A DALE chippy is celebrating inclusion in the UK’s Quality Fish and Chip Shop Guide, the industry’s equivalent to the Michelin Star Guide, for a second time.
Katie’s Traditional Fish and Chips opened its doors on Horsemarket, in Barnard Castle, in 2016 and since then has gone from strength to strength.
Owner Katie Barker said: “For as long as I can remember my parents have been in the fish and chip trade with shops in Norton and Richmond.
“We ran the Fox Hall Inn on the A66 for three years where we specialised in fish and chips.
“While we were there we won the Fish and Chip Quality award twice and built up a great customer base.”
All the shops featured in the guide, published by the National Federation of Fish Fryers (NFFF), are part of an initiative designed to support the growth of the fish and chip industry.
NFFF president, Andrew Crook said: “The NFFF Quality Award showcases the leading fish and chip takeaways across the land, the shops that we all love to buy our fish supper from. The NFFF Fish & Chip Quality Award assessment is extremely comprehensive.
“Food safety is a key area that we examine together with other key aspects of the business including the preparation and cooking equipment, to the management of paperwork and the traceability of fish.”
All of those listed in the guide go on to the NFFF Quality Award final, which will be announced later in the year
Fresh ingredients are high on the list for Miss Barker who said: “The freshness of our product is key and the quality is incredibly important to myself and my team, who work hard to deliver the best possible experience to our customers.”
Miss Barker also rates customer service as a priority.
Unlike many employers in the fast food industry she wants her staff to view their job as a career, not just a job. All Miss Barker’s staff have undergone comprehensive training with the NFFF.
On learning of the award Miss Barker said: “It is a brilliant team effort and I am just so lucky to have the team I have working with me.”
