Representing Scotland in the finals will be Lows Traditional Fish & Chip Shop in Westhill, Aberdeenshire and The Fish Hoose in Thornton, Fife.
One of 14 categories in the 2019 National Fish & Chip Awards, the pair will now compete with their English, Welsh and Northern Irish rivals for the UK crown.
Both Lows and The Fish Hoose were chosen from the shortlist Scotland's top six eateries, which included The Fish Works in Largs, Food in the Park in Perthshire, Redcloak Fish Bar in Stonehaven and Round "O" Chip Shop in Arbroath.
Colin Cromar and the team. Picture: The Fish Hoose
Colin Cromar, founder of the Fish Hoose, who has been a regular fixture in the finals of the awards over the years, said: "It is a fantastic achievement for us, I'm over the moon and it's great news for the team, as we've only been open for just over a year."
Left to right: Alex Walker, Katie Gray, Iona Wilson of Lows. Picture: Lows
Meanwhile, Lows, which has been family-run for thirty years, were celebrating being finalists as well as having no less than three of their staff as finalists in the Young Fryer of the Year category, owner and second generation family member David Low said: "I am absolutely delighted. I heard the news at 1am in the morning and haven't sleep a wink, I'm really excited. To be able to say that you are one of the top two shops in Scotland is something truly special.
"To top it off, just from our shop alone we have three young fryers - Alex (Walker), Iona (Wilson) and Katie (Gray) - who have made it to the final in the Young Fryer of the Year category too, which I think is the first time that that has happened."
Organised by Seafish, the annual National Fish & Chip Awards is a prestigious competition which "recognises true excellence in the fish and chip industry".
These top 20 shops represent the best in the UK and will now compete in two further rounds of judging in their quest to become the nation’s number one.
As part of the judging process, each shop is carefully assessed on a variety of elements including: sustainable sourcing policies, menu development and innovation, staff training policies and processes and wider marketing and promotional activity and techniques – and of course the quality of fish and chips on offer and the levels of customer service provided by staff.
Over the coming weeks the shops will undergo a further phase of mystery diner judging inspections in order to whittle the UK Top 20 down to a UK Top 10 shortlist, before the final stage of judging held in London in January 2019.
Marcus Coleman, chief executive officer at Seafish, said: “This flagship award category showcases the leading fish and chip businesses across the country. These shops have demonstrated real commitment to quality in a number of areas, not just food, and have worked extremely hard to earn their place on this list.
“There’s a tremendous amount of talent to be seen across the UK Top 20, and we wish them all the best in the next round of judging as we know how much this competition means to all of them.”
The winner of the Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award will be announced at The National Fish & Chip Awards’ 31st anniversary ceremony in London on 24 January 2019.
To view the full shortlist visit: http://www.fishisthedish.co.uk/national-fish-chip-awards or follow @fishisthedish #FishnChipAwards.
