Malt & Anchor named ITV’s Best Chippy

Malt & Anchor in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, has been named ITV’s Best Fish & Chip Shop at the inaugural Food & Drink Awards.

Owner Dan Lafford was seen collecting his accolade when the awards were broadcast on ITV last night, following a ceremony hosted by Stephen Fry at Merchants’ Taylor Hall.

The Cirencester restaurant offers a traditional chippy menu with a sophisticated twist, from panko coated calamari to locally sourced pies and fresh fish specials all complemented by a handpicked array of fine wines, cocktails and boutique beers.

The restaurant and takeaway, which opened three years ago, was praised for its focus on quality, the use of sustainable fish and for sourcing local produce.

Commenting on the win, Dan said: “We are absolutely overjoyed to have been named the best fish and chip shop at the first ever ITV Food & Drink Awards. To see the lofty standards we find ourselves in the midst of and to have successfully scooped the win at an event of this prestige has made us enormously proud.

“We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our many loyal customers, without whom we would certainly not find ourselves in this position. Between this, and the recent launch of our new home delivery service we have kickstarted 2020 with a bang and couldn't be more excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!”

The judging process for the awards involved a “committee of industry experts” with "a passion for fantastic British, food from haute cuisine and fine dining to down-to-earth street food". Organisers are keeping details of the panel members anonymous to "ensure impartiality".

In total 11 awards were given out during the 55-minute programme, including Best Street Food, which went to Birmingham-based burger van The Flying Cows, Unusual Location, awarded to London’s dining in the dark concept Dans Le Noir?, and the Heritage Award presented to East London’s Manze Pie & Mash.

Register your business for next year's awards by clicking here.