A NEIGHBOURHOOD chippy has served up another portion of success.

Sandylands Fish and Chips, in Kendal, is being held up as a beacon of excellence by the National Federation of Fish Friers for its spotlessly clean and safe premises, excellent staff behind the counter, and responsible sourcing of fresh ingredients.

Simon Liness, who owns the takeaway at Langdale Crescent with wife Lyn, told the Gazette he was "over the moon" with the new accolade. The Sandylands chip shop is now one of just two in the country to be given 'primary authority status' by the federation - making it a model of good practice for the UK's 10,500 fish and chip businesses.

MORE TOP STORIES:

"It's just like a dream at the minute," Mr Liness told the Gazette. "We are absolutely over the moon. We couldn't do it without the staff. It's not just a case of serving the fish and chips, handing them over - it's their attitude as well, looking after the shop and making sure it's absolutely as clean as it possibly can be."

For Mr and Mrs Liness, who are parents to Sam, 13, and Jessica, 10, the success follows on from April's Quality Award bestowed by the industry federation.

Mr Liness has now been invited to enter the National Fish and Chip Awards 2018 at Lancaster House, London. "It's an invite into a world where everybody else is competing at such a high level, and just to be asked into that is fantastic for us."

Two years ago, Mr and Mrs Liness's fish and chip shop in Barrow-in-Furness was highly commended at the awards. They sold that business last July, and have been running Sandylands for four years, with dedicated staff Helen Thomson, Steph Townson, and Barry Jones, who ran the Wheatsheaf pub in Kirkland.

Fresh fish is supplied by Procters, of Morecambe, with potatoes from Jenkinsons, of Pilling. Sandylands' speciality is golden batter so light, it is almost transparent, with soda added to the flour to lift the coating away from the fish fillet.

"People are always saying to me how passionate I am," said Mr Liness. "One of the reasons we are so passionate about it is because we are expecting people to go out of their way to come and see you us. There is no passing trade, so in that respect we have to be on top of our game."

A spokesman for South Lakeland District Council told the Gazette: “It is always good to see local businesses going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure the highest standards of food safety and hygiene."