Quality recognition for their fish and chips

August 22, 2019 | Food and Drink

An award-winning Scots roadside diner and fish & chip shop features in the UK’s Quality Fish & Chip Shop Guide this year after receiving the National Fish Friers Federation Fish & Chip Quality Award in 2018

The Real Food Café in Tyndrum features in the industry’s equivalent of the Michelin Guide.

The café is known for winning numerous awards and accolades from the Scottish Food Awards to the Great Taste Awards. It is one of only two fish and chip shops in Scotland to hold the National Fish Friers Federation Fish & Chip Quality Award, along with MSC certification while also being recognised as a Coeliac UK Accredited caterer.

Owner and co-founder, Sarah Heward, said: ‘At the Real Food Café we serve more than 200,000 customers a year and always take great pride in ensuring we do so to the highest possible standards. Given there are over 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK, it is a great endorsement to be one of only 25 Scottish fish and chips to be included in the guide, which sets the benchmark for quality within our trade.’

Published by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), all shops listed in the Guide are participants of the NFFF Quality Award Scheme.

This scheme identifies fish and chip outlets that have undergone a thorough assessment of the premises and equipment, the working practices, hygiene standards and management controls, together with the quality and taste of the fish and chips.

Real Food Cafe owner and co-founder, Sarah Heward

FFF President, Andrew Crook said: ‘Next year fish and chips will be celebrating 160 years of being the UK national dish. Fish and chips remain a firm favourite with consumers, be it an easy meal on a Friday to a treat at the seaside, fish and chips are promoted by many independent operators who are continuously improving standards within the industry.

‘The NFFF Quality Award showcases the leading fish and chip takeaways across the land, the shops that we all love to buy our fish supper from. The NFFF Fish & Chip Quality Award assessment is extremely comprehensive. Food safety is a key area that we examine together with other key aspects of the business including the preparation and cooking equipment, to the management of paperwork and the traceability of fish.’

This scheme sets the benchmark for quality within the industry. It will signal to the consumer that they can buy with confidence where the logo is displayed, and it will encourage more outlets to raise their standards.

The Real Food Café is located in Tyndrum in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, at the gateway to some of Scotland’s most popular visitor destinations.

It has become a bustling hotspot for locals, tourists, outdoor enthusiasts and dog walkers looking to refuel, and serves up home-baked treats and hearty, award-winning fish and chips, as well as a range of gluten-free options. The diner is now a mainstay of the area, welcoming 200,000 customers a year.

To find out if your preferred shop has made the ‘Official Guide to the UK’s Quality Fish and Chip shops’ visit FishandChipGuide.com