Wakefield chippy strikes gold with third award in a row

The Sea Urchin on Dewsbury Road has been described by industry experts as having “perfected” the classic British meal using only the “best-quality produce”.

And after picking up the awards in 2020 and 2021, they have now landed the prestigious gold seal award to accompany their hat-trick of haddock-serving excellence. 

The top award is “bestowed upon those achieving consistently high customer ratings and votes over three years”, according to the Good Food Guide, one of the most respected publications in the business.

Owner Michelle Crozier said: “We are just really pleased, I think there’s been a few shops that have had the gold before around here but not this year. “We weren’t expecting it, but we were always worried people didn’t vote because it’s down to them, but we have wonderful customers and we really appreciate them.

“Without them we don’t have a chance. This is our passion, we have an amazing team and we really try our best.” 

The shop has been open since the 1970s, with Michelle and Anthony Crozier taking over in February 2019, having run similar shops elsewhere.

They are the only chippy in the district to be mentioned in the Good Food Guide this year.

However, there are several that have been named in the National Federation of Fish Friers’ (NFFF) Guide to Quality Fish and Chips for this year.

These include Barracuda Fisheries in Ossett, Kingfisher in Calder Grove, and The Wetherby Whaler in Wakefield and Outwood.

To make the guide, each shop and restaurant undergoes a thorough inspection.

The NFFF said of the named businesses in the recently-published guide: “You can be assured of eating top-quality fish and chips from a top-quality fish and chip shop.”