Full of salty flavour and pleasingly flaky. That was my first impression of the award winning fish and chips made by Maidstone shop, Lewis's Fish & Grill.

It was announced today that the business had been crowned winner of the Best Newcomer Award at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2020.

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So, keen to try their fishy fare for myself, to see if it deserved its coveted plaice, I set off to the shop in Loose Road.

Brothers Gavin and Craig Lewis bought the shop in 2018 and a lot of their fish comes from the Faroe Islands.

Since they took over the business, the siblings have also tried to use sustainably-caught fish and be more eco-friendly cutting down on plastic.

Arriving at the chippie, and with no deliberation needed, I ordered a medium cod, small chips and tartare sauce, with some tomato ketchup.

The meal came to £7.65, which in my view, is quite a pricey sum.

The batter was reassuringly golden and there was a good amount of chips to go alongside it.

Neither the chips or cod were too greasy or too dry, which can sometimes be the case at lesser establishments.

The fish came away in big flakes and the batter and chips was a delicious combination.

On announcing that I couldn't finish the meal, my colleagues descended, with much debate over the quality of tartare sauce.

I felt there was too much vinegar, while an apparent lack of capers was also raised. However, another colleague declared it to be "excellent".

The batter was also said to be missing a satisfying "crunch" and on the chewy side.

Overall, it was one of the best fish and chip meals I have ever had, and I have had quite a few.

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