The latest York business bidding to win the title 'Best Chippy 2024' promises "banging" fish and chips.

Banner Fish & Chips Café is one of 10 finalists in The Press 'Best Chippy 2024' awards.

Press readers have nominated their favourite fish and chip shops in York and North Yorkshire via an online voting platform.

Readers will now be able to vote for their 'Best Chippy 2024' by picking up copies of the The Press newspaper between June 3 and June 17, with the winner set to be announced on June 24. Each copy of The Press in the coming days will feature a short profile on each chippy and why it thinks it deserves to be voted number one in York.

Banner Fish and Chips Café is located at 18 Hawthorn Terrace Central, in the heart of New Earswick, and has been run by owner Eric Banner and his family for the past 12 years.

Eric said: “I’ve been there for 12 years, and I suppose for me, at New Earswick, it’s been quite an ongoing battle.

READ MORE:

“For the first four years, there wasn’t many other food outlets around us and now after all of them started opening on Clifton Moor and Vanguard – there are 25 new places. It’s been a hard graft to keep things right for everyone and keep people coming back.”

He explained that when the pandemic first took hold, Banner Fish and Chips Café actually shut its doors in solidarity with other workers.

York Press: Banner Fish and Chip Café Banner Fish and Chip Café (Image: Provided)

After a little while, Eric realised that there was a demand for normality and reopened his doors. He said: “It was just mental. It was crazy, a nice crazy but crazy. We were the only ones open.

“When we’re super busy, things work better and they stay constant. When we’re not so busy, you have to really work at it. What I do know is that my fish and chips are banging.

“To get people coming from Huntington, they’re passing other good chippies. I’ve had to get used to not being as busy as I used to be, but it’s just hard graft.

“It’s about time that fish and chips got recognition - our team are fantastic with customers, you can come in for a bit of Yorkshire banter, and hopefully we do a good job.”

Asked what makes his food special, Eric said: “I think our batter is good – that’s one thing, we cook all of our food in beef dripping.

“We rumble our own chips and also chip them. In my personal opinion, it makes a better chip. I’ve tried bagged chips but they’re not the same.

“Recently, I’ve had to really work at my potatoes as the crop has been darker, due to the weather – we’ve been with the same potato people, from Malton, for the past 12 years.

“I also have had the same fish merchant for 12 years and I trust them. Stick to what you know, that’s what I like. Even if it’s cheaper for us to go with someone else, the product has to be good.”

Banner Fish and Chips Café  is open Tuesday to Saturday every week and also offers deliveries on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening.