James Houlston of Our Plaice in Kidderminster, West Midlands has travelled to Holland for an inside glimpse into the workings of KFE’s globally-renowned factory. Currently shortlisted for the 2017 National Fish & Chip Awards, James attended the trip alongside the nine other contenders for the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award.
- Elise Boothroyd of Fochabers Fish Bar in Fochabers, Moray
- Paul Gunn of The Bay Fish and Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
- Andrew Hillier of Harbourside Fish & Chips in Barbican, Plymouth
- Maria Magda Illioiu of The Real Food Café in Tyndrum, Perthshire
- Sam Parry of Top Chippy in Llanrwst, Conwy
- Luke Pope of Bankers Fish Restaurant in Brighton, East Sussex
- Daniel Straughan of Fish & Chips @ 149 in Barnard Castle, County Durham
- Hank Kloppers and George Papadamou of Papa’s Fish & Chips in Hull, East Yorkshire
As guests of KFE, a leading frying equipment supplier, the finalists enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to the city of Woerden. Treated to an exclusive tour of the state-of-the-art Qbtec factory, they discovered first-hand the work that goes into building the most advanced and hi-tech frying ranges that are distributed around the world.
The young enthusiasts also turned their hand to the Dutch style of fish frying in the KFE test kitchens. They indulged in some unique Dutch delicacies such as Kibbeling (battered and deep fried fish pieces) and demonstrated how fish is traditionally fried in the UK.
Paul Williams, Managing Director at KFE, commented: “We were delighted to continue our long term support for Drywite and the industries young friers - the finalists were amazed at the technology, quality and sheer size of the production facility.
“Having had the opportunity to chat with the finalists I was mesmerised with their sheer enthusiasm to learn and their passion for the fish and chip industry. Hopefully the factory demonstrated the advanced technology and quality that now goes into the manufacture of equipment.”
Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, added: “With technology constantly developing, it’s vital that our finalists are more aware of the key role that quality frying ranges have on product excellence as well as continuing to learn about the supply chain of their industry.
“This trip is immensely valuable for our finalists. I hope they enjoyed the experience and are able to share their new found knowledge with colleagues and customers.”
Having reached the top 10 stage of the competition, the finalists of the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award will now undergo further appraisal before the overall winner is announced in an awards ceremony in London on 26 January 2017.