By The Curb

Eyup everyone, if you watched our Skegness video from last week you will have seen that we asked some friendly bikers if they could recommend a place to get some fish & chips. Fortunately they had just finished lunch and told us that they’d just had fish & chips that were ‘to die for’!

The place they recommended was a pub called ‘The Jolly Fisherman’. Now this caused a dilemma for us as we don’t usually enjoy fish and chips from pubs, whilst they can be very nice we just don’t think that they are the same as from the chip shop. After much pondering we decided to go to The Trawlers Catch, which if you know it is the large pirate themed chippy blasting out noise much to the annoyance of nearby traders. This turned out to be a huge mistake as we did not enjoy them at all (see the video for the full review).

We immediately regretted it. If only we had listened to the advice from the bikers!

The comments to the video were full with people saying how we should have taken the bikers advice and gone to the pub. It played on my mind for the days following, I needed to do something about it, so being the intrepid explorer I headed back to Skegness late on Tuesday evening.

I arrived just before 11 pm and found a park up for the night. Some van lifers (online) had recommended the car park in front of the pier as motorhomes and vans are permitted over night and its also free between 6 pm and 8 am. If only I had given more consideration to the 24 hr McDonalds close by! It seemed fairly quiet when I’d arrived but by around 1.30 am I was abruptly woken by loud music from cars and shouting from pesky young people!! I jumped back in the cab and found the nearest street where I could park without bother.

I did eventually get back to sleep and had a lay in until around 8.30 am. Feeling all refreshed I had a wander around Skegness and found Skegness Natureland which is a small animal attraction on the main strip. It is primarily a seal sanctuary but also has other animals, fish and some beautiful butterflies. It cost me £11.00 to get in (children £9.00, family ticket £36, under 3’s free). I really enjoyed it, the seals put on a bit of a show, waving at the children, there is a small petting area but the meerkats were rather rude (turning their backs on me when I tried to photograph them). The highlight for me was in the butterfly house when a huge butterfly landed on my hand.

I really enjoyed my visit to Natureland and would recommend it to other nature lovers. It’s not a huge theme park, rather a small, friendly sanctuary away from all the noise of the amusements and rides… also; if it’s a bit nippy, the butterfly house is toasty warm. 😉

Eventually I made it to the Jolly Fisherman for the much anticipated fish & chips, I also even had a cheeky Guinness. The cost was £10.49 for the food and the drink was £4.40.

What was my verdict?

The fish (haddock) was very good. The beer batter was crispy and light and the fish itself was moist and quite thick. The peas were just above average, I like ‘proper’ mushy peas, the traditional type that are soaked overnight. The only let down was the chips as they were basic oven chips and whilst perfectly edible if they had been thicker, home made chips or the triple cooked type this meal would have got a fairly high score from me, as it is, I will give them 6/10.

They were definitely better than Trawlers Catch and served in a less noisy environment but I’m sure there will be superior fish & chips in Skegness, I just need to come back and find them!! 😂

THE VIDEO WILL BE ON YOUTUBE (13/06/2024 at 6.15pm)

We recently had a drive up to the broken road next to Mam Tor in Castleton where Helen cooked an amazing Mediterranean Chicken Meal. We had a wonderful evening, enjoyed a few drinks and enjoyed the stunning views.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Garlic cloves as required
Salt & Black Pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
1 large lemon (juiced)
½ cup chicken broth
1 medium red onion (chopped)
4 small tomatoes (diced)
¼ cup sliced green olives
Chopped Basil as required
Crumbled feta cheese (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the chicken: Clean and pat dry the chicken breasts. Make three shallow slits on each one.

Season the chicken: Push the garlic garlic into the slits you made. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and ½ of the dried oregano.

Sear the chicken: In a large cast iron skillet or frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Sear the chicken on both sides, then add the white wine and reduce by half.

Braise the chicken: Add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the remaining ½ tablespoon of oregano on top and turn the heat to medium. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on one side, then turn the chicken over and cook for 5 to 6 additional minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

Finish and serve: Remove the lid or foil and top with the chopped onions, tomatoes and olives. Cover again and cook for 3 minutes. Finish with the Basil and Feta Cheese (if using).

We had the chicken with a side order of Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous from Aldi.