A fry cook from Inverurie has been named the best young fish fryer of the year in Scotland.
And it could get even better for Glen Morrison as he is now one of just four with a chance of taking home the UK title.
It’s been a swift rise for Glen, who just a few years ago had no idea he’d become such an important part of the team at his family’s chipper.
It was only when his dad, Garioch Fish Bar manager Murray Morrison, had an injury and broke three of his ribs in 2019, that the then 19-year-old stepped up to cover.
“He never had a back-up fryer so I kind of got chucked into the deep end on a Friday night,” he laughed.
“Originally, I never really knew I was going to work at the shop.
“But when I started frying, I just fell in love with it.”
Now, the 25-year-old is preparing to go to London as one of four finalists in the UK Young Fish Fryer of the Year awards.
Glen is ‘last Scot standing’ at chippy awards
Glen is the only Scottish contestant still standing, which he said is an honour.
“It feels great to be the last standing Scottish young fryer,” he said.
“In the last four years we’ve taken the shop from a normal fish and chip shop to one of the top 20 in the UK.
“I just feel like it’s a reward for all the hard work I’ve put in in the past four years.
“It’s good to be recognised at such a high level.”
Getting to the finals of the competition is no easy feat. Fry cooks hoping to win the award must first complete a 20 question exam.
After that, the successful cooks do a Zoom call while in their shop, where the contestants go through the process of how they fry food.
It then gets narrowed down to the final eight, with judges undertaking a three hour shop visit.
“They ask you questions about where your tatties are from, about changes in weather affecting the tatties, the way you batter fish, if your fish is sustainable,” Glen said.
“It’s quite a grilling for three hours.”
If you can emerge from that gruelling process, a talented final four get the chance to go to Westminster for the awards.
Glen’s final chance to scoop up chippy award
This isn’t Glen’s first time in the competition, as the Inverurie fryer was also one of four finalists in the competition last year.
But it will be his last, as Glen will be 26 by the time the 2026 event comes around and unable to enter.
“I was in the final four last year too but hopefully I’ll win this time,” he added.
The Garioch Fish Bar has had a number of accolades over the years.
Among them, the popular fish and chip shop shop won a place in Fry Magazine’s top 50 list for the third year in 2024.
Glen said: “I enjoy putting out really good quality food and interacting with customers.
“The whole environment of the shop is really positive.
“It’s somewhere you look forward to going to work.”
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