Harbourside staff make UK’s Top 10 Fish Friers list

The UK’s Top 10 Young Fish Friers in the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award, have been announced with two of the ten finalists from Plymouth’s Harbourside Fish and Chips.

The shortlist, as part of the 2016 National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish, has recognised the talents of Andrew Hillier and Lisa Lishman, both of Harbourside Fish & Chips on the Barbican’s Southside Street, as being of national standard and amongst the best in the country.

To get to this stage and secure a place in the coveted shortlist, the friers have undergone a gruelling judging process involving the undertaking of telephone interviews and completion of exam questionnaires.
Sarah Lock, Co-Owner of Harbourside, says of the double achievement:

“I am very proud of both Andrew and Lisa who are extremely hardworking members of staff and who take care and pride in what they do here at Harbourside. To have them both shortlisted in the final is a wonderful achievement not just for Habourside but for them personally and whatever the final result will be, having them both get to this stage in these national awards is fantastic. They are both talented young fish friers who thoroughly deserve recognition for their efforts in the industry.”

Andrew Hillier and Lisa Lishman comment on being short-listed: "We are extremely proud to be a part of such a great industry and to be recognised within the top ten in the country is such a great achievement.

The knowledge and skills have to be nothing short of perfection and we are both hopeful that the semi-final stage held at the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) in Leeds has raised both our chances for one of us to be the champion. Awards like this help winners to go on and do great things within the industry."

In the coming weeks, they will both be subject to further judging as they undergo a skills based assessment and personal interview at a rigorous testing day at the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) Training School in Leeds, Yorkshire. This next stage of the competition will whittle down the shortlist, establishing the five finalists who will compete to be crowned this year’s champion at the London awards ceremony.

Celebrating the best young fish friers across the country, The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award encourages the younger generation in the industry to nurture their individual skills and talent to become positive role models for other young people working in the fish and chip sector.Paul Williams, Chief Executive of Seafish, said: “The aim of the National Fish & Chip Awards has always been to showcase the very best fish and chip businesses in the UK while setting incredibly high standards for the industry to aspire to"

“It’s so important that we recognise upcoming talent and applaud our young people for investing in our industry. This award is such an aspiration and to be shortlisted is a great achievement in itself – it confirms that they have started their careers on the right track and are well on their way to becoming the UK’s next top friers.”

The awards ceremony will take place at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20th January 2016. The National Fish & Chip Awards are recognised as one of the most prominent and respected seafood industry events in the UK. They celebrate the great British tradition of fish and chips, recognising the best talent, quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses. For further information on The National Fish & Chip Awards please visit www.fishandchipawards.com.

For further information on Harbourside visit www.barbicanfishandchips.co.uk or Telephone 01752 603183.