Café worker scales to top plaice
The Real Food Café has continued to reel in the accolades, with Magda Ganea being recognised as the top fish frier in Scotland at the annual Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Awards.
Whilst the 23 year old came second place overall she was the only contestant from Scotland to be named a finalist and the only female to reach that stage. The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year was part of the 30th National Fish & Chip Awards which culminated in a prestigious ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London at the end of January.
With close to 382 million portions of fish & chips served across the UK every year, the Young Fish Frier of the Year Awards recognises the brill-iance of fish friers under the age of 25.
The awards began in 1995 to encourage young people to consider a career in fish frying, and every year hundreds of entrants are tested in four rounds to reach the final. Magda was one of five, and the only finalist to travel from Scotland to attend the awards ceremony in London.
To reach that stage, Magda first had to complete a comprehensive questionnaire about the fish frying industry, before being interviewed by the judges. Next the judges, made up of a panel of industry experts, visited The Real Food Café in Tyndrum to observe Magda at work, before they conducted a mystery shop visit in the final round. At just 23, Magda plans to enter again next year, with hopes of battering the competition to take first plaice.
Over the course of the year Magda will be using her success at this year’s competition to raise the profile of a career in fish frying and increase knowledge of the industry; teaching other young people about fish and the issues that surround it, including free from awareness and sustainability.
Magda began working at The Real Food Café in 2016, the day after moving to Scotland from Romania and has turbot’d her way to success under the tutelage of café Manager and previous competition finalist, Colin McGeoch. The café prides itself in serving some of the very best fish and chips in Scotland and has enjoyed a string of recent awards, being named as one of five winners of Best Gluten Free Fish & Chips at the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards at the end of last year.
Whilst the 23 year old came second place overall she was the only contestant from Scotland to be named a finalist and the only female to reach that stage. The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year was part of the 30th National Fish & Chip Awards which culminated in a prestigious ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London at the end of January.
With close to 382 million portions of fish & chips served across the UK every year, the Young Fish Frier of the Year Awards recognises the brill-iance of fish friers under the age of 25.
The awards began in 1995 to encourage young people to consider a career in fish frying, and every year hundreds of entrants are tested in four rounds to reach the final. Magda was one of five, and the only finalist to travel from Scotland to attend the awards ceremony in London.
To reach that stage, Magda first had to complete a comprehensive questionnaire about the fish frying industry, before being interviewed by the judges. Next the judges, made up of a panel of industry experts, visited The Real Food Café in Tyndrum to observe Magda at work, before they conducted a mystery shop visit in the final round. At just 23, Magda plans to enter again next year, with hopes of battering the competition to take first plaice.
Over the course of the year Magda will be using her success at this year’s competition to raise the profile of a career in fish frying and increase knowledge of the industry; teaching other young people about fish and the issues that surround it, including free from awareness and sustainability.
Magda began working at The Real Food Café in 2016, the day after moving to Scotland from Romania and has turbot’d her way to success under the tutelage of café Manager and previous competition finalist, Colin McGeoch. The café prides itself in serving some of the very best fish and chips in Scotland and has enjoyed a string of recent awards, being named as one of five winners of Best Gluten Free Fish & Chips at the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards at the end of last year.
