I've tried Scotland's best fish and chips right on the coast - and they beat anything else in the UK

Scotland is home to a wide variety of award-winning fish and chip shops, including the one deemed to be the best in the country.

The Anstruther Fish Bar has won multiple awards and was recently visited by my colleague Danny Mei Lan Malin from the Yorkshire Evening Post who went and loved the town, but was ‘disappointed’ by the fish and chips.

One of the problems cited was that the fish and chips hadn’t been fried in beef dripping. I think this highlights the regional differences and preferences with fish and chips, one of our proudest and most loved national dishes.

You would no more fry fresh fish and potatoes in beef dripping in Scotland than you would ask an Edinburgh resident if they want chippy sauce. It’s these little differences - the single fish supper, a haggis or white pudding supper, sauces, the addition of bread or rolls for a butty and the oil they are all fried in - that showcase how different our four nations really are.

One of the country’s best known, and multi-award winning, chippies, the Anstruther Fish Bar is located right on the harbour of this charming Fife fishing village. On sunny days, get your fish and chips to go and enjoy them on a bench while watching the boats.

I didn’t grow up in the fish and chip business, but being from a seaside town in Fife - not the posh bit, the East Neuk - fish and chips were a regular treat as they were fresh, cheap at the time and always very good.

It’s still something I enjoy when I visit my parents on a weekend. Piping hot, delicate haddock in crispy batter and crisp fat chippy chips doused in vinegar - it’s a dinner that takes me back to my childhood.

The dish is even better when it’s eaten straight from the paper by the harbour. I lived in London for years and that's where you’ll find the worst fish and chips in the UK.

Fish with skin still on it and no idea what a single fish supper is - neither me nor the people serving me knew what was being ordered. In Dubai, however, I found a taste of home when visiting Bob’s Fish and Chips, which turned out to be run by a guy from Paisley. Fresh fish suppers, excellent chips and valet parking, What more could you ask for?

Back at home, I am, of course, biased. So don’t just take my word for the Anstruther Fish Bar being the best. It’s been visited over the years by countless celebrities - most recently Tom Holland - as well as royalty. Plus it’s named yearly in the annual Fry Magazine Top 50 Fish and Chip restaurants and takeaways in the UK.

It’s also one of many, many brilliant chippies in Scotland that have won awards and fans. More widely, Scotland is home to the best fish and seafood in the UK and with access to this fresh fish, our chippies are serving excellent fish suppers.

The Bay in Stonehaven, Fish Works in Largs, Romano’s in Burntisland and Cromars in St Andrews are all well worth a visit for their quality fish and chips and many for their waterside location.

So apologies to those in Yorkshire and my colleague, but beef dripping, triple cooked chips and the lack of chippy sauce - none of those things make for the best fish and chips. You need to come to Scotland for those.