The Anstruther Fish Bar is an award winning fish and chip

Fish and chips

Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...

 shop in Anstruther

Anstruther

Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...

, a fishing village in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

The Bar is situated on Shore Street, the harbour front in Anstruther, and is particularly popular with tourists. It sells take-away fish and chips, which are often consumed at the public seating area opposite the shop, where local fishermen land crab and lobster. Unlike many Scottish fish and chip shops, it also has a restaurant; the Bar is nautically themed with 52 seats and views over the Firth of Forth

Firth of Forth

The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...

. It also hosts an ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

 parlour and employs over thirty staff. The most popular order is haddock and chips although trout, halibut and lemon sole are also served.
The Anstruther Fish Bar has won the ‘Best Fish and Chip Shop’ in Scotland accolade on four occasions in the last six years. It was also named ‘Café of the Year 2005’ for Scotland by Les Routiers and won the Seafish Friers Award for Excellence every year between 1996 and 2006. In 2007, it was second in the U.K. 'Fish Shop of the Year' competition, described by the owner as "the Oscars" of the industry. In 2009 it finally won the competition, beating 1,000 competitors to become UK Fish & Chip Shop of the Year. Alison Smith, the owner, said: "Claiming the national title has always been our ambition, it's the ultimate goal in our industry. The title is a great reward for our hard-working staff and a great way of reminding our customers and fans throughout the UK where to buy the best fish and chips."

In 2007, it was one of the six Scottish finalist in UKTV Food

UKTV Food

Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...

's "Local Food Hero", assessed by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....

. The Anstruther Fish Bar has also featured in national television programmes such as 'Scottish Passport', 'The Holiday Programme', 'Scotland's Larder' as well as BBC Radio Scotland

BBC Radio Scotland

BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...

. It has also enjoyed international recognition. In 2004, 'Talking Island Productions' produced a feature on the business for Japanese television, and part of an episode of 'The Wandering Golfer' for 'The Fine Living

Fine Living

Fine Living Network was an American specialty television network owned by Scripps Networks Interactive...

 Channel' (USA) was filmed from the kitchen and restaurant of the Fish Bar. It also featured in American Magazine Bon Appetit.

It has served Prince William, Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...

 and Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...

.

Since 2003, the shop has been operated by Argo Fish, a small local firm owned by Robert and Alison Smith of St Monans, Fife

Fife

Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

. The owners work "hands on" in the restaurant, employing their two sons and almost 40 staff.

External links

• Official website
• Review of Anstruther Fish Bar (with photographs)