Newington Fish Bar has maintained its place among the UK’s top fish and chips shops by achieving the prestigious NFFF Quality Accreditation, sponsored by Sarsons Vinegar.
As with all business Newington Fish Bar has had to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic by introducing a click and collect service.
The Ramsgate business has also received special recognition for the measures taken to ensure it was COVID secure.
The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), the trade body that represents the nation’s fish and chip shops, runs the scheme as a way of raising standards within the fish and chip trade and enhancing the profile of the industry.
The scheme is a way of rewarding and promoting shops that provide good quality products and high standards of hygiene, as well as friers who show a high level of competence.
To qualify, each shop has to go through an virtual inspection by an NFFF Approved Assessor who assesses the shop’s presentation, hygiene and cleanliness, staff training, equipment, frying and sales skills and most importantly the quality of the cooked product.
Owners Kenneth and Nigel Derrett said: “We are delighted to achieve our place in the scheme. To be recognized as one of the top fish and chip shops by the NFFF indeed an honour and a credit to our hardworking staff who I would like to offer my sincere thanks for their continued hard work and efforts to maintain our excellent reputation.
“The accreditation has given the business a huge boost during these difficult times, last year we would have celebrated our 40th year as a business. COVID permitting we hope to celebrate with our customers later this year.
“The accreditation doesn’t just represent the fish and chips we produce, but also the hard work and high quality produce our local suppliers provide us to work with.”
NFFF President Andrew Crook said: “Newington Fish Bar clearly takes pride in where it sources its fish and potatoes from.
“Achieving the NFFF Quality Accreditation provides reassurance to customers that they are being served cooked food using high-quality ingredients.”
Each Fish and Chip Quality Award is valid for a year and retention is dependent on standards being maintained as validated by NFFF officials and appointed
Where it all began
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.
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.”
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.