Anthony Cho, co-owner of So Fine Seafoods in Lower Hutt, shares the secrets of how to make New Zealand's best fish and chips.

Anthony Cho has good reason to be chipper – his takeaway in Lower Hutt has just scooped the prize for best chip shop in the country.

So Fine Seafoods has become the Grand National Winner of the 2017 Best Chip Shop Competition, after first winning the Greater Wellington award and then beating six other regional winners to claim the top prize.

Cho was in disbelief when organisers told him his shop had won.

MATTHEW TSO/STUFF Husband and wife Anthony Cho and Jian Huan Zhou with a serving of the award-winning So Fine Seafoods' fish and chips.

"We got a shock. I said, 'You're having me on. You're pulling my leg!'

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"It's fantastic to win. I'm over the moon."

Cho and other regional winners were flown to Auckland to be presented with plaques.

Competition organiser Steve Sheppard said So Fine Seafoods scored 100 per cent in the final round of judging, the first time a perfect score had been achieved in the competition's history.

Finalists were judged on the cleanliness of their shops, customer service and the taste of their food.

So Fine Seafoods is no stranger to success, having been a regional winner in the competition five times.

Cho put his success down to wanting to produce the best quality fish and chips to keep his customers happy and coming back for more.

The secret to good fish and chips was consistency. Fish and chips cooked in clean oil and at the right temperature produced the best flavour.

The Best Chip Shop Competition has been on a four year hiatus and So Fine Seafoods was up against strong competition from all over the country.

They first sent their chips off to a laboratory to ensure they contained less than 9 percent fat to progress to the judging stages.

Two rounds of 'mystery shopping' followed where judges checked out shops and sampled food to determine the regional winners who went into the finals where So Fine Seafoods was judged the national winner.

The mystery shopper did not hold back in their praise for the Avalon chip shop.

"The food was hot, fresh and tasty. Easily the best chips I've ever had the pleasure of eating."