Sometimes we can't help thinking that these sorts of lists are produced solely to provoke outrage. What else could explain a list of the greatest fish and chip shops in Britain without a single nominee from Sussex or Cornwall?
The 20 chosen chippies are the Top 20 shortlisted for the 2018 Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award, the top prize available in what will be the 30th National Fish & Chip Awards. There has apparently been 'extensive judging' thus far, with more scrutiny to come before the list is whittled down to 10 – the winner will be announced on 25 January.
You can see the full process and criteria at the official website, but let's get to the bit you really want to know about: the fish and chip shops themselves. There are a couple of finalists for each of 10 regions:
Scotland
Cromars Classic Fish & Chips
St Andrews, Fife
Forehill Cafe
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Wales
Hennighan's Top Shop
Machynlleth, Powys
Penaluna's Famous Fish & Chips
Hirwaun, Rhonda Cynon Taff
Northern Ireland
Superbites
Crossmaglen, County Armagh
The Dolphin Takeaway
Dungannon, County Tyrone
North East England
(Northumberland, Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire)
Fish and Chips At 149
Barnard Castle, County Durham
Millers Fish & Chips
Haxby, North Yorkshire
North West England
(Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire)
Fylde Fish Bar
Marshside, Merseyside
Seniors
St Annes, Lancashire
Midlands
(West Midlands, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire)
Oldswinford Fish & Chips
Dudley, West Midlands
The Golden Carp Chippy
Redditch, Worcestershire
www.golden-winyates-chippy.co.uk
Eastern England
(Lincolnshire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire)
Burton Road Chippy
Lincoln
Platten’s Fish and Chips
Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk
www.plattensfishandchips.co.uk
London & South East England
(Greater London, Middlesex, Essex, Sussex, Kent, Surrey)
Henley's of Wivenhoe
Wivenhoe, Essex
Newington Fish Bar
Ramsgate, Kent
Central & Southern England
(Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire)
Best Fry
Southampton
www.southamptonfishandchips.co.uk/bestfry
Captain’s Fish and Chips
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
www.thecaptainsfishandchips.co.uk
South & West England
(Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Avon)
Bishopston Fish Bar
Bristol
Harbourside Fish & Chips
Plymouth
www.barbicanfishandchips.co.uk
The best country pubs in England
Are any of our favourite pubs local to you?
10 best restaurants in West Sussex
Country Life picks the best restaurants in West Sussex, from Gravetye Manor to The Kennels at Goodwood
The 10 best restaurants in Surrey
Surrey offers a variety of excellent dining from elegant restaurants to traditional British pubs. We find the ten best restaurants
-
The city where The Beatles played for two years? Country Life Quiz of the Day10 questions to test your memory, nous and instinct for a wild guess.
-
A sublime Huf Haus in West Sussex with some of the finest gardens in the countyWhitehanger in the Marley Heights was built in 2011 and is ' functional, affordable and easy to maintain'.
-
How to make a bay and vanilla crème brûlée custard tartElevate your everyday vanilla crème brûlée by infusing it with delicate bay.
-
'Mary Berry has an aversion to a soggy cake bottom and I have one to a flaccid croissant': London's best baked goods by the people in the knowFrom high-end to humble, Swedish cinnamon bun to Greggs steak bake, London is an undisputed pantheon to the pastry. Illustrations by Bryony Fripp.
-
How to make the 'best pancakes in the universe'When we sent writer Jo Rodgers to Oxfordshire to write up a Country Life guide, we were expecting her to wax lyrical about dreaming spires and Cotswolds villages. Instead, Jo came back raving about pumpkin pancakes — so we decided to track down the recipe.
-
The greatest cottage pie recipePotatoes are at the heart of so many favourite dishes, including this delicious cottage pie recipe that you will want to make again and again.
-
The need for mead: 'We can re-wild the countryside and get drunk while we’re doing it'The oldest alcoholic beverage in the world is in the midst of a renaissance.
-
Tom Parker Bowles's favourite recipe: French onion soupThis dish is no mere Gallic broth, rather pure bonhomie in a bowl — a boozy, beefy, allium-scented masterpiece that cries out for the chill depths of winter
-
Dawn Chorus: The Dorchester’s plans for British Pie Week, Anya Hindmarch takes flight and how to rent the Earl of Suffolk’s childhood homeEverything you need to know about Pie Week, Anya Hindmarch's new 1970s-inspired travel collection, the Earl of Suffolk's home and foraging in Somerset.
-
Celeriac-crusted cod with chorizo butter and romanesco sauceMake the most of seasonal celeriac whilst it's still around with this easy mid-week or weekend recipe.
