Its first owner Kathleen Longden ran the shop for 55 years, before being
succeeded by family members.

Its current owner Sally Shaw bought the shop eight years ago with her partner
Andrew Clarke, and they continue to operate it in the same way as when it
first opened – even using the original range to cook their traditional fish
and chips.

Their basic menu includes just cod, haddock, chips, mushy peas and home-made
curry sauce.

They use only locally-sourced Lincolnshire potatoes – cut with a traditional
chipper rather than a machine – and Grimsby fish which is coated in
home-made batter.

It is thought to be one of only a handful of chip shops in the UK still using
a coal fired range.

Miss Shaw, 41, said “We’ve just continued everything as Mrs Longden ran
the business, including the opening hours, even though the shop is very
popular.

“It takes so long to fire up the range, prepare all the fish and potatoes
and clean down afterwards that on a Saturday I’m here from 8am to 4pm
although the opening is only for just over two hours.”

The chip shop is one of only four fish and chip shop takeaways to feature in
the guide, which is out on Monday.

The others are Colmans in South Shields, The Magpie Café in Whitby and Rick
Stein’s Fish in Falmouth.

In its citation on Upton’s the Good Food Guide, which is now in its 64th year,
states it is a “must visit”.

Its inclusion in the Guide means it is now ranked alongside some of some of
the country’s finest restaurants and gastro pubs including Simon Rogan’s
L’Enclume restaurant, in Cumbria, which topped the list for the second year
running, and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, which was
second and which both scored a perfect 10.

Elizabeth Carter, editor of the guide, said: “The Upton Fish Shop is a real
local gem in Lincolnshire and has earned its place in the Waitrose Good Food
Guide 2015.

“The Waitrose Good Food Guide is about the best food in Britain – whether
that’s a high-end restaurant or a small chippy open two days a week.”