The fish melts in the mouth and the chips are cooked to perfection – it is no wonder then that a top Carlisle chippy has just scooped an award for their loveliness.

The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), the trade body that represents the nation’s fish and chip shops, awarded Fontana’s after a rigorous inspection.

Recalling the inspection, Samantha Dixon, a partner at the London Road chip shop, said: “The inspection was quite scary.

“It was in October and the man was here for five hours. I was practically on the floor by the end of it.”

The scheme is a way of rewarding and promoting shops that provide good quality products and high standards of hygiene, as well as friers who show a high level of competence.

To qualify, each shop has to go through an inspection by an NFFF Approved Assessor who assesses the shop’s presentation, hygiene and cleanliness, staff training, equipment, frying and sales skills and most importantly the quality of the cooked product.

Samantha, who has been in the business full-time for the last 18 years, said: “He asked loads of questions about our practices and wanted to see paperwork as well.

“He checked our food preparation and the temperatures, looked at the appearance of the shop as a whole and tasted the fish and chips.

“He was very concise. It’s unbelievable the things they look for.

“It then went through a third party before I got a phone call from the NFFF to say we’d been given the award. I was over the moon.”

Fontana’s, which employs about 21 staff, gets its fish from Henry Colbeck, a fish and chip supplier.

Samantha said: “The fish comes from the north Atlantic sea but the price is always rising.

“It’s going up all the time, and unfortunately we have to pass that increase on to our customers.”

The shop was refurbished last year and welcomes regular customers every day.

Samantha’s dad, David Foster, who also works in Fontana’s, said: “We’re open all year round except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday.

“We have our staff Christmas party on Easter Sunday as that’s the only time we can all get together.”

The best sellers at Fontana’s are fish and chips, sausage and chips, cheesy chips and gravy and chips, cheese and curry. Mr Foster added: “Cheesy chips are very popular in Carlisle.

“January and February are generally our quietest months and Friday and Saturday tea times are our busiest times.”

And customers agree that the quality of the fish and chips is great and the award is well deserved.

Regular Carl Storey, 27, of Harraby, Carlisle, said: “I come in for the jumbo chips and curry.

“I come in quite a bit. The chips are nice and it’s always fresh, quality stuff.”

A battered burger was the lunch snack of choice for Martin Salkir, 31, of Denton Holme.

He said: “I work close by so I pop in. It’s nice – beautiful.”

Mavis Pearson, 74, of Harraby, Carlisle, ordered a haggis for her husband.

She said: “I like the fish and my husband generally has haggis or black pudding.

“It’s always clean and they do nice fish and chips.”

Alongside holding the NFFF Quality Award Fontana’s, on London Road, has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for 2017 and holds a five star Food Hygiene Rating.

NFFF President Andrew Crook said: “Fontana’s clearly takes pride in where it sources its fish and potatoes from. The NFFF Fish & Chip Quality Award assessment is extremely comprehensive.

“Food safety is a key area that we examine together with other aspects of the business from the preparation and cooking equipment, to the management of paperwork and the traceability of fish.

“Achieving the NFFF Fish & Chip Quality Award provides reassurance to customers that they are being served cooked food using high-quality ingredients.”

The award lasts for two years.