A father and son-run restaurant has been named the best fish and chippy in the UK.

McDermott’s on Featherbed Lane, Croydon, picked up the prize of best restaurant at the Seafish National Fish and Chip Awards 2012 at Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel, London on Tuesday January 17.

Run by Tony and Sean McDermott, the restaurant beat of competition from across the country to become only the second London shop to win the prize in the competition’s 20 year history.

Sean said: “This is soothing predominantly won by restaurants where they have a different approach, more traditional, to sit down fish and chip restaurants.

“You find a lot of places in and around London slap a few plastic chairs down in the takeaway area and leave it at that.”

“Our layout is very different to most people’s idea of fish and chips and I think that is one of the things that marked us out.

We have won awards for our customer services, and the judges highlighted that, but at the end of the day all that is additional - it is the food that is all important.”

The news comes after a difficult period for the family which experienced a fire at the restaurant on October 28 last year.

Following this a second restaurant in Orpington was opened before the end of the year.

Sean said: “We have been in the business 26 years and with the launch of the new site are hoping to expand. The award is great but we know it is the support of our customers that matters.

"We serve around 600 sit down meals a week in the Croydon restaurant and four times that many take-aways so you could say the award just supports what are loyal customer base already know.”