After winning the 2013 Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year for the South West David Hanbury and the team at Hanbury’s Fish and Chips in Babbacombe are now celebrating coming third in the whole of the UK after receiving the award at a prestigious ceremony at the Lancaster London Hotel on Thursday 24 January. The awards, organised by Seafish, the authority on seafood, champion the diverse talents and skills in the UK food service and fish frying trade and are designed to showcase the high standards within the industry. The trophy was presented to Hanbury’s by comedian, and host for the evening, Rory Bremner.
Having won the regional section yet again, Hanbury’s went to the awards ceremony with the 9 other finalists where David Hanbury and General Manager Jake Thorn gave a presentation to a panel of judges before taking questions. David said “I am absolutely delighted that we have won the regional section of this award so many times, the first being back in 1988. The other finalists all have fantastic establishments and to be considered by the judging team to be such ambassadors for the trade is something we’re very proud of.” Manager Jake Thorn said “Working at Hanbury’s is a real team effort and entering these awards and doing so well gives all the staff a great sense of achievement. It’s nice to have our hard work and commitment to great customer service, along with sourcing and cooking the best quality food, acknowledged by the industry experts.”
Hanbury’s was recently asked to showcase in a special film made for the BBC giving an insight into how to make some of the best fish and chips in the country. The film features a number of the staff and shows just what it takes to produce such consistently great food. To see the film visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/21167649
David added “I consider Hanbury’s to be at the heart of our local community and the success of the business gives us the opportunity to get involved in fundraising and community work. During our presentation to the judges we took the opportunity to talk about some of the special events we have put on, including the Hanbury’s Fish and Chips on the Downs Music Festival and how those various events have raised nearly £70,000 for great causes over the past six years.”
Preparations for the 2013 Music Festival are already underway and on Sunday 23 June Babbacombe Downs will once again be host to a fabulous marquee with a day of great live entertainment lined up and, of course, fish and chips. For now, it’s home to Babbacombe but not much rest as the army of regular customers want their fish and chips.