A HAMPSHIRE family is toasting a triple celebration after three of their fish and chip shops scooped a coveted award for the second year running.

Shane Lee and his sons John Henry and Sonny run four chippies in the Eastleigh, Hedge End and West End areas.

Now three  outlets have been named as among the best in the country by industry experts.

Sonny’s Traditional Fish and Chips in Eastleigh, and The Codfather and J Henry’s Fish and Chips, both in Hedge End, have been judged as among the top six in Central and Southern England.

Now they are set to batter it out in the contest to become the best in the land in the next round of a contest dubbed ‘the Oscars’ of the fish frying industry.

All three shops are gunning for the Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award in the National Fish and Chip Awards 2017, run by Seafish.

Over the coming weeks, shops will be subjected to rigorous judging criteria including visits from mystery shoppers scrutinising shop appearance, menus, responsible sourcing policies, customer service and staff training.

The next stage of the competition will whittle down the line-up to a UK top 20 and subsequently a regional title.

The overall national winner will be announced at a glamorous awards ceremony at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel on January 26, next year.

Shane and Sonny run J Henry’s while the Codfather is run by manager Ashley Jones.

John, 32, runs Sonny’s with manager Mike Isaac.

The shop has witnessed a roaring trade since opening 18 months ago.

Mr Henry-Lee said: “We are really happy to get this again. We were over the moon last year, but to do it again this year is amazing.

"We pride ourselves on quality and it is what keeps our customers coming back – it’s a recipe for success.”

Marcus Coleman, chief executive at Seafish, said the award is one of the “highest honours” in the industry and said: “Receiving this award is the pinnacle of many friers’ careers, but only one can take home the title.

“I wish all contenders the best of luck as they move onto the next stage of judging and look forward to seeing who comes out on top.”

Owners can only enter three shops into the award so Mr Henry-Lee said their fourth outlet Best Fry is going to be entered into a separate competition for the top 50 fish and chip shops in the country.