A FRY cook from a Chester chippy is angling to take home a prestigious award after being selected for a national final.

As reported by the Standard in November, James Ellams of Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove was among the ten hopefuls shortlisted for the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year category at the National Fish and Chip Awards. James has now gone one better, becoming one of the four finalists selected from across the UK.

There were to be just three finalists, but the judges found the standard to be so high that they had to include an additional contender.

It is also the first National Fish and Chip Awards for three years due to restrictions from the pandemic, and its long-awaited return has seen top-class hopefuls pulling out all the stops to bag the renowned accolade.

Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove is no stranger to award success, regularly appearing among lists of the top chippies in the country and last year receiving a Quality Accreditation from The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF).

James will be hoping that he can bring back another national award when the winner is announced at the London ceremony hosted by comedian Rob Beckett later this month.

The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year category is open to those aged 25 or under, with a minimum of six months’ unsupervised fish frying experience under their belts.

The four competitors are cooking on gas having outshone all the other applicants in three previous judging rounds, which have involved in-depth assessment of their industry knowledge as well as their preparation and fish and chip frying skills by a group of sector experts.

The full list of finalists for the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year are:

  • Kieran Bulpit – Linfords Traditional Fish and Chips, Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.
  • James Ellams – Fish and Chips @ Weston Grove in Chester, Cheshire.
  • Glen Marshall Morrison – Garioch Fish Bar in Inverurie, Scotland.
  • Jamie Russo – Redcloak Fish Bar in Stonehaven, Scotland.

Kelvin Lee, Managing Director of Drywite Ltd, which sponsors the award, applauds the finalists:

“Having celebrated 90 years in business in 2023, Drywite Ltd is very pleased to have been able to re-instate the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award for 2024.

“The calibre of young talent coming through the industry is amazing and the four finalists all have the potential to really drive their fish and chip careers forward in the future.

“Having started his working life as a potato boy in a fish and chip shop, Malcolm Lee remained very closely involved with fish and chips and always encouraged young people to make a career in the industry, so in 1995, his son Kelvin Lee and daughter, the late Briar Wilkinson, established the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year in his memory. It will therefore be a real thrill to present the Malcolm Lee Trophy to this year’s winner and for Drywite Limited to become a part of their career story.”

Andrew Crook, awards organiser and president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, says:

“Winning the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year award has proven to be a game-changing moment for many of its previous recipients and this year’s cohort is already demonstrating the kind of skillsmanship you’d expect from those who’ve been in the industry a lot longer. We’re very proud of them all and they’re a credit to their respective businesses.”

Kieran, James, Glen and Jamie will be heading to London for the awards ceremony on February 28 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge where the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year will be announced.