s best takeaways, and received a ‘good’ rating by the Good Food Guide – not to mention it is the creator of Delia Smith’s dessert favourite, the deep fried jam sandwich, which she has now adopted into her menu at Norwich Football Ground.

President of the National Federation of Fish Friers and awards organiser Andrew Crook said: “Congratulations to our five finalists. Restaurant of the Year has once again been a very popular category and it has been a great pleasure to gain a better understanding of each business and learn about the people who serve top-quality meals to happy customers.

“Their unshakeable dedication to the foodservice industry has seen them reach the final stages and we couldn’t be happier for them.”

The next stage of the competition is a round of mystery visits, meaning that Eric’s will have to maintain great standards to be in with a chance of taking the top spot.

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