A fishmonger in Kingsbridge has been named as one of the UK’s favourite local food shops in a national newspaper article.

Catch of the Day was Devon’s sole entry in a list of 16 establishments in a feature in The Guardian.

Owned by married couple Emma and Darren Carter, the fishmonger on Fore Street specialises in selling locally caught fish as well as being a ‘smokehouse’, offering produce that is smoked on the premises.

Ms Darren, who took over the business in 2009 together with her husband, said she felt “very touched” by the nomination.

“We never thought we would come this far in our career,” said Ms Carter, who is also reputed to be the first woman in the UK to skipper a fishing trawler.

“Everything has to be fished sustainably, which means there is no impact on the seabed – so it’s netted or line caught,” she told this paper.

The artisanal aspect of ‘smoking’ fish, which was started by the first owners in 1955, is chemical-free and done by hand, she explained.

Ms Carter also gave details of her life as the skipper of a fishing trawler, revealing that she took an interest in the trade from an early age, as her foster father was a fisherman in Plymouth.

“He had a trawler and I was obsessed with it - I wanted to go to sea,” she said.

Although she started fishing commercially from a very young age, she hung up her oilskins after 10 years for health reasons.

Now well established in the town, Ms Carter said it was essential to have good quality fishmongers.

“We’re just trying to educate people to say ‘come on in, even if you don’t want to buy anything’. People should embrace fish!” she said, adding that she and her staff were more than happy to prep the fish and “do all the hard work” for their customers.

The business may well ‘catch’ more media attention later this summer, having beaten more than 40 rivals to reach the final of a UK Fishmonger of the Year competition.