It’s official – entries are in and the 2017 Best Chip Shop Competition is well and truly
underway! With just under 80 entrants in this year’s competition, after a 4-year hiatus we are thrilled to see such an engaged number of operators on board. We have seven regions represented throughout the country and now we eagerly await whose chips will reign supreme….
Just like the 2013 Competition, a crucial factor in the judging process will be comparing the fat content of each entrants’ chips. Over the next few weeks, entrants will be sent a ‘testing kit’ where they must cook their chips, as they normally would, place them in a sample bag and send them away to the lab for fat testing. All those operators whose chips contain less than 9% fat – will receive a Highly Commended Award.
From here all Highly Commended Chips will automatically become a Regional Finalist – they will be mystery judged with the chance to win one of the seven ‘Regional Winner’ titles. The seven regions are as follows: Northland and North Shore, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Central – Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, Greater Wellington – including Manawatu and Whanganui, Upper South Island – including Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman, West Coast and Christchurch and Lower South Island – including South Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
The competition and judging period will run through the months of May, June and July – with the final Grand National Winner being announced at the Potatoes New Zealand Conference in Pukekohe on Wednesday 26th July. Stay tuned to hear updates on whose chips are considered the best in your region and who will win the ultimate NZ chip prize.
During this time we also open the door to our new award the 2017 Bidfood People’s Choice Award. This part of the competition will be judged via online voting, where customers and the public can head online and nominate their favourite chip shop.
To find out more about the Bidfood People’s Choice Award go to our website www.thechipgroup.co.nz/peopleschoice.
Kate Underwood
Training and Education Manager
The Chip Group