I ate at Britain's 'best' fish-and-chip shop in a small seaside town in northern England. It's good – but wasn't really worth the trek.

Grace DeanAug 26, 2023, 17:22 IST

The Whitehead's takeout experience.Grace Dean/Insider

Whitehead's in northeastern England was ranked Britain's best fish-and-chip shop this year.
It sells a range of chip-shop staples, including Spam fritters and mushy peas.

Whitehead's Fish & Chips in Hornsea, a small seaside town in northeastern England, was crowned "Takeaway of the Year" at the National Fish & Chip Awards in February.

Grace Dean/Insider

Whitehead's Fish & Chips in Hornsea, a small seaside town in northeastern England, was crowned "Takeaway of the Year" at the National Fish & Chip Awards in February.

I headed to its unassuming location, which was nestled in a residential area, and not on the seafront as I'd expected.

Grace Dean/Insider

A sign inside advertised its victory too.

Grace Dean/Insider

This is the Whitehead's menu. It had a good selection of fish: haddock, cod, plaice, and ray. It sold other staples including meat pies, sausages, and fish cakes.

Grace Dean/Insider

Whitehead's fries its food fresh to order. As a result, there wasn't much to see in the heated display case on the counter.

Grace Dean/Insider

Behind the counter, workers fry the food. Unlike many other shops in the area that use beef dripping, Whitehead's fries its food in rapeseed oil. Chips — or fries to those across the pond — are fried separately from fish and meat to keep them vegetarian.

Grace Dean/Insider

Behind the counter, workers fry the food. Unlike many other shops in the area that use beef dripping, Whitehead's fries its food in rapeseed oil. Chips — or fries to those across the pond — are fried separately from fish and meat to keep them vegetarian.

This is what my £10.55 (about $13) portion of fish and chips looked like. Whitehead's says a regular portion of fish weighs 10 to 12 ounces, while a regular portion of chips is about 10 ounces. The fish and chips were more expensive than I'm used to paying in Northern England, but these were award-winning, after all.

Grace Dean/Insider

This is what my £10.55 (about $13) portion of fish and chips looked like. Whitehead's says a regular portion of fish weighs 10 to 12 ounces, while a regular portion of chips is about 10 ounces. The fish and chips were more expensive than I'm used to paying in Northern England, but these were award-winning, after all.

I also ordered what's known as a chip butty — a sandwich made from a soft, buttered white-bread bun filled with chips. The one I got from Whitehead's was so crammed with chips that it didn't close as a sandwich.

Grace Dean/Insider

I also ordered what's known as a chip butty — a sandwich made from a soft, buttered white-bread bun filled with chips. The one I got from Whitehead's was so crammed with chips that it didn't close as a sandwich.

This is what it looked like when I assembled it properly later. At £3 ($3.80), this was a bargain and a perfect lunch-size portion.

Grace Dean/Insider

I got a Spam fritter, too — a large slice of Spam coated in batter and deep-fried.

Grace Dean/Insider

This is what it looked like inside. The Spam was a characteristically unsettling shade of pink. The combination of Spam and batter meant this was quite greasy, making for a guilty pleasure.

Grace Dean/Insider

This is what it looked like inside. The Spam was a characteristically unsettling shade of pink. The combination of Spam and batter meant this was quite greasy, making for a guilty pleasure.

I was most intrigued by the fish patty. It's common for fish-and-chip shops to sell fishcakes, but I wasn't sure what a fish patty would consist of.

Grace Dean/Insider

It turned out it was mashed potato mixed with white fish. The filling was incredibly smooth and seemed as if it had been blended. It was a bit too mushy for my liking.

Grace Dean/Insider

We also ordered a range of typical sides including mushy peas, gravy, and curry sauce, plus some ketchup packets, which you had to pay extra for. It's not common to order so many sauces, mainly because you'd never be able to get through them all with just one portion of fish and chips.

Grace Dean/Insider

We also ordered a range of typical sides including mushy peas, gravy, and curry sauce, plus some ketchup packets, which you had to pay extra for. It's not common to order so many sauces, mainly because you'd never be able to get through them all with just one portion of fish and chips.

I dunked my chips in the gravy and the curry sauce, but reserved the fish for the ketchup.

Grace Dean/Insider

The best place to eat fish and chips is sitting by the sea, but I didn't want my food to get cold during the 10-minute walk from Whitehead's to Hornsea's beach, so my father and I settled down on a patch of grass in front of the store instead.

Grace Dean/Insider

The best place to eat fish and chips is sitting by the sea, but I didn't want my food to get cold during the 10-minute walk from Whitehead's to Hornsea's beach, so my father and I settled down on a patch of grass in front of the store instead.

This is everything I ordered, which came to £21.60 ($27). Sadly times have changed, and fish and chips are generally no longer served wrapped up in newspaper as they once were. Whitehead's packaged its food in sturdy card boxes with paper inserts to soak up some of the grease.

