A chip shop in St Neots has been named as the best in the region.

Traditional Fish and Chips, in Cambridge Street, has won the Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and will now compete to be Eastern England’s best fish and chip shop.

In the early stages of the awards, organised by Seafish, contenders faced rigorous judging and were appraised by industry experts across a variety of judging criteria, including menu development and innovation, sustainable sourcing policies, staff training processes, and marketing and promotional activities.

They also received mystery shopping assessments by industry experts to ascertain customer service levels and the quality of their fish and chips.

Once the 10 regional winners have been announced, they will compete for the overall national title, which will be announced in January.

Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, said: “The Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award is one of the highest honours a fish and chip business can receive.

“Many of our past winners and finalists have gone on to reap substantial benefits, including increased customer footfall and turnover and media fame; some have even launched their own branded products.

“Receiving this award is the pinnacle of many fryers’ careers, but only one can take home the eventual overall national title. Before then, I would like to offer up my congratulations to the short-listed businesses and wish them the best of luck as they battle for the regional titles.”