A HEREFORDSHIRE chippy will be hoping to go at least one better in the Oscars of the fish and chip industry. 

Fiddlers Elbow Fish & Chips, in Leintwardine, is one of 40 businesses that have been nominated in the Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year category in the National Fish and Chip Awards 2024.

Last year, the shop reached the top three in the awards, which is offered by the National Federation of Fish Fryers.

The firm, situated in Rosemary Lane, is run by Dominic Eusden and his partner Linzi Morris. Posting on the firm's Facebook page, the couple said they heard the news while on holiday.

"The National Fish & Chip Awards is the Oscars for the Fish & Chip industry," they said.

"We would like to extend our congratulations to all the other amazing shops."

The judges put hopeful entrants through an extensive judging process, testing them against industry best practice on environmental issues, product knowledge and their responsibilities as an employer, and more.

Further judging rounds will be performed to see which businesses progress to the next stages.

Andrew Crook, president at the National Federation of Fish Friers, organiser of the awards, said: “The calibre of entries for the National Fish and Chip Awards 2024 have been nothing short of fantastic and we are proud of all the eateries that clearly put in huge amounts of effort to be considered for the accolade."

“Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year is a notoriously difficult category to stand out in, but the panel of experts had many tough decisions to make. However, we’ve selected an exceptional shortlist that showcases the unwavering passion, dedication and excitement that the fish and chip industry brings to British culture.”

Over the years, Fiddlers Arm has won a number of awards.

Last December, it won a 2023 Good Food Winner accolade in the fish and chip shop category, while it has been acknowledged as one of the UK's best takeaways by Fry Magazine for five successive years. 

The shop reopens on Tuesday (October 10) when Mr Eusden and Ms Morris return from holiday.