Grace Dean/Insider

This is everything I ordered, which came to £21.60 ($27). Sadly times have changed, and fish and chips are generally no longer served wrapped up in newspaper as they once were. Whitehead's packaged its food in sturdy card boxes with paper inserts to soak up some of the grease.

As is customary, we ate our takeout with tiny wooden forks provided by the shop. Some have plastic forks, and some also offer knives, but the traditional way is to eat with one of these impractically small wooden forks. Because the fish was so soft and flaky, it didn't matter that we didn't have knives.

Grace Dean/Insider

As is customary, we ate our takeout with tiny wooden forks provided by the shop. Some have plastic forks, and some also offer knives, but the traditional way is to eat with one of these impractically small wooden forks. Because the fish was so soft and flaky, it didn't matter that we didn't have knives.

The fish and chips tasted delicious. The chips were all really chunky and seemed to look shorter than the ones you get from other fish and chip shops, but they were deliciously soft. The batter on the fish, meanwhile, melted in your mouth.

Grace Dean/Insider

The fish and chips tasted delicious. The chips were all really chunky and seemed to look shorter than the ones you get from other fish and chip shops, but they were deliciously soft. The batter on the fish, meanwhile, melted in your mouth.

The trade association that represents fish-and-chip shops across the UK said this store "not only serves fantastic fish and chips but also demonstrates the highest standards when it comes to service, training, and the environment."

Grace Dean/Insider

The trade association that represents fish-and-chip shops across the UK said this store "not only serves fantastic fish and chips but also demonstrates the highest standards when it comes to service, training, and the environment."

Whitehead's says it sources fish from suppliers with sustainable methods, gets potatoes from local suppliers, and recycles cooking oil.

Grace Dean/Insider

My go-to 'lazy girl' lunch is easy to make and full of Mediterranean diet-approved ingredients

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I ate at Britain's 'best' fish-and-chip shop in a small seaside town in northern England. It's good &ndash; but wasn't really worth the trek.

Whitehead's Fish & Chips in Hornsea, a small seaside town in northeastern England, was crowned "Takeaway of the Year" at the National Fish & Chip Awards in February.

I headed to its unassuming location, which was nestled in a residential area, and not on the seafront as I'd expected.

A sign inside advertised its victory too.

This is the Whitehead's menu. It had a good selection of fish: haddock, cod, plaice, and ray. It sold other staples including meat pies, sausages, and fish cakes.

Whitehead's fries its food fresh to order. As a result, there wasn't much to see in the heated display case on the counter.

Behind the counter, workers fry the food. Unlike many other shops in the area that use beef dripping, Whitehead's fries its food in rapeseed oil. Chips — or fries to those across the pond — are fried separately from fish and meat to keep them vegetarian.

I also ordered what's known as a chip butty — a sandwich made from a soft, buttered white-bread bun filled with chips. The one I got from Whitehead's was so crammed with chips that it didn't close as a sandwich.

This is what it looked like when I assembled it properly later. At £3 ($3.80), this was a bargain and a perfect lunch-size portion.

I got a Spam fritter, too — a large slice of Spam coated in batter and deep-fried.

This is what it looked like inside. The Spam was a characteristically unsettling shade of pink. The combination of Spam and batter meant this was quite greasy, making for a guilty pleasure.

I was most intrigued by the fish patty. It's common for fish-and-chip shops to sell fishcakes, but I wasn't sure what a fish patty would consist of.

It turned out it was mashed potato mixed with white fish. The filling was incredibly smooth and seemed as if it had been blended. It was a bit too mushy for my liking.

We also ordered a range of typical sides including mushy peas, gravy, and curry sauce, plus some ketchup packets, which you had to pay extra for. It's not common to order so many sauces, mainly because you'd never be able to get through them all with just one portion of fish and chips.

I dunked my chips in the gravy and the curry sauce, but reserved the fish for the ketchup.

The best place to eat fish and chips is sitting by the sea, but I didn't want my food to get cold during the 10-minute walk from Whitehead's to Hornsea's beach, so my father and I settled down on a patch of grass in front of the store instead.

This is everything I ordered, which came to £21.60 ($27). Sadly times have changed, and fish and chips are generally no longer served wrapped up in newspaper as they once were. Whitehead's packaged its food in sturdy card boxes with paper inserts to soak up some of the grease.

The fish and chips tasted delicious. The chips were all really chunky and seemed to look shorter than the ones you get from other fish and chip shops, but they were deliciously soft. The batter on the fish, meanwhile, melted in your mouth.

The trade association that represents fish-and-chip shops across the UK said this store "not only serves fantastic fish and chips but also demonstrates the highest standards when it comes to service, training, and the environment."

Whitehead's says it sources fish from suppliers with sustainable methods, gets potatoes from local suppliers, and recycles cooking oil.

I ate at Britain's 'best' fish-and-chip shop in a small seaside town in northern England. It's good – but wasn't really worth the trek.