Brighton Pier and a tail of two fishy dishes

I had a hankering to go to Charleston whilst we were away but 'A' reminded me that we'd been three times already, and as the forecast was for the hottest day of the year with no rain we decided to go to the seaside instead. There are lots of nice beaches in Sussex, we chose Brighton. It wasn't going to be quiet...it's not a quaint little town but a real old English seaside one...with a great buzz. It was the first week of school summer holidays and a good forecast...It turned out that everyone else decided to go to Brighton that day too, including all the news crews...I don't blame them it's much more fun on a sunny day than being cramped up in a stuffy studio...

It's impossible for us to go to the seaside and not eat fish and chips, preferably out of newspaper. So we did...with all the trimmings (except the newspaper)...tomato ketchup, tartare sauce, mushy peas and lashings of salt and vinegar...It was absolutely delicious to enjoy sitting on the pier and looking out at miles of bright blue sea. I'm not usually a chip fan but they were divine especially the little crunchy bits left behind in the box...I couldn't quite manage all the batter but it was scrummy.  I did feel a bit bloated the next day...it was well worth it...

I would never make fish and chips at home...they just don't  taste the same.  But I did cook little sprats for lunch one day. In a hot pan with a tad of oil, salt and pepper and lots of fresh lime juice and good brown bread. They make a meltingly delicious sandwich filling and take minutes to cook.