The best fish roll in the world, Hastings

The best fish roll ever? A brave statement to start with, I am aware. However, with the view that I am not usually and have never been a strong advocate of our fishy friends (I strongly suspect this stemmed from watching my friend’s brother eat a worm in front of me in primary school, they look like prawns okay), I would humbly suggest you sit up and listen.

The weekend arrived, bringing with it a welcome binge. Saturday night my best friend and I proved you could do Yo! Sushi for a fiver each – sharing a plate of sashimi and then a bowl of miso soup each (free refills am I right?!) However, the disastrous trip back home, in which we caught the wrong bus, the right bus, then got off at the wrong station, was saved by none other than Krispy Kreme. Who would say no to a box of twelve for just £2 extra? No one sane, I can assure you.

Thus Sunday morning breakfast brought with it a sugar rush, and after pigging on doughnuts my mum, brother and I hopped in the car with flasks of black coffee and spent an hour singing James Morrison (or maybe that was just me) as we sped down the motorway, destination: Hastings.

More specifically, the three of us wanted to visit the Jerwood Gallery’s current Summer exhibition of drawings. I didn’t take any photos of the actual exhibition, since the gallery website is pretty strict on no photos in the gallery and I didn’t fancy a mess with the law.

Then it was off to a late lunch at the gallery restaurant, Webbe’s. Webbe’s offers traditional, relaxed dining with a classy twist. I loved the minimalist interior with the bare bulbs and pops of primary colour. We started by sitting on the breezy balcony outside, but when the wind picked up a little we took this as our cue to shuffle indoors.

On to what we ate! We shared a late lunch of brown and white crab sandwiches, hand cut chips and sweet potato and chickpea cakes with curry oil, tomato relish and mint yogurt. Mum thought the filling for the sandwiches was a bit on the neat side, considering the price, but enjoyed the chunky chips. The shallow frying created a light, melt-in-your mouth experience. I thought the chickpea cakes were very tasty as well. These were made very smooth and palatable with the subtle salsa and simple dressing. Perhaps it comes down to having faced my fears a week ago when getting needles shoved through my earlobes, but I took my first, adventurous bite of crab today. A bit of a strong flavour – not sure what to think yet.

For dessert we shared plum and pear tarts. The pear tart looked good with the surprise dollop of jam hiding in the middle, but I opted for the slither of pastry and the sharp, tangy plum. To be honest, it didn’t do much for me, but the simplicity of the ingredients combined with a lack of sweetness served to fill an emotional (as opposed to a physical) pudding-hole.

 

Not quite sure if we were full or not, we emerged back outside into fabulous sunshine. The storms that had been forecast seemed to have passed and so we walked back to where we had parked the car on the beach, nosing in at the eclectic clusters of huts selling fresh fish on the way. One in particular, from the earlier walk, caught the attention of many passers by. A couple (Tush and Pat, I presume) were frying fish on a giant paella pan, cosily tucked away beneath colourful umbrellas in the shade of a giant, upturned boat.

Swept up by the communal enthusiasm, we happily parted with a modest £2.50 for a fish roll. On the side table were a variety of sauces for you to pimp your roll. I was adamant we kept it classic so mum decked that baby in lemon juice and a dollop of ketchup. 

Oh. My. Cod. As much as Webbe’s was fun, I wish we had just gone here. Those who carefully examine the blow-by-blow photographic compilation below, capturing Matthew’s experience of said roll, may deduce my brother probably felt the same. Then we could have had one each. 

Very often the best things in life are the most simple. They don’t have to try to do anything fancy or special to impress you, because they’re just plain good on their own. Take the humble ingredients of fresh, shallow fried plaice (2 generous pieces) in a soft wholemeal roll. Or rather, take my word for it that two fresh, shallow fried plaice chillin’ a roll is the epitome of this principle. Tush & Pat don’t need to sell anything else at their stall, because they have already got a good thing going. In an age where we are constantly bombarded with unlimited choices, sometimes it can be refreshing to not have to think any more beyond “brown bread, please.”

I also watched Jamie’s Fish Suppers (explore Channel 4 fish recipes here) that night. So altogether it was a very fishy end to a lovely fishy day.

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• To visit the Jerwood Gallery website, click here
• To view the Webbe’s menu, click here
• Feeling peckish? Jamie Oliver has his own recipe for a bangin’ fish bap, which my dad has test-run and which you can see here

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WANT: THE CUTEST GIFT IN THE JERWOOD GALLERY SHOP

Send beautiful notes alongside a fishy recipe with these hand illustrated cards

My milkshake brings all the students having essay breakdowns to the yard

The greatest discovery of this term at Durham is without a doubt Split & Glory Ice Cream Parlour, situated above Chapter’s Tea Rooms on Elvet Bridge. Yes, okay, I lied. This post isn’t just about milkshake.

As soon as I stepped into the cute little room and heard a vintage jukebox playing Grease my heart was filled with love and joy. And before I even had the opportunity to take a slurp of milkshake or spoonful of sundae my soul was sold to the sugar devil – that was the moment my eyes caught sight of the giant menu of epicness looming above me.

It’s not a confession because I feel no shame in my gluttonous actions, only happiness: I returned to Split & Glory in less than a week.

The first time I went with the girls we all had milkshakes, the second time we stepped it up a gear with sundaes (although the most expensive milkshake costs around £5, whilst the most expensive sundae is priced under £4). I was expecting the parlour to be really busy but it wasn’t which was nice. My first visit was kept light with an ice cream float (around £2) – a true visionary of my own accord, I paired mango ice-cream with lemon and lime soda (though watch out, because Marieke revisited and was refused this request for some unfortunate reason). Meanwhile, Harry and Lucy tried an extravagant concoction of chocolate ice-cream and oreo milkshake, decked out with whipped cream, smarties and a flake.

You can see why my modest choice tempted an eager return.

The sundaes were a great shout because they allowed us to mix things up a bit – for example, Lydia chose a sundae option (with brownie topping which apparently was wonderfully gooey) where she asked for the vanilla ice-cream to be replaced with cookie dough. Becca had the peanut brittle sundae whilst I opted for ‘The American Dream’ (replacing all the ice-cream choices with my own suggestions, of course). The combination of peanut, cinder toffee and cookie dough ice-cream topped with marshmallow fluff, whipped cream and oreo was to die for. Literally to die for. It made me want to consume all the sundaes in the world which ultimately would clog up my arteries. However, at least I would die knowing what true happiness is.

The ice-cream flavours are impressive – bubblegum, banana, popcorn, peanut and pistachio are not options you see everywhere. They’re also looking for jobs now which is all too tempting. Maybe when you go (because I order you to go) you might see me there – remember to bring cash if you do, because we don’t take cards.