The plaice to eat: 9 of north Norfolk’s top fish and chip restaurants

And although no venues from the east of England made the cut for the 2020 National Fish and Chip Awards top 10, we believe north Norfolk still has plenty to shout about.

So here, in no particular order, are nine of the best fish and chip shops in north Norfolk.

1. The Three Cottages, North Walsham

'Attention to detail' is the motto at this friendly chippy, where kithcen staff go out of their way to get rid of all those small fish bones. They also keep soggy batter at bay by frying to order for every customer, and they make their chips daily from East Anglian potatoes.

2. Plattens Fish and Chips, Wells-next-the-Sea

When you see a queue of customers extending out the front door it's a fair bet what they're serving will be worth waiting for. And that's often the case at Plattens, which has been named among Fry Magazine's 50 best fish and chip takeaways in the UK for three years in a row.

3. Upstairs at No.1, Cromer

The fare at Galton Blackiston's first-floor venue is literally on another level to the offering at No.1's downstairs chippy. Here's the place for a fish supper as you've probably never tried it - the menu features green spiced cod with Keralan curry sauce, crab burgers with guacamole and pickled cucumber and Spanish squid buns.

4. Drifters, Fakenham

This venue proves you don't have to be by the seaside to offer top notch fish and chips. Very much a traditional chippy, Drfiters is a Fakenham fixture which now boasts a state-of-the-art kitchen after undergoing a total rebuild earlier this year.

5. The Sheringham Trawler

The Trawler quickly became a Sheringham icon after Andrew and Lisa May opened it in 2014. It's beautifully kitted out with a maritime theme and seaside scenes, and the busy kitchen keep the plates of piping hot cod and chips coming all day.

6. French's, Wells-next-the-Sea

French's is the only chippy in the east of England that made it to the top 20 shortlist of the 2020 National Fish and Chip Awards, so that's saying something! French's has been in the same family since it opened in 1921, and along with a traditional menu, offers a few quirky twists such as crispy mac and cheese.

7. Roughton Fish Shop, Roughton

Whenever you ask what the best fish and chip shop in Cromer is, someone inevitability says it's in Roughton. The Fish Shop's name and exterior are deceptively simple - take a seat for some champion fish and chips and an outstanding dessert menu with creative options like 'hanky panky chocolate cream pie'.

8. Eric's Fish and Chips, Thornham and Holt

The original Eric's in Thornham proved such a success they've already expanded to two new venues in Holt and St Ives in Cambridgeshire. The chippy made it to the National Fish and Chip Awards' top 5 for customer service in 2019, winning praise for restaurant presentation, welcoming staff and 'perfectly cooked' food.

9. Mary Jane's, Cromer

You can't do much better than Mary Jane's for a battered feast by the coast. The staff and quick, the dining room cosy and the portions huge.

For the record, the venues that did make the 2020 National Fish and Chip Awards's top 10, to be announced on January 23, are: Fish! Borough Market, Borough Market, London; Fish City Belfast, Belfast; Knights Fish and Chip Restaurant, Glastonbury, Somerset; Malt and Anchor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire; Quayside Gourdon Limited, Gourdon, Aberdeenshire; Saltwater Fish Restaurant, Torquay, Devon; Something Else Fishy, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset; The Cods Scallops, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire; The Fisherman's Wife, Whitby, North Yorkshire; Trenchers Restaurant, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear.