Clacton's Fish Inn up for national award for Essex

The Fish Inn, in Clacton, has been shortlisted for the Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year prize at this year's National Fish and Chip Awards.

Over the last 36 years the annual ceremony has acknowledged and championed eateries and individuals across the UK who deliver outstanding fish and chips. 

The judging process sees dishes tested against the industry's best practices in relation to environmental issues, product knowledge and responsibility as an employer. 

Reacting to being included in shortlist for this year's awards, Lucas Lambrow, owner of the Fish Inn Clacton, said she was thrilled.

He said: “It is a testament to my team and all the hard work that they put in and a lot of the hard work we put in. 

“We are all really pleased and excited to get to the next phase and we are just looking to raise the bar and the profile of fish and chips, basically to show we are a great national dish and we are trying to champion that.

"Our focus is always to serve great fish and chips based on tradition and quality. 

“We employ staff of all ages and backgrounds and offer them training which helps them. We are here to nurture people and not to put them down.  

“We are finding that the younger generation that are coming through now, they are hungry for work and we’re willing to nurture them.

“It will put Clacton on the map and would help raise the profile of the town.” 

Elsewhere in north Essex, Henley's of Wivenhoe and Johnny Macs, in Colchester, have also been nominated for the prize.

Andrew Crook, organiser of the awards, said: “The calibre of entries for the National Fish and Chip Awards 2024 have been nothing short of fantastic and we are proud of all the eateries that clearly put in huge amounts of effort to be considered for the accolade. 

“Fish and Chip Takeaway of the Year is a notoriously difficult category to stand out in, but the panel of experts had many tough decisions to make. "