Serene Fish and Chips has just been shortlisted for an award which could see them being crowned best fish and chip shop in the country.

Mustafa Redif, 51, owner of the shop in Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill, said he was excited to get through to the final six of the London and south east division.

If he gets through the next round in October, the shop will be in the running for the National Fish & Chip Awards 2014 in the independent shop category.

Mr Redif said: “It’s great. All that hard work has paid off. We pay a lot of attention to the quality and customer relations. The shop has become part of the community.”

He said putting the customer at the centre of all they do is one of the factors which has meant the shop has lasted 23 years.

“We have customer of the week and deals on our Facebook page,” Mr Redif said. “We show a lot of interest in our customers and the quality of the fish we use.”