Grantham fish and chip shop is one of the nation’s top 50

A popular fish and chip shop in Grantham has been named as one of the top 50 in the country.

Wellies Fish and Chips, in Springfield Road, has been placed among the elite of the nation’s chippies by the national publication Fry magazine.

It was a nervous wait before we were told that we were among the top 50.

It carried out inspections by mystery diners who reported back to judges on everything from food quality - including the crispiness of the batter, the fluffiness of the insides of the chips, the flakiness and texture of the fish - to the knowledge, friendliness and tidiness of the staff.

Allison Wells, who owns the shop with husband Dave, said: “We are really pleased to be in the UK’s top 50.

“Obviously after we entered we never knew when the mystery diners were going to drop in.

Mrs Wells added: “And it was a nervous wait before we were told that we were among the top 50.”

The shop’s nine staff sell up to 600 portions of fish and chips a week and serve about 800 customers a week.

Mrs Wells said: “We feel that we are doing things right but it is wonderful to be told by an independent body that we are doing it well.

“The team love it - it is a really good boost to our confidence.”

It is the second time that Wellies, which opened five years ago, has been placed in the top 50. The first time was in 2013.

This time the shop is just one of two from Lincolnshire to be included in the list. The other is Oh My Cod, in Spalding. Shops are not given positions within the top 50 - they are just among the top 50.

Reece Head, competition organiser, said: “We would like to congratulate all those shops that made our Top 50 Fish & Chip Takeaways 2016.

“We know it’s a tough set of criteria our judges lay down and so it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and passion to ensure staff perform day-in-day-out to impress our judges when they come in unannounced.

“The benchmark was set extremely high with every shop on the list scoring 96 per cent or over in their mystery dine.

She added: “It could be just a tiny detail that separates those shops that did make the list from those that didn’t.”

There are a lot of facets to running a fish and chip takeaway and those shops that have made the list go over and above the everyday requirements to deliver exceptional food matched with an equal level of service and atmosphere.

“But it’s these little details that can make a big difference and we believe those shops investing that extra time, effort and training deserve to be recognised for their achievements.”