A takeaway in York has been crowned the best fish and chips shop in Britain after wowing judges with their ‘sensational’ dishes.
Two brothers, Aman and Gavin Deshi, who run The Scrap Box, scooped The National Fish & Chip Awards 2026 Takeaway of the Year as judges heaped praise on their food.
Aman, 36, and Gavin, 33, won the 38th iteration of the UK’s official fish and chip competition.
The ceremony, which started in 1988, was held last night at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London.
In second place was The Fish Works, in Largs, Scotland and in third was Shaws Fish & Chips of Dodworth in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Owner of Britain’s best fish and chip shop, Aman, said: ‘There are so many outstanding fish and chip shops across the UK, and countless awards, but this is the one every chippy dreams of – the Oscars of our industry.
‘With the most rigorous judging and the highest calibre of past winners, it’s a true honour to be recognised at this level.
‘To represent the very best of fish and chips for the year ahead is both humbling and hugely meaningful to our team and a testament to the craft, care, and consistency we put into every portion of fish and chips.’
Two brothers, Aman and Gavin Deshi, who run The Scrap Box in York, scooped The National Fish & Chip Awards 2026 Takeaway of the Year last night at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London
Aman, 36, and Gavin, 33, won the 38th iteration of the UK’s official fish and chip competition
The Scrap Box in York, was one of four chippies nominated that were based in Yorkshire
The chippy can be found in a layby on the outskirts of York, in a building which used to be a public toilet block.
It said on their website: ‘The two brothers Amam and Gavin came across the site which in its former life certainly has a few stories, as we’re sure many laybys do!
‘It primarily served as a toilet block which you wouldn’t think acts as the greatest inspiration.
‘But the vision was there to create a chippy…In time, we’ve become everyone’s local.’
A haddock and chips at the Scrap Box costs £10.95 while a cod and chips costs £11.95. They also serve chippy classics such as mushy peas, curry sauce and a homemade tartare sauce.
The takeaway opened nearly a decade ago and now do seasonal specials with different fish varieties. In January, they served a Hake lunch time special – which cost just £7.95.
They use traditional beef dripping to fry their fish and chips, compared to the modern, and cheaper, vegetable oil used in other chippies.
The Scrap Box wrote that they ‘try to give back where we can’ by sponsoring a local cricket club in Dunnington and by buying footballs for an under-15s football team.
In the competition, Yorkshire boasted the most nominations for the best takeaway award with four, followed by Scotland with two.
Chippies in London, Essex, Oxford and Durham each had one nomination.
There are 13 categories, including the coveted Takeaway of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year and the all-new Menu Innovation award.
According to the organisers, the awards are created ‘by the industry for the industry’ and are widely regarded as the cornerstone event for the fish and chip sector.
They are intended to acknowledge and honour the outstanding businesses and individuals serving up the much-loved British dish.
Every year, hundreds of entries are submitted by hopeful chip shop owners and a panel of fish-frying experts are tasked with selecting an initial top 40.
The panel is said to devise the industry’s most rigorous judging process to ensure the sector is consistently achieving the highest standards.
Entries ticked a number of boxes including skill, taste, operational and environmental sustainability, product quality, training and development, as well as customer service.
The menu at best takeaway winner The Scrap Box: a haddock and chips costs £10.95 while a cod and chips costs £11.95
The Fish Works, in Largs, Scotland nabbed second place in the prestigious competition
Mike Shaw (pictured) owns of Shaws Fish & Chips of Dodsworth that came 3rd in this year’s competition
The judges then perform interviews and assessments to whittle the longlist down to the top 10.
Then ‘mystery visits’ take place to decide the overall winner.
Andrew Cook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said this year’s competition had been one of the most complex for the judges to separate the winners.
He said: ‘We have so much admiration and respect for all our finalists and winners and especially our new Takeaway of the Year titleholder, The Scrap Box.
‘Congratulations to Aman, Gavin and the team, and thank you for your service, passion and love for the greatest dish in the world.
‘Fish-and-chip businesses are the backbone of the takeaway space. The heritage is like no other and our winners represent tradition and the future to the highest degree.’
He said before the event: ‘Our judging process is robust and comprehensive covering operational and environmental sustainability, product quality, training and development, customer service and more.
‘Finalists are assessed through interviews, skills tasks and anonymous taste tests to ensure gold standards are being upheld.
‘We ask everyone to please continue supporting their local chippy and help keep the legacy of the iconic dish thriving for generations to come.’
Pictured: Graham Kennedy, owner of Bells Fish and Chips in Framwellgate, Durham, one of this year’s nominees
Andrew Cook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said this year’s competition had been one of the most complex for the judges to separate the winners
Last year, Darlington-based Yarn Road Fish and Chips scooped top spot at the awards.
Having finished in second place the previous year, it was a particularly sweet victory for owner Will Burrell.
He said at the time: ‘We’re a cut above because we use the best products, packaging and have great customer service.
‘It all comes together to provide a really great service.’
