A CHIPPIE hidden away on a housing estate has been named the best in Britain.

Whitehead's Fish & Chips in the East Yorkshire has taken top spot in national rankings, putting its owner on "cloud nine".

Geoff Whitehead admits visitors to the coastal town of Hornsea could easily miss them, tucked away on a council estate almost ten minutes' walk from the seafront.

Yet he says takings are up 30 per cent so far this summer compared to last year – with positive word of mouth reviews prompting more and more people to track the chippie down.

Top sellers include a new discount "all-day special" he recently introduced, prompted by the UK's soaring cost of living.

And Geoff's fish and chip shop has now been named the best in the country by the Times.

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Judges said: "It's not an easy chippie to locate, hidden away in a housing estate half a mile from the sands, so when you find it eschew the takeaway for a restaurant seat.

"The fish suppers are superb and there's treacle sponge for pudding."

The rave review comes just months after the place was named top UK takeaway at the National Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Awards.

Geoff, 54, told Sun Online: "It's come as a complete shock, right out of the blue, and to say I'm back on cloud nine would be an under-statement.

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"It's a privilege for us, because there are an awful lot of extremely well-run operators out there with extremely high standards.

"We only use the best-quality produce we can and we don't waver from it – the food here is consistently good, as is the customer service.

"And the staff I have here are amazing – there's a core bunch who have been with me for ten to 15 years and they're phenomenal."

He admitted, however: "We don't have a prime location, that's the only thing.

"We're about a mile and a half from the town centre – if you walked through it, you'd miss us.

"But people do come and find us, helped by winning awards and rankings like this – and we're also getting an awful lot of exposure online, with people making TikTok and YouTube videos when they visit.

"I'm a dinosaur when it comes to social media, I don't mind admitting, but it's good to see."

Rising costs have threatened to hit the business hard, with 1,000 litres of oil now costing £1,850 rather than the previous £730 – the shop gets through up to 4,000 litres each month.

His spending on fish has also doubled over the past year, now costing an annual £500,000 instead of £250,000.

But Geoff added: "Footfall is up 30 per cent this summer, which has helped – it's noticeable just how busy we've been recently."

He opened the shop 26 years ago along with his mother, who died last year.

He said: "It's been a lot of hard work and effort, and an awful lot of stress, but it's been a phenomenal experience getting to where we are."

His new "all-day special" – offering a small portion of fish along with chips and peas, beans, curry or gravy – costs £6.85, while a regular fish and chips package sells for £10.45.

He said: "I introduced it because of the cost of living crisis and it seems to be very popular at the moment – there's more than enough there to satisfy someone."

The UK’s 18 best fish and chip shops

These are Britain’s finest chippies, according to the Times

1 Whitehead’s Fish & Chips in Hornsea, East Yorkshire

2 Les and Rita’s Fish Bar in Rhyl, Denbighshire

3 The Rocketeer in North Berwick, East Lothian

4 French’s Fish Shop in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk

5 The Haven in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

6 Bennett’s Fish & Chips, in Weymouth, Dorset

7 Morton’s in Ballycastle, Co Antrim

8 The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

9 Lighthouse Fisheries in Flamborough, East Yorkshire

10 The Mermaid in Barmouth, Gwynedd, Wales

11 East Coast in Musselborough, East Lothian

12 Steel's Corner House Restaurant in Cleethorpes, Lancashire

13 Fraser's in Penzance, Cornwall

14 Fishers in Hunstanton, Norfolk

15 Maggie's in Hastings, East Sussex

16 The Magpie Cafe in Whitby, North Yorkshire

17 VC Jones in Whitstable, Kent

18 Lewis's Fish Restaurant in Seahouses, Northumberland

One happy Whitehead's customer wrote on reviews site TripAdvisor: "We visit here on a regular basis as it’s the best fish and chips you will ever have!

"Hence why they won the best chippy in the UK and very well deserved too."

Another said: "The fish was absolutely amazing with a light and crispy batter, and the fish was succulent and fresh with tartare sauce bread and butter and a pot of tea included in the price."

Also recommended in the new report are runners-up Les and Rita’s Fish Bar in the Welsh town of Rhyl in Denbighshire and third-placed The Rocketeer in North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland.

Les and Rita Puddick began running their fish bar 55 years ago.

The shop – featuring modern art on the walls and vinyl booths to sit in – is now managed by their daughter Kay.

The Rocketeer is sited in a former coastguard station 70 metres from North Berwick's harbour.

The top three are followed by French's Fish Shop in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, then The Haven in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, and Bennett's Fish & Chips in the Dorset town of Weymouth.

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Fisherman John Morton's chippie Morton's in Northern Ireland's Ballycastle, Co Antrim, is ranked seventh, one rung up from The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

Completing the top ten are the Lighthouse Fisheries of Flamborough in East Yorkshire and The Mermaid in the Welsh seaside town of Barmouth, Gwynedd.

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