The first British-Asian winner of the best fish and chips takeaway award has said he is proud to fly the St George’s flag.
Aman and Gavin Dhesi, who run The Scrap Box in York, scooped Takeaway of the Year at the The National Fish & Chip Awards, considered the ‘Oscars’ of the industry.
They said the honour was ‘one every chippy dreams of’.
The brothers, who followed in their father’s footsteps in running a chippy, said they are believed to be the first ever non-white winners of this category.
Aman, 36, a British-born Punjabi Sikh, told the Daily Mail he is ‘proud’ to win because ‘we’re showing that the fact of Britain is complex, and so is fish and chips’.
He said: ‘There’s so much complexity about this country. I think people just need to look a bit more at its history, how we got here and the complexities that really make Britain what it is.
‘I want to fly the St George’s flag for that complexity. That’s what makes Britain what it is.’
For Aman, the national dish represents what he loves about ‘modern-day Britain’.
Two brothers, Aman and Gavin Dhesi, who run The Scrap Box in York, scooped The National Fish & Chip Awards 2026 Takeaway of the Year at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London
The Scrap Box in York was transformed from an old public toilet after a six month renovation
‘Even though it’s a British dish, what makes it up is global. It’s the product of migration, trade, empire, working-class graft, and reinvention. I think that really represents modern-day Britain and we’re proud of that,’ he said.
Fish and chips is long considered England’s national dish but its roots are not as British as you might think.
Chips date back to the 17th Century to either Belgium or France, while fried fish was introduced into Britain by Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain around the same time.
It is widely believed one of the first fish and chip shops by a Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malin, in east London around 1860.
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Aman said most of his fish now comes from Norway.
‘I think it’s a working-class dish and working-class Britain is made up of so many people,’ he continued.
‘You’ve got white working-class families up and down the country that have carried the tradition of fish and chips for so long but then you’ve had a lot of immigrants that have come and moved into this industry.
‘You had Italians and the Scottish who transformed the trade. Then you had the Chinese and Indian immigrants. My grandad came over in the 60s.’
‘Winning this award is a testament to our parents and all the hard work they put in and will hopefully inspire more people to enter the awards next year.’
Aman, 36, and Gavin, 33, won the 38th iteration of the UK’s official fish and chip competition
The brothers opened The Scrap Box 10 years ago after converting a public toilet block over six months into a takeaway.
‘My dad had a chippy around 20 years ago and he still helps out now. He’s here every morning at six prepping the fish.
‘My mum keeps everyone in check. All the staff and us are a bit scared of her and we like that. Me and my brother are a bit too fun sometimes, so we need someone a bit professional who’s done it over the years too.’
Aman said that while he was encouraged and took the ‘traditional’ route of school and university, studying politics, he felt that he wanted to return and serve his home community.
‘It’s been a success from day one, so I’ve not even actually had a thought to change career yet. I still might one day but it looks like fish and chips have taken over my life now.’
A haddock and chips at the Scrap Box costs £10.95 while a cod and chips costs £11.95. They also serve chippy classics such as mushy peas, curry sauce and a homemade tartare sauce.
They use traditional beef dripping to fry their fish and chips, compared to the modern, and cheaper, vegetable oil used in other chippies.
The awards, which started in 1988, were held on Wednesday night at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London.
