City News

A Birmingham takeaway set up by a group of friends to specialise in good quality British food has been shortlisted to win the prestigious National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year competition 2009.
 
The Great British Eatery (GBE), based at the city’s premiere leisure and entertainment venue Broadway Plaza, is one of just five restaurants in the Midlands to be shortlisted for the award organised by Seafish, the authority on seafood.
 
The announcement comes just months after the restaurant’s fish and chips were first in the region to be awarded five stars by the Seafish Friers Quality Awards.
 
The next stage in the bid to win the national title involves a visit from a mystery judge who will assess chippies on product quality, customer service, hygiene, staff training and approaches to sustainable sourcing.

The highest scoring shops will be whittled down to 19 area winners in October. A further round of judging will determine the top 10 shops in the UK who will progress to the grand final, held in London in January 2010.
 
GBE partners Conrad Brunton and Andrew Insley said they were frying high after hearing the news of the nomination.

“It’s fantastic news that we have been shortlisted for such high profile awards and it shows that our fish and chips are among the best in the country.”
 
Nikki Hawkins, foodservice and events manager at Seafish, said: “The competition is now in its 22nd year. Fish and chip shops throughout the country are constantly raising the bar on quality and standards, making sure Britain’s iconic dish remains a firm favourite with customers throughout the country.

The Great British Eatery was set up just last August by Conrad and Andrew and their old school pals Matt Whittlestone and Russell Kilshaw, after agreeing that they couldn’t find any decent fish and chips in the city.
 
The restaurant has since gone from strength to strength, employing 5 members of staff and selling out all their food at the recent Taste of Birmingham food festival.