UTENSIL WASHER 'GAME CHANGER' FOR BRITAIN'S BEST CHIPPIE
The Scrap Box is officially a brilliant fish and chip shop – in fact, it’s the best in Britain, having won the 2026 Takeaway of the Year at the National Fish and Chip Awards. Organised by the National Federation of Fish Friers, the award is regarded as the Oscars of the industry. However, one thing that used to bother The Scrap Box’s owners, brothers Gavin and Aman Dhesi, was the washing up: it’s a very busy shop and all those trays and utensils are hard work to clean, and the site was too small for a utensil washer. Or so they thought. Then they saw the Winterhalter GS630 in another chippie, and realised their mistake – although it’s the smallest utensil washer in the world, the GS630 can handle the big trays and pans The Scrap Box uses. So they invested in one and haven’t looked back since.
The Scrap Box is on the busy A1709 in Dunton, just outside York. “For us, it’s incredibly important to get fish and chips right,” says Gavin. “For example, one of the key elements is beef dripping. It’s old school, but it gives the best taste. So that’s what we use.”
Consistency is another cornerstone of the brothers’ philosophy. “Being the best is about being consistent. We keep things simple. People talk about secret batter recipes, but we just use flour and water – it’s the beef dripping that’s our real secret, that’s what gives the crunch and the flavour.”
The kitchen area at the back of the shop is small – which is why the brothers never thought they could have a utensil washer. “We've always liked the idea of a washer. Because of the limited space, we always thought that that wasn't possible for the size of the items that we're washing. Then we saw a Winterhalter undercounter washer, and we realised it was actually possible to get quite a small size dishwasher washing big items.”
Next they researched the market by visiting other fish and chip shops that had different types of utensil washers. “The biggest feedback that we got was that with cheaper machines there was a lot of downtime. Typically, you know, on a Friday service, when you’re busiest, they would go down!
“Then we spoke to some friends who had a Winterhalter and it was a completely opposite experience. The machine was reliable, they had no issues with it. It could deal with the heavy amount of grease and the large items that we need to wash.”
Consequently, Gavin and Aman decided to go for the Winterhalter GS630 undercounter utensil washer. “It's been performing incredibly well,” says Gavin. “We knew it would take away the cumbersome work, but what’s really surprised us is how much better it actually washes up.”
It’s not just the results that impress Gavin. “It’s faster, too – by the time we’ve put whatever we want to wash in and pressed the button, and gone off and done another job, it's always washed and ready to go. I think the wash cycle is two minutes.”
In the last year, The Scrap Box has won a number of awards, which has meant that the shop has become a lot busier, but the GS630 has helped them cope. “Because of the Winterhalter, we’ve not had to increase the number of staff that we have on for all these extra customers,” says Gavin. “Effectively, we've gained an extra member of staff just by having the GS630 in place, which has been invaluable.
“The Winterhalter has been a massively valuable part of the changes we've made here at the shop, and it's now a huge part of how we work. It was worth every single penny. We’d definitely recommend it to anyone who has a similar set up to us. It's been a game changer.”
As the smallest utensil washer in the world, the GS630 is designed to fit under the counter. Despite its compact design, it delivers outstanding results, especially when used in conjunction with Winterhalter’s range of cleaning chemicals. It’s easy to use, thanks to its simple one button operation. Its self-cleaning function makes looking after the machine easy, too, and its auto pre-wash feature takes away another chore for operators.