A POPULAR York takeaway is celebrating after two of the younger members of the team have been nominated for a top award.

Millers Fish and Chips in Haxby have two employees up for an award in the National Fish and Chip Awards.

Abigail Barker, 21, and Scott Kendrew, 20, are among 12 candidates who have been shortlisted for the acclaimed Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award at the 2025 awards.

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David and his son Nick, who run the business today, are delighted at the news.

Nick said: “Me and the whole team are beyond proud of both Scott and Abby. The hard work that they have put in to get to this stage within the competition is a testament to what Millers stands for."

"At Millers we are extremely passionate about staff development and investing in the next generation of fish and chips.

"We also love to support our team through qualifications, giving them the freedom to develop new skills and dishes that not only benefits their own skillset - but the business as a whole.

“Since the announcement, we have definitely seen an uptake in customers wanting to be served by our very own in house superstars. Good luck to them both and we’re behind them all the way.”

Representing the best upcoming talent is a group of 12 finalists are all aged 25 or under with a minimum of six months’ frying experience – who have caught the attention of the judging panel for their sound understanding of how to cook fish and chips consistently well.

The next stage will see the the young fish friers put their skills in action on a live video call while being assessed by experts who will grade them on criteria including their fish and batter preparation, oil temperature control and frying technique.

The young friers who impress the panel enough to make the final round of judging will then face an in-depth judging visit at their place of work. The National Fish & Chip Awards is the biggest of its kind in the sector.

Award sponsor Kelvin Lee, Managing Director of Drywite Ltd, said: “We are very pleased to be running the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year competition again in 2025. We always find the calibre of young talent coming through the industry amazing and all twelve of those shortlisted this year have the potential to really drive their fish and chip careers forward in the future.

“Having started his working life as a potato boy in a fish and chip shop, my father Malcolm Lee remained very closely involved with fish and chips and always encouraged young people to make a career in the industry. So, in 1995, my late sister Briar Wilkinson and I established Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year in his memory. It will be a great thrill to present the Malcolm Lee Trophy to this year’s winner at the National Fish & Chip Awards in London and for Drywite Limited to become part of their career story.”

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), and awards organiser, said: “The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year is such an amazing category as we get to witness the candidates blossoming in confidence and coming into their own. They are the future of the industry and it’s our responsibility to provide opportunities for people to receive individual feedback and encouragement from those that know the business inside out. We’re excited to see how they put their knowledge into practice for the live frying task.”

The National Fish & Chip Awards 2025 will take place on February 26 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.

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