Expert Eye: Will Burrell, Yarm Road Fish & Chips, Darlington, County Durham  

“Be yourself” is Will’s advice to those shops hoping to take over from his as Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year next month

Next month I hand back the Fish & Chip Takeaway of the Year trophy, which still feels slightly bizarre. You try to treasure every moment, but honestly the weeks have just gone and the year has flown by in the blink of an eye. But it’s been absolutely amazing and the reception we’ve had from our local community and from the wider industry has been genuinely touching.

Winning the award gave us a lot of pride. It was that reaffirmation that we were doing something right and that meant a lot. And, yes, turnover shot up through the roof, which is obviously a great bonus, but that isn’t the be-all and end-all. What surprised me most was the lift it gave the whole team. The morale boost was far bigger than I ever anticipated. I worried the extra pressure and longer hours might get on top of people, but they’ve absolutely lapped it up and enjoyed every minute.

Picking highlights from the year isn’t easy. I can speak on behalf of my dad here, because I didn’t get to go with having a baby, but he never stops talking about the trips to Norway and Iceland. He says they were such unique experiences because you didn’t feel like a tourist – you felt part of the system out there.

For me, it was Japan. Cooking fish and chips at the Hankyu British Food Fair was completely wild. Previous winners warned us we’d be busy, but nothing could have prepared us for just how busy it was. Our daily target was 1,000 portions on three fairly small fryers with limited space, but because we were pumping them out, they raised the target to 1,200 portions a day. We did that for 13 days, with just one day off. The excitement kept us going, as did the reaction of the Japanese customers, who simply couldn’t get enough of our fish and chips.

Back home, we’ve had loads of industry people and shop owners visit the shop to pick our brains. You don’t ever feel like you have all the answers, but once you’ve won the award, people look to you as having it somewhere near right. It’s been really nice to share ideas with newcomers and with people who’ve been in the industry far longer than me. Fish and chips is an industry where you’re always learning. Awards or no awards, there are tips and tricks everywhere.

For anyone trying to win the award this year, the biggest thing is authenticity. Just be yourself. There aren’t really right or wrong answers if you’re staying true to who you are and doing the very best you can. The judges look for something different every year, so there’s no blueprint. Do what you do well and let that come through.

My advice to the next winner is take your time. There’s a real temptation to go mad, take too many orders and say yes to everything. Go at your own pace and keep your quality absolutely perfect, because once you’ve won, there’s a big target on your back.

And for the whole industry, I know it’s tough right now. But if you keep doing the simple things right – weigh every piece of fish, train staff properly on chip portions, watch your margins – you give yourself the best chance to weather the storm.