Elinor has been extolling the fish and chips her father buys for her when they visit Southwold together.  She tells me I would really like them as the fish is beautifully cooked with a thin crispy batter and the chips are not at all greasy.

She needed a new photograph for the (age) 26 to 30 railcard she was applying for and for the separate ID card to be used when we vote in a few days time.  We thought we could go to the nearest photobooth which is at Morrison’s supermarket in Beccles, eleven miles away, get the photo done and then go to Southwold for lunch. Last Thursday was the ideal day to do it as Richard was going cycling with his friend John and they always have lunch out together.  The forecast was for a dry but windy morning and then rain showers in the afternoon.

We set off at 10.30 am, got to Beccles just after 11.00 and Elinor used the photobooth.  We then drove to Southwold and arrived at midday.  The morning had been glorious with bright sunshine and beautiful blue sky.  The wind was a very strong and cold easterly and this was particularly noticeable on the coast!  We parked at the Pier carpark and walked along the front towards the town.  The tide was in and the sea very rough so Elinor decided not to walk on the beach or even the promenade but along the upper road at the top of the cliff.

We noticed quite a large piece of driftwood had been thrown up by the sea next to the groyne.  If you look closely you will see that it is part of the trunk of a long-dead tree.  The woman in the ochre-yellow coat has her hood up against the blast of the wind.  We too, had our winter coats on and hoods up!

Ten minutes walking brought us to the road into the town and the ‘Little Fish & Chip Shop’ in East Street.  Here is a link to the shop.  You will see from the link that this shop is part of the Sole Bay Fish Company which has a restaurant and wet fish shop at the harbour.

The shop is very small with extremely limited seating; one isn’t really expected to ‘eat in’ here. Our order for ‘two haddock and chips’ was taken and we were given pagers which would bleep when the food was ready.  Some people go off and do their shopping and others wait on benches provided in the side alley next to the shop.  We decided to wait.

There is a wisteria arbour strung with lights and lobster pots and in the summer the shade under the wisteria must be welcome.  The little lights shining in the evening as one waits for one’s food to be cooked must be very pleasant.  As we waited in the chilly alley we saw that the wisteria was just coming into leaf and there were flower buds appearing.

Collen and Clare, the shop you can see on the opposite side of East Street has managed to survive the pandemic.  It is a shop I might go to if I had a special occasion to buy clothes for.

At last, after fifteen minutes wait, our lunch was ready.  All freshly cooked and looking very good!  We added a little salt to the fish and chips before we left and went to find a bench to sit on while we ate.

Elinor was quite right.  I did enjoy my fish and chips and how often does one get parsley and a slice of lemon with take-away F&C?  The key to good fish and chips is frying in lard.  So many shops these days fry in vegetable oil but it does tend to make the food so greasy and the batter soft.  I understand that many people do not wish to eat animal fats or pork products and lard is not particularly good if one is worried about cholesterol.  However, I have take-away fried fish and chips very rarely and a treat now and again is extremely welcome.

By the time we had finished eating, clouds were beginning to appear.  I had a small purchase to make in the stationers before we made our way back to the car.  With the cloud quickly covering the sun and blue sky and the wind becoming even stronger it was a cold walk and we had to bend forward into the wind to get along.  Fortunately, we managed to get all the way home and I’d even made myself a cup of tea by the time the rain started.  Richard arrived home from his cycle ride shortly after that only having got a little damp.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Southwold!