The Newington Fish Bar is celebrating its 40th anniversary today (June 1).
The Newington Road business was opened by brothers Ken and Nigel Derrett in 1980. The pair were both working in separate, busy restaurants and both had young families when they decided to use their skills and Trust House Forte training to set up a business in their hometown of Ramsgate.
The rest is history.
Since then they have scooped numerous chippy awards – including being named the best in the country by The Independent in 2005 and, in 2009, being the first shop in Kent to receive the prestigious Five Star Fish Fryers Quality Award, by Seafish, Now run by the National Federation of Fish Fryers.
Their first top award was in 1992 when they received gold standard in the Thanet council clean food scheme followed by a quality award from the Seafish authority in 1997.
The duo and their team of loyal staff continue to be contenders and award winners in the national ‘fish and chip shop Oscars’ being named best in Kent and in the UK top 20 in 2018.
They are also involved in a host of projects for the RNLI and local football clubs and schools and are supporters of the Alfie Gough Trust.
Nigel says the secret to their success is “Quality products and service and looking after our customers.”
He added: “we continue to hold the title and still try to improve all the time.”
Find Newington Fish Bar on facebook here
In the month Nigel and Ken opened Newington Fish Bar:
Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) was the Prime Minister
Don Maclean song Crying was number one in the UK charts for three weeks
People were sporting big hair, leg warmers, Lycra and frilly shirts
British Leyland launched its Morris Ital range of family saloons and estates
The UK economy slid into recession.
17 June – Secretary of State for Defence, Francis Pym reveals to the House of Commons that US nuclear cruise missiles would be located at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire and the disused RAF Molesworth base in Cambridgeshire
23 June – ITV airs the 2000th episode of Coronation Street.
24 June – Unemployment is announced to have reached a postwar high of 1,600,000.
30 June – The pre-decimal sixpence coin is withdrawn from circulation.
