AAH, the hiss of the fryer, the sizzle of the chips the smell of the salt and vinegar. Can there be anything better than a freshly made fish supper?

AAH, the hiss of the fryer, the sizzle of the chips the smell of the salt and vinegar. Can there be anything better than a freshly made fish supper?

Not according to John Man, there isn't. And the sign above his Fish Stop chippy in Bearsden says it all: Comfort food. Not junk food.'

John, who has run the takeaway for the past three years takes his fish and chips seriously. Very seriously. Which goes some way to explain why, for the second time, he's been shortlisted for the Seafish Fish and Chip Shop of the Year title.

Along with another four chippies in the west of Scotland, John is keeping his fingers crossed he progresses through to the final of this prestigious competition, in London next January.

The walls of the Fish Stop are adorned with awards and certificates, boasting of the quality of John's fish and chips.

So what makes his fish and chips so special? According to John it's all about the appliance of science.

Much like celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, who runs the Fat Duck at Bray, in Berkshire, John takes a scientidic approach to preparing the perfect fish and chips, "My background is in computer science and I have an engineering degree," says John, from Bearsden.

In fact, it was while working in Hong Kong as an IT manager that John became homesick for Glasgow. His family's background is in Chinese takeaways but John decided to open a chippy.

As I pull on the white coat and hat, John leads me behind the fryer and divulges the secrets of his success.

"I've been experimenting since day one," says John.

"I've been trying different thickness of batter to find the perfect mix.

"I even have an instrument which measures the viscosity of the batter. I've brought my science degree to the chip shop," he laughs.

"I've even tried various qualities of oil and different frying temperatures just to get it right."

It's all very technical, as I discover when John lets me loose on a couple of haddock fillets.

How you pick up the fish, the way it's placed in the oil, and how it's served, is all extremely precise.

You don't just dip a strip of fish in batter and throw it in, you know. You have to wait until the vegetable oil reaches its optimum cooking temperature of 170 degrees before the haddock is battered and gently immersed in the hot oil.

Four and a half minutes later and you have the perfect deep-fried haddock.

"When I took over the shop they were using beef dripping," says John, "but I switched to vegetable oil in my first week.

"A lot of our customers still see fish and chips as a once a month treat," he adds addressing the health concerns many people have about deep-fried takeaways.

"But they'll have a curry every other day. I tell them that if the batter is made thin enough, there's no oil in the fish.

"The batter works like a cocoon -it envelopes the fish and you actually steam the fish inside. If the batter is very thin it doesn't hold any oil. A beef or chicken curry is floating in fat."

Clearly, John is doing something right as he sells around 500 fish suppers a week. Even the chips are pampered.

"Our chips are dried before being fried. We don't lift them straight out the water like other chip shops. Ours are crunchy on the outside and moist inside."

Like the other chip shops shortlisted for the award, John will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if The Fish Stop has made it through to the next round.

"Only one shop will be selected to go the next round," says Andy Gray, project manager and judge for Seafish, the organisers of the event.

"It's like the Champions League for fish and chip shops."

Some may say that Andy has quite possibly the best job in the world. As a judge in the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, he spends his days trawling the country testing out fish and chips.

"It's a fun thing to do," he admits, "but there is a serious message. Fish and chips are a British icon and everyone has a warm feeling about eating them."

The judging process for the competition is fairly straightforward, says Andy.

"A mystery judge will come into the shop, purchase fish and chips and retire to their car where they'll spend half an hour testing, tasting and looking at the product and packaging.

"They'll have a score sheet where they'll mark pre-determined criteria.They look at the fish, the batter, the chips.

"They're judging taste, appearance, texture. Even the pricing and the chip shop's decor."

As both John and Andy agree, our love affair with fish and chips is far from over.

Andy says: "People still make fish and chips a destination meal.

"You'll seldom hear people say they'll drive ten miles for a burger or pizza, but they will for their favourite fish and chip shop."

Battle of the chippies

THIS year marks the 21st anniversary of the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award and judge Andy Gray will be casting his eye over them all.

As well as John Man's Fish Stop, there are four other chippies in the central Scotland region vying for a place in the next round. They are:

• Atlantic Fast Food Ltd, Coatbridge

• Dino's Too, Ayr

• The Chip Box, Kilmarnock

• The Palace Restaurant, Helensburgh