Gone are the days that newspaper used to neatly package a portion of fish and chips, but the Wiltshire Times has still managed to bring joy to one restaurateur.

Over the last few months, fish and chip shops have been nominated in their droves by loyal customers, and readers then voted for their favourite as the nominations were narrowed down.

Now, after hundreds of votes, the winner of the Wiltshire Times Best Chip Shop has been revealed - Ocean’s Traditional Fish & Chips, at Unit 5 Verbena Court in Melksham.

Owner Carlos Serrao said he was really happy to have been nominated, let alone to win, and it reflected the good relations with customers.

He was presented with a certificate from Newsquest, the company that owns the Wiltshire Times, on Wednesday.

Carlos moved from Madeira to England in 1993 and was educated in Oxfordshire.When he was 14, he picked up his first job at a chip shop and worked shifts between schooling.

Years of mastering his trade followed and five years ago Carlos, who also runs a building company, decided to take the plunge and launch his own shop.

Ocean’s was launched in Melksham and two sister restaurants, the Happy Cod in Swindon and Bristol, soon followed.

He said: “Everyone works really hard here to maintain standards and customer service, that really matters to us. We have people come in every week, every month again and again.

“We look at everything we make and I tell the staff, if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t give it to customers. Even if the colour seems a little different, if you are in any doubt, make another portion. That’s what I was taught”

Ocean’s also does dedicated gluten free fish suppers every Monday and Tuesday, and sticks to the highest of food hygiene regulations.

Carlos said: “I have spent lots of years working really hard to make sure our fish and chips are really, really good so I am really happy to be first.

“I trained with Smart Fish and Chips years and years ago which was really important when I started out.

“Quality is always the most important but we are also trying to make sure we are environmentally friendly, even if it means spending more money in the meantime.

“We aren’t allowed to use newspapers for fish and chips these days, because the ink is not safe, but we put our fish and chips in boxes that are made of cardboard so they can be recycled.

“Thank you for the prize, it has been so good and made us very happy!”

Coming in closely behind Ocean’s in the competition was the Codfather Restaurant on Church Street in Trowbridge, followed by the Jolly Friar on Brook Road, which is also in Trowbridge.