Best chippy in Scotland

Frankie’s Fish and Chips in Brae has been crowned the best chippy in Scotland – thanks in part to the quality of local ingredients.

The shop opened five years ago and has now triumphed in the  regional section of the National Fish & Chip Awards run by Seafish.

Owner Valerie Johnson said when she and husband Gary opened the shop, which employs six full-time and 15 part-time staff, it was never their intention to push for national recognition.

John Gold and Valerie Johnson from Frankie's Fish and Chips in Brae.
John Gold and Valerie Johnson from Frankie’s Fish and Chips in Brae.

“I didn’t even know the awards existed when we built it. It certainly wasn’t built with that in mind,” she said.

“We’re very pleased but we owe a lot of our success to the quality of the fish and shellfish here in Shetland – it is all sustainable and sourced locally.

“We have great suppliers in Blydoit Fish and Blueshell Mussels and are in touch with them every day to decide on our specials menus.”

The award caps a fantastic year of awards for the chippy, whose Carlyn Kearney is the  Drywite National Young Fish Frier of the Year.

Frankie’s will now go head to head with other regional winners in the annual contest to become the best fish and chip shop in the UK. The results will be announced in January.

Manager John Gold said today: “We’re well chuffed. It’s great for the staff – we’ll definitely be having a celebration for this!

“Five years to get best in Scotland is quite an achievement considering that Scotland has always been one of the hardest regions to win. I think Scotland has won most times in the national awards.”

Among Frankie’s other accolades this year have been certification by the MSC Chain of Custody standard for seafood traceability, a two-star sustainability rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association and a four blue star rating from Fish2Fork.

COMMENTS(4)

Add Your Comment
  • Jim Leask

    • October 1st, 2013 21:22

    Well done to all at Frankie’s. Had a number of good feeds there of late and its always a lovely place to stop for lunch.

    Number One in Scotland it may be….but surely it’s number two in Shetland….behind Da Fort!

    And let the keyboard chip wars begin……………..

    REPLY
  • Joe Johnson

    • October 1st, 2013 23:35

    Congratulations Frankie’s! You have done Shetland proud!

    REPLY
  • John Robertson

    • October 2nd, 2013 10:16

    It’s great to see Frankies at the top. When we visited in July it advertised that it was in the top five. It wasn’t just one visit, we would call in when coming south from Yell or Unst; also a ‘modest’ detour from Nesting. After leaving Shetland we did try one other – in the top five. It just couldn’t compete with Frankies. I live on the South Coast of England – sadly we don’t have anything that comes near to Frankies. However, we are planning another Shetland visit in 2014 definitely with Frankies in mind. Couldn’t be happier for the owners and staff.

    REPLY
  • Peter Lawson

    • October 3rd, 2013 18:29

    Congratulations. Very well deserved. We like to head for Frankie’s when visiting from Orkney and have never been disappointed!

    REPLY

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