A REDDITCH fish and chip shop is frying high after being crowned as one of the two best chip shops in the whole Midlands.

The Golden Carp Chippy has come top of its category in the 2017 National Fish and Chip Awards battering off opposition from Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.

Competing to be crowned Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, The Matchborough Centre chippy will now be fighting for a 'plaice' in the final as the Midlands' best fish and chip shop by taking on Oldswinford Fish & Chips in Stourbridge.

The shop is owned by Theo Ellinas who said he is "really proud" with the result.

"This is really great news," he said.

"Obviously, we are really proud. It is all about team work, getting things done right and we all enjoy what we do.

"We have high standards including service and food.

"Our competition, like us, have very high standards so it could be anyone's game," he added.

To reach this stage of the competition – organised by Seafish – the shop has been appraised across a variety of judging criteria including sustainable sourcing policies, marketing and promotional activities and staff training policies.

They also received mystery shopping assessments by industry experts to ascertain customer service levels and the quality of their fish and chips.

This next stage of the competition will whittle down the line up, establishing the UK top 10 regional winners that will compete for the overall national title to be announced in January 2017 after a seven-month long judging process.

Recently, the Golden Carp was recognised with the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) Fish & Chip Quality Award.

For more information visit fishandchipawards.com or Follow @FishnChipAwards on Twitter.