Daniels Fish and Chips, Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth have been awarded the title of Regional Winner in the Best Fish and Chip Shop of the year competition and are through to the National round of the prestigious award organised by Seafish.

Daniels are now the officially the Best Fish and Chip shop in the South West 2008 across six counties including Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset.

They opened their fifth branch in Portland Road, Wyke Regis in August 2008. Fish and Chip entrepreneur Daniel Pettitt (34) was absolutely delighted with the news his branch at Abbotsbury Road are through to the national finals for the highly sort-after award.

Daniel Pettitt opened his first fish and chips shop in Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth back in 1996 and although new to the fish and chip industry, he knew that he had the ideas, drive and determination to make an impact and most of all a success of his business.

After four years, in 2000, Daniel opened his second shop at Littlemoor, Weymouth. When it came to the design of the new shop, Daniel focused on his vision of creating a contemporary, recognisable brand.

He applied his own individual style for the design of the shops, making full use of modern lighting techniques, spacious, minimalistic customer areas and technologically advanced, high performance frying ranges. "I came up with a design that would be attractive to customers, yet practical for the staff to work in - neon blue lighting, marble floors and stainless steel fittings - all of the shops look sleek and fabulous, especially at night!'

It was an obvious choice for Daniel to choose a Florigo; not only do they look the part; they combine build quality and precision performance with a fast recovery rate and are high efficiency, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

Daniel's forward-thinking entrepreneurism combined with his natural affinity with high standards can be observed throughout the chain. From the high-spec shop designs and carefully chosen products to his meticulously developed in-house training scheme, he strives to ensure he always delivers the highest quality food and excellent customer service.

Daniel also saw how updating the traditional image of fish and chips with a modern twist would help ensure one of Britain's favourite past-times would continue for generations to come. By applying his creative flair and passion for technology, he has successfully branded the chain with an image which appeals to all age groups.

In 2006 Daniels Fish & Chips opened the doors in Hamworthy, Poole - once again Robert Furey was contacted to install another Florigo frying solution, 'I like working with him' says Robert, 'because he has a completely different approach to how he fits his shops out and markets his brand and he knows what he wants to achieve'.

In 2008 Daniels Fish & Chips opened the doors at Portland Road in Wyke Regis, Weymouth. The shop was re-designed to suit the company image, neon blue lighting and a clean and modern shop front - once again Daniel called Florigo. 'Because I had already fried on a Florigo', says Daniel, 'I knew that the build quality and technology were an unbeatable combination. I also knew that we would be able to rely on the range to produce excellent, consistent product every time and have no worries about equipment failure and breakdowns'.

All shops also offer an excellent choice on the menu from 'frozen at sea' cod , locally produced, award winning Bridport Pies, 6oz 100% beef burgers - and vegetarian options, including a fantastic stilton and mushroom pudding - all guaranteed to satisfy the hungry customers no matter what they want to eat!

All of the shops are a credit to Daniel's hard work and vision. Recently, with the help of Middletons, Daniel has developed his own special brand of batter, to ensure a consistent, light and crispy coating on the fish. He also ensures his potatoes are stored at the optimum temperature of between 8 and 10 degrees celcius and are peeled freshly every day, to produce the perfect chip. He offers eco-boxes for just 15p and has also designed some recyclable carrier bags, in support of environmental awareness.

Daniel is also supporting the local community 'My hobby is growing Palm trees so when the UK was successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympics' he said, 'I donated a palm tree (planted on Preston Roundabout in Weymouth) because the sailing events will be held locally at Weymouth and Portland harbours, since then we have donated a second palm tree (planted on Kings Roundabout) as I want to enhance and improve our local area and for the legacy of Weymouth and Portland Olympics in our area to continue in 2012 and beyond'.

The final word to Daniel ' I want to thank all of my staff for their help and support especially over the last year, without them I would not have made it to the final of Fish & Chip Shop of the Year, it's been hard work but well worth it - In my opinion every shop who has made it to the finals are winners!'