A little town is home to the country’s best fish and chips. Blaenavon is a town in Torfaen, Wales. It is on a hillside near the source of the Afon Lwyd, and the town’s name means “head of the river”.
The town is home to Elgam Fish Bar, which was named the Best Fish and Chips Establishment at the Food Awards Wales in 2025 and 2024, and was a finalist in 2022. The chippy was opened in 1995 by Janet and John Bright, who then passed it on to their son Paul and his wife Jemma in 2000. It is now run by their son Scott and his wife Kim. Elgam Fish Bar said of the win: “Best Fish & Chip Shop in Wales! Massive thank you to all our lovely customers that’s voted for us! We appreciate you so much! And most importantly, a big thank you to our amazing team – we wouldn’t have done it without you, you all work so hard. We are so grateful to have been awarded Best Fish & Chip Shop in Wales for the last two years
“This would not have been possible without our amazing team who work incredibly hard week in week out. We have the best team and also a big shout to our amazing customers.”
With a 4.9 score on Google Reviews, customers said: “Good food and great staff, couldn’t recommend more.” Another said: “It didn’t disappoint, absolutely fabulous! I can see why they’ve won awards.”
Parts of the town and surrounding country form the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site chosen for its evidence of the pre-eminence of South Wales as the world’s major producer of iron and coal in the 19th century.
All the necessary elements can still be seen – coal and ore mines, quarries, a primitive railway system, furnaces, workers’ homes, and the social infrastructure of their community.
Attractions connected to the site include the Big Pit National Coal Museum (an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage), the Blaenavon Ironworks, the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, and Blaenavon World Heritage Centre.
The town is also situated next to the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, with mountains and woodland cut up by many trails for walking and cycling.
