THE owners of an Eden fish-and-chip shop are spreading the word about the source of their cod and haddock.

Shap Chippy has become an ambassador for the Norwegian Seafood Council, with owners Matt and Ashley Phillips keen for their customers to know their fish comes from the Barents Sea. Off the northern coast of Norway, the icy waters are said to be home to one of the most plentiful stocks of cod and haddock.

To help share the message and to thank their loyal customers, the Main Street chippy will be giving away free woolly beanie hats tomorrow (Friday, March 13) when people spend £10 or more.

The following Friday's (March 20) giveaway on spends of £10 or more will be free reusable water bottles.

“Sustainability is more important than ever," said Ashley, a trained fishmonger and co-owner of the village takeaway and restaurant.

"It matters greatly where we source our fish from - origin really does matter. We are proud to tell our customers we source sustainably from Norway’s cold, clear waters and we are lucky to have witnessed Norway’s sustainable fishing practices first-hand."

Once caught, Shap Chippy's cod and haddock is cleaned, skinned, filleted and frozen with four hours of landing. Once in the shop, staff fillet the fish into small, regular or large portions every morning, ready for the day ahead.

Shap Chippy has joined the partnership launched by the Norwegian Seafood Council and the fishing vessel Ramoen to offer the giveaways of woolly hats and water bottles. The aim is to increase awareness of the importance of origin.

The project began with an industry round-table event, attended by staff from the village chip shop, to discuss the future of sustainable fish and chips, and threats to stock levels in the North Sea.

Matt Phillips, co-owner of Shap Chippy, said the team were looking forward to celebrating their relationship with Norway, as well as their customers' loyalty.

Hans Frode Kielland Asmyhr , UK director of the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: "Norway has a longstanding relationship with the UK in providing premium-quality, sustainable seafood." He said the council was proud to be supporting those chippies who took pride in sourcing their seafood sustainably from Norwegian waters.