A south London fish and chip shop owner has thanked his staff for their hard work and dedication after the venue has made it into the top 20 in the UK of the National Fish and Chip Awards.
Olley's Fish Experience Fish and Chips near to Dulwich Village has been open for more than 35 years – and was the only south London nomination in the National Fish and Chip Awards.
The top 20 venues were announced on October 20, with the finals for the highly anticipated National Fish and Chip Awards set to be hosted on February 28 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
Olley's Fish Experience Fish and Chips owner, Harry Niazi, said that his team’s goal is to be named as the best in the country.
READ MORE: National Fish & Chip awards: South East London shop named finalist
Harry, 59, told Newsquest south London: “I want to say a massive thank you to my staff - bless them.
“They're very loyal and very, very focused and I just said to them can we up our game?
“We want the UK title.
“They were saying to me ‘when are we going to enter the competition?’ and I was like ‘are we ready for the UK title?’ and they all looked at each other and said ‘of course we are’.
“But I said we have to change as we didn’t get it last time – we need to do more.”
Back in 2019, Olley’s Fish Experience was the only chippy in the capital to make the top ten shortlist of the best fish and chip shops in the UK.
There has not been a National Fish and Chip Award since due to Covid, so Harry and his team are eager to try and take the top spot this time.
He explained that the next stage is to take part in a Zoom call where they examine the premises.
Then finalists are whittled down from 20 to ten, before the winner is announced in February 2023.
“I'm very new to the industry,” Harry joked, “I've been here since 1987.”
“Our aspiration is quality all the time - so when you come to our establishment, it's like we've got champagne, beers, prosecco and wine on our menu, so you can come for fish and chips, and take a bottle of bubbly home.
“It's the wow factor we are going for.
“We use a special oil which has got sunflower and essence of rosemary.
“The regulars all say it is not surprising that we have made it to the top 20.
“There's a voting section for customers but it's so complicated – I’m really grateful for those that have taken the time to properly do it.”
Andrew Crook, president at the awards, said: “We received such a high standard of applications this year, for this category in particular, making it a very difficult yet rewarding judging process.
“The top 20 really demonstrate a strong commitment to the fish and chip industry and to the British public, so we’re thrilled to see so many shortlisted from across the country.
“Congratulations to everyone involved, this is a massive achievement in itself.”
Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here