The Bearded Sailor – Top 20 Fish & Chip Shop

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In this week’s blog we get the chance to talk to Top 20 Fish and Chip show owner, Alex from The Bearded Sailor!

We popped in to say hello and meet the team behind the magic.

The second you walk through the door you can tell why this is one of the best Fish & Chip shops in the country. I got the chance to taste the food first hand and was very impressed. Many people seemed to agree with me as they soon had a shop full of customers. We caught up with Alex and got to the chance to eat some amazing food too!

The Bearded Sailor have a 4 pan high efficiency island range featuring Mirror Doors, LED Downlighting, Active Triple Filtration and Bain Marie.

Huge congratulations to you and your staff, how does it feel to be in the Top 20?

It makes me feel ecstatic. I feel that we deserve it for all the work that has gone into it, but I do have to pinch myself that we have been judged to be in the Top 20 in the whole of the UK.

What made you decide to enter this competition?

I thought it would be a fantastic way to improve the shop. Whatever the outcome, I knew I would learn a lot from process. The people who judge these awards are industry experts and just by entering, you are guaranteed to learn something from them that will improve your business. It has helped give me and the team focus, with a real goal to work towards together.

What advice would you give to other shops wanting to improve their shops?

If you haven’t got it already, get the NFFF quality award. It’s a fantastic award to hold and I learnt an awful lot just by going through the process. It took a lot of work from me and the team to obtain it, but our shop improved vastly.

What is your greatest strength?

Willing to work hard and not compromise quality in any way.

Why did you choose Florigo?

As you should when making such a big purchase, I took buying a new range very seriously. I did a lot of research and spoke to other chip shop owners who had different types of ranges; Florigo came out on top for me. The triple filtration was a big factor as no other ranges had this, along with the cool zones in the chip pans. Competition is fierce at this level of frying range, but Florigo has the features that give it the edge.

What are the benefits of a Florigo range when competing at this level?

The beef dripping is filtered every day using the active triple filtration. This keeps our fat in excellent condition, which keeps the quality of our product high. It’s become really busy with all the press around the Top 20. The pan temperature recovers really fast, which is incredibly important to keep our batter crispy and fish cooked just right during busy times.

What is your favourite memory since owning the Bearded Sailor?

There are so many happy memories at The Bearded Sailor. I have such a wonderful team of people who give fantastic service and cook delicious food every day. Honestly, what makes me happiest is knowing that our food and service have made somebody’s day better. Very cheesy, but true.

What does the future hold for the Bearded Sailor?

I just want to make our little Pudsey shop the best it possibly can be. We will keep entering the awards until we’re voted the best in the UK or die trying, haha.

Alex was so happy when it was announced they made the Top 60 he dyed his hair and let his team decide what colour!

Follow The Bearded Sailor on social media and see what colour they chose!

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