The owners of a Coatbridge takeaway are celebrating after being named British Fish & Chip Shop of the Year.
Atlantic Fast Food in Calder Street took the top prize at the Seafish Awards in London.
It is owned by Giovanni Fionda and his parents, Ida and Raphael, and managed by Mr Fionda’s fiancee, Aleksandra Sleszynska.
Mr Fionda, 27, said the victory was “a dream come true” and added: “It’s the best thing to have happened to us in our professional life.”
Lanarkshire-born Mr Fionda was raised in the chip shop business and learned the trade from his parents at the King’s Cafe in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, and the Golden Fry in Hamilton.
He said part of the secret to success was that all the Atlantic’s food is fried in vegetable oil, a method of cooking that leaves the batter crispy and ensures the chips never become sodden.
It is the third time in a row the title has been won by a Scottish chippie, following on from the success of the Townhead Cafe, Biggar, and Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife.
- More than 200 people have volunteered to eat fish and chips in a Glasgow hospital and get paid £200 by scientists investigating the causes of oesophagus cancer.
Staff at Gartnavel Hospital said the phone had rung constantly and they had also received around 100 inquiries by e-mail.
