THE co-owners of an award-winning chippy in Haxby travelled thousands of miles to attend an event in Japan, where they dished up more than 10,000 portions of their fish and chips.

Father and son team, David and Nick Miller, who run Miller’s Fish and Chips, were invited to take part in the Hankyu British Fair as ambassadors for their industry after they were named the UK’s best fish and chip shop earlier this year at the National Fish and Chip Awards in London.

The fair has been celebrating the very best of British produce for more than 50 years and is an opportunity for Japanese shoppers to immerse themselves in British culture.

The popular event takes place for seven days between the Hakata and Uemda Hankyu department stores in Fukuoka and Osaka, with in excess of half a million visitors attending.

Nick said: “This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it’s been a real honour to represent the UK’s fish and chip industry in Japan. We were blown away by the enthusiasm and demand for British produce. On average, we were serving over 1,000 portions of fish and chips every day with queues growing to 150-deep, resulting in us breaking the previous record for the largest number of fish and chip portions sold throughout the fair.

“For some customers, this was their first time trying British fish and chips, so we’re proud we could be a part of that experience. This visit was also our first proper dive into Japanese culture and everybody has been so welcoming, from the organisers of the fair and everybody involved to the other prestigious British brands exhibiting alongside us and, of course, the customers.”

Incredibly, during their trip, David and Nick bumped into an old customer from Haxby who is now working in Osaka as a British tutor.

His mum used to visit the shop every single Saturday at 11.30am to pick up a Lite-Bite portion of fish and chips for his grandad.

Miller’s Fish and Chips were joined at the fair by a large pool of British exhibitors offering everything from scones and sausage rolls to the famous designers MinaLima who are responsible for the graphic design and illustration in the Harry Potter films.

Keiji Hayashi, project and business development manager at Hankyu Hanshin Express UK, said: “The Hankyu British Fair is one of the most highly anticipated calendar events for shoppers in Osaka and Fukuoka, showcasing the best in British culture and the finest foods available. Fish and chips is an important part of British culture and we’re so pleased more Hankyu customers than ever before were able to sample the UK’s best fish and chips."