An award-winning fish and chip restaurant in Felixstowe has battered the competition to become one of Britain’s best.

East Anglian Daily Times: Felixstowe's Fish Dish ranked as one of Britain's top fish and chip restaurants. Picture GREGG BROWNFelixstowe's Fish Dish ranked as one of Britain's top fish and chip restaurants. Picture GREGG BROWN

Fish Dish, owned by Alper Tekin, is one of the best places to enjoy eat-in fish and chips according to Fry Magazine, who named the outlet in their UK top ten for 2017.

Now in its second year, the industry magazine’s competition sees mystery diners visit each restaurant and rate them for the flakiness of their fish, fluffiness of their chips and cleanliness.

Judges said this year’s benchmark was set particularly high – with every restaurant in the top ten achieving a score of 93% or higher.

Mr Tekin, who recently became a father, said he and his staff are over the moon with the ranking.

“It’s so brilliant to appear on this list. We work so hard and to be honest with you I could not do it at all without my staff and my fiancée.

“We won an award for our takeaway restaurant in 2014 and to tell the truth I had actually forgotten I’d entered into this contest because of my little daughter being born six weeks ago.

He added: “Everything has been a bit of a blur but this is just fantastic.

“To be put on a list of British restaurants and be told you are the best is overwhelming, we are over the moon.”

Other outlets in the top ten included Bizzie Lizzie’s and Colmans of South Shields who came first and second respectively.

Fish Dish came fifth, above restaurants in Nottingham, North Yorkshire and London.

Competition organiser Reece Head said: “It’s a tough set of judging criteria our mystery diners are set, with over 40 different aspects of each business under scrutiny.

“What’s more, the restaurants have no idea when our judges are coming so have to be at their best all the time.

“These outlets have proven they run a superb operation day in, day out from serving excellent fish and chips, to ensuring a clean, welcoming restaurant, to training all staff in delivering first rate customer service.

He added: “They all thoroughly deserve their place in our ten best fish and chip restaurants.”

See the official top ten by visiting Fry Magazine’s website.