Four of Greater Manchester's fish and chip shops have been crowned among the best in the country.
Takeaways in Salford, Bury and Wigan all made it on to Fry Magazine's Top 50 list, one of the most prestigious awards in the fast food industry.
It's the first time any chippies in our region have been named on the list, which is judged by mystery shoppers over the course of several months.
Sykes in Pendlebury, The Little Chippy in Tyldesley, Chips @ No.8 in Prestwich and The Fish at Goose Green have been voted among the best in the UK.
Venues are judged on more than 40 aspects of their businesses, from customer service and food quality to social media presence and Covid safety measures.
Everything from the flakiness of the fish and the crunch of the batter is taken into consideration.
Fry Magazine said that the pass rate benchmark was set at 97 per cent this year, the highest in its history.
Speaking to the M.E.N., Chips @ No.8 founder Dan Edwards said: "We didn't really expect to get in - well, we hoped, we know we're good, but you just don't know how good everyone else is.
"It's great recognition for the team and all the work they've put in. We're over the moon.
"It's a very prestigious award in the fish and chip industry, it's the one people like to get in."
Chips @ No.8 is located just off Prestwich's main stretch of shops and restaurants, and is known across the region for its lifelike mural of Mark E. Smith painted on one of its external walls.
It first opened in the suburb in 2018, and now has substantial queues every Friday night - Dan's just had to upgrade to a bigger fryer to keep up with demand.
He said that on a standard Friday they'll sell 350 portions of fish and chips, but that last week's Good Friday celebration saw that number almost double.
He estimates that they used around 600kg of potatoes in one night.
Dan continued: "It's had its challenges, we're a chippy down a side street and we have quite a small catchment area, it's really only Gardner Road and Clifton Road.
"But our Mark E. Smith mural got us a lot of attention and we've been steadily growing month after month after month.
"In lockdown, being one of the few restaurants who could actually trade almost as normal, it gave us an opportunity to serve our food to people who maybe didn't usually get fish and chips.
"People still wanted to eat out, and to not have to cook at home, they wanted that normality.
"We felt so guilty being able to trade when so many businesses had to close, but we really hope this award will help to shine a spotlight on Prestwich.
"There are so many great independent businesses here."
Sykes said in a Facebook post: "With thousands of entries Sykes is proud to be named one of the UKs top 50 fish and chip takeaways. This is a prestigious award and the competition was high.
"Following an unannounced visit we was marked on over 40 aspects of the business from food quality, customer service and shop atmosphere in which we received 98%
"We would like to thank all our loyal and supportive customers and those who have queued on our busy teas aswell as the wonderful team we have working with us
"Really great to see other amazing Manchester fish and chip shops making the list!!!!"
The Fish at Goose Green said they were 'extremely proud' of their staff and thanked their customers for their continued support.
Commenting on this year’s awards, Reece Head, competition organiser, said: "During a time of uncertainty, these operators have helped maintain a sense of normality.
"They’ve been at the heart of their communities, with a smile on their faces and hot food in their hands.
"And the fact that we’ve had our highest pass mark ever is testament to their hard work and dedication, and we would like to congratulate each and every one."
Fry Magazine's Top 50 fish and chip takeaways
Auckl ey Friery, Auckley, South Yorkshire
Callaways Fish & Chips, Dorchester, Dorset
Carlo’s, Alnwick, Northumberland
Castiglio's Fried Fish & Chips, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
Chippy Chippy, Holyhead, Anglesey
Chips @ No.8, Prestwich, Manchester
Chish & Fips, Norwich, Norfolk
Cox’s At The Lighthouse, St Neots, Cambridgeshire
Croft Street Fisheries, Farsley, Leeds
Davenport’s Fish & Chips, Louth, Lincolnshire
David’s Fish And Chips, Brixham, Devon
Dhillons Fish Inn, Throckley, Newcastle
Dunkeld Fish Bar, Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross
East Coast, Musselburgh, East Lothian
Every Fish Bar, Harrow, London
Farnhams Fish And Chips, Boverton, Llantwit Major
Fiddlers Elbow Fish and Chips, Leintwardine, Herefordshire
Finn's Traditional Fish and Chips, Reading, Berkshire
Fintans Fish & Chip Co, Llanishen, Cardiff
Fish 'n' Fritz, Weymouth, Dorset
Fisherman’s Bay, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Fochabers Fish Bar, Fochabers, Moray
Fraser's Fish and Chips, Penzance, Cornwall
Frydays of Kendal, Kendal, Cumbria
George's Fish And Chips, Hanham, Bristol
Harlees Fish & Chips, Westbury, Wiltshire
Henley's of Wivenhoe, Wivenhoe, Essex
Hiks, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, Glamorgan
Hooked On The Heath, Knutsford, Cheshire
Jason's Fish And Chips, Rackheath, Norwich, Norfolk
Land & Sea, Sowerby, York, North Yorkshire
Linfords Traditional Fish and Chip Shop, Market Deeping, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Market Hill Fisheries, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
McLeod's Fish and Chips, Inverness
My Plaice Fish and Chips, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk
Newington Fish Bar, Ramsgate, Kent
Priory Plaice Fish and Chips, Ulverston, Cumbria
Sea Salt + Sole, Dyce, Aberdeen
Seasmiths Fish + Chips, Porthtowan, Truro, Cornwall
Shap Chippy, Penrith, Cumbria
Shaw’s Fish And Chips, Dodworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Smith’s Chippy, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
Sykes, Pendlebury, Salford, Greater Manchester
The Cafe Royal, Annan, Dumfriesshire
The Cottage by Haddocks, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire
The Crescent Fish & Chip Shop, Flint, Flintshire
The Esk Cafe, Carlisle, Cumbria
The Fish At Goose Green, Wigan, Greater Manchester
The Fish Bar, Crewe, Cheshire
The Fish Works, Largs, North Ayrshire
The Friary, Carrickfergus, County Antrim
The Golden Fry, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey
The Horseshoe Fish Bar, Pontnewynydd, Torfaen
The Little Chippy Tyldesley, Manchester
The Plaice to Be, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire
The Shire Fryer, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Tony’s, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
Towngate Fisheries, Idle, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Valerio’s Fish And Chips, Lanark, South Lanarkshire
Yan’s Fish Bar, Cardiff
