Florigo Customers Win the Top Three Awards at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2026

For those who work in the fish and chip industry, the National Fish & Chip Awards need no introduction. For those outside of it, think of the night as the Oscars for fish and chips. The ceremony brings together the very best businesses and individuals in the trade, celebrates the work that rarely gets seen from the other side of the counter, and sets the standard for what excellence in this industry actually looks like.

In January 2026, Florigo customers didn’t just attend that night. They took home the top three awards.

No.1 Takeaway in the UK. No.1 Restaurant in the UK. Young Fish Friar of the Year. Three headline accolades, three Florigo customers, one extraordinary evening.

What Are the National Fish & Chip Awards?

The National Fish & Chip Awards have been recognising excellence across the UK fish and chip industry for over three decades. The competition spans categories covering product quality, customer experience, sustainability, marketing, community engagement, and the development of emerging talent.

Reaching the final stage is, in itself, a significant achievement. The businesses and individuals that get there have typically spent years building and refining their operation, not just preparing an award entry. Judges look for evidence of consistently high standards, not a single impressive week.

Winning is another level entirely.

For fish and chip businesses, award recognition carries real commercial weight. It drives footfall, generates media coverage, builds customer trust, and signals to the wider trade that this is a business operating at the highest level.

The 2026 Clean Sweep: Three Major Awards, All Florigo Customers

The 2026 ceremony was a night that will stay long in the memory. Three of the most coveted titles in the industry went to businesses that rely on Florigo frying equipment every single service.

No.1 Takeaway in the UK: The Scrap Box, York

Brothers Aman and Gavin Dhesi took the headline award of the evening with The Scrap Box in York, claiming Takeaway of the Year. What made the recognition particularly impressive was that The Scrap Box also picked up the Marketing Innovation award on the same night, a combination that reflects not only exceptional product standards but a clear understanding of how a modern fish and chip business needs to operate, communicate and stay visible. It was a deserved and thoroughly celebrated win.

No.1 Restaurant in the UK: Trenchers of Whitby

Trenchers of Whitby is one of the most respected names in the industry, and being crowned Restaurant of the Year at the 2026 awards is a tribute to the consistency, service quality and long-term operational strength the business has built. This category demands more than a great product. It demands that everything around it is right, every day. Trenchers demonstrated exactly that.

Young Fish Friar of the Year: James Ellams, Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove, Chester

James Ellams from Fish & Chips @ Weston Grove in Chester was recognised as the Drywite Young Fish Friar of the Year, one of the most respected individual awards in the competition. Winning it takes more than technical ability. It reflects passion, a commitment to the craft, and a willingness to keep learning and improving. James is exactly the kind of talent the industry is proud to celebrate.

A Night of Wider Success for Florigo Customers

The three headline wins tell a remarkable story on their own, but the success extended well beyond them.

Donna Whitfield of Bells Fish & Chips in Durham was named Employee of the Year, while Bells also collected the Community Engagement award, reflecting the depth of what that business contributes both inside and outside the kitchen. Harrison’s Fish & Chip Co received recognition for Menu Innovation, and David Miller of Millers Fish & Chips was honoured for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry, a richly deserved acknowledgement of a career spent pushing standards forward.

A number of other Florigo-operated businesses also reached the finalist stage, which in its own right speaks to the quality operating across the sector.

What Sits Behind Award-Winning Results

For those inside the trade, the night of the awards is just the visible part. What the industry understands, and what the editorial community and suppliers see clearly, is that results at this level are never built quickly.

Consistency is at the heart of it. Not one exceptional service, but the same high standard delivered day after day, across every shift, regardless of how busy the kitchen gets or how much pressure the team is under. The businesses that reach the finals of the National Fish & Chip Awards are almost always the ones that have spent years making small, deliberate improvements across every part of their operation, many of which the customer will never directly see.

Product quality is central, of course. But surrounding that are decisions about workflow, kitchen layout, oil management, team culture, training, and the systems that support service throughout the year. Excellence in fish and chips is built operationally long before it is recognised publicly.

Why Equipment Plays a Bigger Role Than It Gets Credit For

Equipment doesn’t win awards. The teams behind the counter do. But when businesses are chasing the kind of consistency that separates the finalists from the rest, what happens behind the scenes starts to matter more than many people realise.

Stable frying temperatures across service: At the top end of the industry, consistency in the fryer isn’t negotiable. A Florigo frying range is designed to maintain precise oil temperatures throughout a busy service, helping teams deliver the same quality in the last portion of the day as the first.

Recovery time under pressure: When a kitchen is running at full capacity, a frying range needs to recover quickly between batches. Slow recovery means greasier fish, inconsistent chips, and a service that can’t keep pace with demand. Florigo ranges are built for high-volume environments where speed and quality have to work together.

Oil management and quality: Oil quality affects flavour, texture, food cost, and the standard of the finished product. Efficient oil filtration and management systems help operators maintain cleaner oil for longer, reducing waste and keeping the product consistent across service.

Reliability that operators can count on: Award-winning businesses can’t afford unexpected downtime. A Florigo range is built to handle the sustained demands of a professional kitchen, day in, day out, without compromising on performance.

When operators are refining every area of their business in pursuit of excellence, the reliability and consistency of their frying equipment becomes part of the bigger picture. That is why so many of the UK’s top-performing fish and chip businesses choose Florigo, and why it is no coincidence that the operators taking home the industry’s highest honours are among them.

A Privilege to Be Part of It

Awards recognise a moment, but what they really reflect is a mindset. A commitment to keep improving, keep questioning, and keep pushing standards higher, even when the business is already performing well. The businesses that win at the National Fish & Chip Awards embody that, and it is a genuine privilege to support operators working at that level.

Congratulations to every winner and finalist from the 2026 ceremony. Simply reaching that stage reflects the kind of dedication this industry should always be proud of.

Looking to Invest in Your Fish and Chip Business?

If you’re equipping a new shop, upgrading an existing frying range, or looking to improve consistency and efficiency across service, the Florigo team would love to help. We work with fish and chip businesses of all sizes across the UK, from independent takeaways to nationally recognised restaurants, helping operators find the right frying solution for their kitchen and their ambitions.

Call us on 01527 592 000 or get in touch to talk through your requirements.