The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Colin’s ‘fry high’ ambition to be UK fish and chip king
AWARDS: St Andrews shop in running to be named best independent in Britain
Awards success is paying dividends for one popular fish and chip shop in Fife, which serves hundreds of suppers every day.
Cromars in St Andrews said the publicity from winning industry honours has led to an increase in customer numbers and also given a boost to staff.
The shop was named the 2016 Scottish regional winner in the National Fish & Chip Awards organised by Seafish.
Cromars is now hoping to go one step better by winning the 2017 UK title of Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year.
It is among six Scottish shops along with others south of the border named to compete for the national award and other honours.
Owner Colin has been in the Cromar fish and chip business for 32 years.
The 52-year-old opened Cromars in 2013 and has scored several award successes since.
He said: “When you do well in these big awards, there is no doubt it does attract more customers to the shop and also boosts staff morale.”
Colin employs up to 22 full-time and part-time workers, serving up as many as 600 fish suppers a day.
His fish and potatoes are sourced in Scotland, and Colin said that attention to detail and consistency was the recipe for success.
“I always tell the staff that you are only as good as your last fish supper,” he added.
Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, a body dedicated to supporting the seafood industry, said being named the best fish and chip shop in the land was a huge – and potentially lucrative – honour.
He said: “Many of our past winners and finalists have gone on to reap substantial benefits, including increased shop footfall and turnover and media fame through overseas industry study trips. Some have even launched their own branded products.”
Recognised as one of the top seafood industry events in the UK, the National Fish & Chip Awards will take place in London in January. CATERING