Whitby

Yesterday was a day of fresh vistas and new horizons. Yes - In a spirit of selfless culinary investigation (as apposed to self investigation - a wholly different concept!), your roving reporter Harb flung his leg over the trusty old motor - bicycle and zipped off to the seaside again.

A first stop at Saltburn for coffee and croissant only went to prove the old adage that you can take the Harb out of Ripon but you can't take Ripon out of the Harb:

Then on to Whitby, picturesque in the sunshine and what a riot of colour it was too: so many of you in brightly hued synthetic sports clothing - it warms the heart to see the nation in full support of this, our olympic year. Even the morbidly obese (due, no doubt, to hormone imbalance) who one might expect would be disinclined to take part in strenuous activity, had clearly just snapped off a session at the gym; decked out as they were in the colours of team adidas and Nike and sweating freely.

First I had to find an old friend who I knew would be at a local beauty spot but the place seemed soulless and deserted.

Turning round however, I caught sight of the old familiar, cheerful face of my friend and colleague and with the day set fair we headed to a little place I know for lunch and the purpose of today's trip.....FISH & CHIPS!

Yes - there are many good places to get yourself on the outside of a plate of fish & c in Whitby, but where to achieve this whilst taking in the sea view and more importantly, slurping at a tankard of the tan and foamy?    You don't know, do you?      Well here's the answer: The Duke of York at the bottom of the 99 steps.
We were greeted by a charming young man with a lisp and a lot of jewellery - he seemed to take a shine to us. We ordered a pint of Deuchars ale each and ordered the food. The young man gave me the order slip, "Number 69", he lisped, and do you know? There was something rummy about the way he said it....... We sat down.
The food came after about ten minutes and you'll never guess......... It was brilliant. No it was, I promise you. The batter was crisp and golden, the fish was firm, white and as fresh as a piece of fresh fish, the chips were perfectly cooked and there were plenty of peas to throw about the floor. All this coupled with a really good pint of beer and the aforementioned view, made for a splendid lunch. Don't go there though - it was busy enough as it was and I don't want to have to ask you to leave.