Yarm Road Fish & Chips in Darlington wins national award

Yarm Road Fish & Chips in Darlington, County Durham, picked up the Training and Development award at the 2026 ceremony, recognised for its commitment to investing in its people and raising industry standards.

The popular Darlington venue opened a dine-in restaurant last year and recently revealed plans to open a licensed bar there which would allow punters to enjoy a tipple alongside their cod.

In February last year, Yarm Road Fish and Chips was named the best takeaway in the UK at the prestigious National Fish & Chip Awards, although the accolade went to a venue in York this year.

Yarm Road's eat-in venue was opened in 2025. (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

Now in its 38th year, the awards celebrate excellence across the fish and chip industry and are organised by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF).

Andrew Crook, president of the NFFF, said: "What a year it has been for the National Fish & Chip Awards!"

"We don’t make it easy to progress through the assessments as benchmarks are always set extremely high.

Yarm Road Fish and Chips. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

"This ensures shortlisted businesses and individuals truly know about serving superb quality meals for customers and they are contributing to the growth of sector by innovating where possible, investing in their operations and people, and being exceptional advocates for the trade."

Entrants are put through a rigorous evaluation process including interviews, skills tests, live tasks, and anonymous taste-testing.

They must also demonstrate product knowledge, sustainable business practices, strong customer service, and employer integrity.

Mr Crook said: "It’s been clear from the start that those competing came with serious agendas to elevate industry best practice like never before and we are so proud to say these are the winners!"

The awards are open to more than 10,500 fish and chip shops across the UK, including international entries, and aim to set benchmarks, champion improvement, and celebrate success.

This year’s hotly contested Takeaway of the Year award went to Scrap Box in York.