The Yorkshire fish and chip shop - formerly a bank - sees visitor rise after award nomination

The Fish Bank, Sherburn-in-Elmet: Yorkshire takeaway that was a NatWest bank has seen boost in visitors after being named among top 40 fish and chip shops in UK

The owner of a popular Yorkshire chippy set within an old NatWest bank said it has seen a significant visitor boost after being named among top 40 fish and chip shops in the UK.

The Fish Bank was first established as a fish and chip shop in 2019 by Jonathan France, 47, but for many years previously it was a NatWest bank on the high street of Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Despite it having to close during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Fish Bank has seen visitor numbers increasing over the years.

The takeaway started attracting national attention when it was listed in various awards, including being recognised by the National Fish and Chip Awards every year since 2023.

Jonathan France cooking in the kitchen at Fish Bank. (Pic credit: Jonathan France)

“We're a busy shop,” Jonathan said.

“People come from all around. Lots of new faces come and say hello and people have recommended us or they've seen us in the media and want to come and try us. It’s fantastic.

“[The awards] have really boosted our visibility; we get hundreds of visitors a week.

“The building is 80, 90 years old. In the earlier days we've had people come in and say ‘I used to remember this is a bank, the safe used to be over there’ and so there are people reminiscing quite a bit.”

The Fish Bank. (Pic credit: Jonathan France)

The Fish Bank has been listed as one of the top 40 fish and chip shops in the UK in the National Fish and Chip Awards this year.

Jonathan told The Yorkshire Post the business prides itself on cooking fish and chips the ‘traditional’ way by cooking the chips in beef dripping and the haddock in batter and flour.

Jonathan was delighted at the latest award nomination announcement.

“It’s fantastic, such a thrill,” he added.

Jonathan France with Primary School children at the Fish Bank Chip Growing Club. (Pic credit: Jonathan France)

“There’s a lot of hard work behind every portion we serve, from choosing our ingredients to cooking consistently well and making customers feel welcome.

“We put a lot of effort into making it as good as fish and chips can be: fresh local haddock from the East Coast and British potatoes cooked traditionally in beef dripping.

“It’s lovely recognition for the team, and we’re grateful to our customers who support us week after week.

“We've got a great shop. It’s bright, it’s spotlessly clean. We've put a lot into making sure the food is consistent.

“The staff are really friendly, we put a lot into customer service. I think that’s what people expect.”

Jonathan, who is originally from Sherburn-in-Elmet, started hosting a chip-growing club for children this year to educate them on where the food comes from.

The new interactive project involves teaching young children where the food is grown by giving them potato seeds to take home and grow their own chips.

“We gave them all a seed potato, they went home and they started it off on the windowsill, they brought it in and then we grew it in the garden in potato planters,” Jonathan said.

“They watered it, added more soil and then, probably about six weeks ago, they were ready so they all came back.

“We dug them all up, we washed them and we cut them up and we all had fish and chips in the garden. The kids loved it, they were all very excited.

“We're gonna do it every year. People talk about kids not knowing where their food comes from and I’d seen this [gardening] subscription called Pot Gang, where they send you seeds and I thought, you know what? Some of the kids would love to grow their own product and we could cook it up together.”