Jul 2011 - Issue 5 - National Federation of Fish Friers

THE fish friers REVIEW
6
News
Issue 5 July 2011
Carlyn Johnson & Sara MacGregor - Amity II experience By Carlyn Johnson
On a rare break from the hectic fryers of Britain’s most northerly
Fish and Chip Shop, myself (Carlyn Johnson) and my young fish frier
colleague (Sara MacGregor) took the chance to catch up on the
latest news and information from the trade’s magazines. Swiftly our
attention came across the article advertising the “Trawlerman for a
Day” auction. Having been an avid watcher of the programme
“Trawlermen”, a supporter of the Fishermans Mission and thinking
of the fantastic experience it would give us, we decided it was an
opportunity not to be missed and the bidding began. Only after
finding out our bids had been successful did we inform everyone
else of our plans to sail from Peterhead to London aboard the Amity
II.. once we had negotiated some time off..!
We received a fantastic send off by the Fishermans Mission of
Peterhead and set sail from the slightly choppy waters of Peterhead
harbour. Every day the crew of 10 all ate together, so when it came to
our turn to cook we were delighted serving up a starter of lemon sole
and smoked haddock fishcakes and needless to say the main course
The search is on to find Britain's
Favourite Family Chippy
Now in its second year the Favourite Family Chippy Awards will scour
the nation, inviting family run chippies and their customers to
nominate the UK's best family run fish and chip business.
We're a nation that loves its fish
and chips. The local chippy is often
a place of familiarity, the hub of
many communities, a place which
prides itself on family values. So
what makes Britain's favourite
family chippy? Is it the welcoming
atmosphere? Their hard work and
commitment? The work they do to
support their local community?
The nation is full of chippies on
every corner, so what makes one
stand out from the rest?
Sundeep Gill of Ben Shaws
explains; “Ben Shaws drinks are an
integral part of the British fish and
chip experience, so what better
way of celebrating the best fish and
chip shops than running our own
was fish and chips – preparing this at sea in a tiny fryer for the crew of
ten was definitely a task, but the end result was delicious! To finish up
the evening we entertained with a dessert of deep fried mars bars,
snickers and milky ways…yum!
A lot of our time aboard the Amity II was also spent up in the
wheelhouse with skipper of the Amity II, Jimmy Buchan. Conversations
quickly turned to fish and the fishing industry and we were soon
learning just how few family run Scottish fishing boats were left. The
new challenges these boats are facing every year with changes to the
number of days at sea and quotas are becoming an increasing struggle.
It seems a real shame that Britain imports so much of our food, whilst
the majority of our seafood is exported to other countries. This was one
of Jimmy Buchan’s main objectives of the trip, to promote the best of
Scottish seafare to everyone in Britain. Moored along the HMS Belfast
just below the Tower Bridge in London he held a barbeque aboard the
Amity II in which top London chefs were invited to sample the food, to
encourage them to make it a more permanent item on their menus.
Another great aim of his trip was to help raise money and awareness of
the Fisherman’s Mission. A charity which Frankie’s are very keen to
support with Shetland having a large fishing community, the
Fisherman’s Mission has a strong role to play and are certainly the
unsung heroes of a fishing tragedy.
We both thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic learning opportunity and
experience and customers at Frankie’s were excited to hear about our
adventure on our return to Shetland, which had been our busiest week
to date at Frankie’s!
Photos of our Amity II trip can be found at www.frankiesfishandchips.com and
on Facebook.
campaign to get the UK's consumers to tell us about their favourites.
Family run businesses are part of the makeup of this industry and we are
happy to be able to support them.”
The winners will receive a year's worth of Ben Shaws drinks, £1,000 of
experience vouchers and a £1,000 donation to a charity of their choice.
Last year's winning shop was Mr C's in Selby, North Yorkshire. We hear
from Mark Corbally, owner of Mr C’s, on his positive experience with Ben
Shaws Favourite Family Chippy; “During and after winning this
competition, the publicity and support from Ben Shaws we received was
amazing. The local and national press and radio all gave us good coverage
resulting in new customers from far and wide.”
Mark tells us what the judges will be looking out for and what the
nominees should be including in their entry forms;
● Strong family values and ties should come through in your entry
● You should show willingness to develop your family business
● Commitment to your trade is a must
● Be sure to include evidence of positive work within the community
● You should show evidence of how you look after loyal customers and
encourage new customers into your chippy.
To be in with a chance of becoming Ben Shaws Favourite Family Chippy,
visit www.favouritefamilychippy.com follow Ben Shaws on Twitter
@BenShawsdrinks and join the chippy conversation on Facebook
www.facebook.com/favouritefamilychippy