The National Fish and Chip Awards is today revealing the fantastic four chip shop professionals who are on their way to scooping the first-ever Employee of the Year award at the official industry ceremony next year.

The all-new category welcomed a host of nominations which saw an outstanding line-up of fish and chip employees impressing the expert panel of judges with their teamwork skills, the positive impact they’ve made within the businesses they work for or how they’ve gone above and beyond in the community, to name a few of the criteria they were graded against.

The award, which is sponsored by food producer Premier Foods, aims to encourage individuals to stretch their abilities and show that their efforts are recognised and appreciated beyond their working environment and locality, but also by the industry.

Jonathan Ciardini from Ricky’s in Southbourne, Dorset; Joanne Newman of Towngate Fisheries in Bradford, West Yorkshire; Jamie Toland at Taylors in Stockport, Greater Manchester and Donna Whitfield from Bells Fish and Chips in Durham, will be invited to the awards ceremony in London on 28 February at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, where the overall winner will be voted for by the hundreds of industry guests in attendance.

Andrew Crook, organiser of the awards and president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, says: “The calibre of individuals that have been considered for Employee of the Year has made us so proud to be part of this dynamic and exciting sector in foodservice.

“It’s been a tough process for them to go through and even during the assessment period we’ve seen how our four finalists have refined their expertise further. They deserve this moment in the spotlight, and we felt it fitting to show our appreciation as a community and to enable other chip shop owners, colleagues and peers to decide which person will receive the award.”

Sarah Robb, foodservice marketing manager at Premier Foods, adds: “People are at the heart of industry, and we’re thrilled to welcome the finalists to the official awards ceremony in London. The judges had a tough job selecting the final four, so we’re excited to see who will scoop the highly anticipated first Employee of the Year.”

For more information and bits on the National Fish and Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.