Revealed: The chippy which you decided is Hartlepool's best

Mary Lambert is the plaice to be for the discerning fish and chip fan.

The well-loved cafe and bakery has battered the opposition to be named the Hartlepool Mail Chippy of the Year 2016.

Our readers were in no doubt about the Villiers Street favourite being named as the pick of Hartlepool’s frieries.

We drew up a shortlist of dozens of the town’s best fish and chip takeaways and restaurants and invited readers to pick their favourite.

You didn’t let us down, and we were overwhelmed by the response.

But when all the votes were in, there was no doubt you figured Mary Lambert was the pick of the takeaway bunch.

Bosses at the family business say their secret is using fresh cod and haddock which is sourced within the town.

Delighted manager Phillippa Lambert Shaheen said it is an honour to be given the vote of confidence by Mail readers and be named the best in the town.

Mary Lambert’s may have been a Hartlepool mainstay for half a century, but only started cooking-up fish and chips comparatively recently.

“It is a family business, we are a restaurant and bakery - Mary Lambert has been here since 1960,” said Phillippa.

Phillippa is the third generation of the family to work in a business founded by her grandmother, the original Mary Lambert.

“We have only been doing fish and chips for the last four-and-a-half years, so to be named Chippy of the Year is a real honour,” said Phillippa.

Although customers are familiar with Lambert’s as a great place for a sit-down meal, many are still surprised to discover it also offers a traditional fish and chip takeaway service.

“We are a well-known restaurant, so a lot of people think we don’t do take away - but we do.

“Our fish and chips are eat in or take away.”

For Phillippa, the key to producing award-winning fish and chips is all down to the quality of the ingredients.

“We only use fresh fish, completely fresh cod and haddock from Hartlepool Quay, which we have delivered every day,” she said.