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A chippy in the North East that only opened earlier this year is already up for a prestigious national honour
It might have only been open a matter of months, but a traditional family run chippy in the North East has already been described as 'as good as Beamish' and is now in the running for a top honour, having seen large crowds flock to its opening in March. And that's because it has made the shortlist for the National Fish and Chip Awards.
The National Fish & Chip Awards is regarded as the most prestigious competition of its kind in the UK and this week saw the release of its top 40 contenders for the Best Takeaway title. Criminally, in the opinion of ChronicleLive, only two businesses from the North East made the cut and are both from County Durham.
Having made our list of the best places in the North East for fish and chips, as chosen by you at Easter, Bells of Durham are once again flying the flag for the region and this time they have been joined by Grandpa's Fish Bar, the chippy that pulled in big numbers for its grand opening in Lanchester in March and then again on Good Friday. BBC Newcastle presenter Anna Foster cut the ribbon on the new restaurant, in the premises previously known as Lanchester Fish Bar, after it was taken over by Rich and Aidan Weatherburn and given a name to honour their late grandad.
The exterior of Grandpa's Fish Bar has a very classic, Beamish-esque feel to it, which isn't too much of a surprise, given that its signage was the work of the same man who has created many for the famous open air museum. And the Beamish comparisons don't end there either, as, awarding the takeaway a perfect 5/5 score on Google, one more than impressed customer who visited on a busy Good Friday wrote: 'The fish and chips were great, probably the best I’ve had, on par with Beamish museum. The staff were friendly and smiling despite queues out the door. Will definitely be back.'
Also giving all five stars after their chippy tea in May, another diner enthused: 'We like to think of ourselves as amateur fish and chip connoisseurs, always on the hunt across the North East for the region’s best. Today, we stumbled upon a little gem right on our doorstep in Lanchester—Grandpa’s Fish Bar.
Only open for about six weeks, this place is already serving up some of the finest fish and chips we’ve tasted. Fried in traditional beef dripping, the result was nothing short of delicious. The chips were golden brown and perfectly crisp, while the fish was wrapped in a light, crispy batter—cooked to absolute perfection.
