One minute the sun is shining and the beach is full, the next minute the mist blows in, the beach emptys and everyone heads back up the hill in search of somewhere warm to get out of the damp mist. Some hit the pub, most seemed to hit up Marshalls Chip Shop.

The queue for the take-out was long and boisterous, there were a few free tables inside for sit down , so we headed into the dining area to snag one. Personally I like to eat my Fish and Chips with my fingers out of the paper sitting on a park bench. I am not really a fan of sitting down and eating them with a knife and fork off a plate but it was pretty miserable outside and I was going to be glad of the warmth sitting amongst the ‘very’ common man inside the cafe.

There was only one decision that I needed to make and that was whether I was going to get mushy peas or baked beans to go with my Haddock and Chips. In the end we went for both, I went for beans, but my companion went for peas, and to be honest they looked much nicer. This meal was way too big, the fish took over the entire plate and I hardly got anywhere near my chips. It had all been freshly cooked with a total absence of grease, it was really damn good.

The batter was nice and crispy and the haddock fell apart in big silky flakes as you cut into it. Moist, juicy, and still light to eat.  About 20 minutes later the plate still seemed full, even though all the fish had been all eaten, I failed badly with the chips. As I looked around the cafe I could see that I was not the only one defeated by these mammoth platefuls.

All in all a nice little sojourn to the coast and to be honest I was quite glad that the mist came down as I did then have a good excuse to gorge on some fish and chips.

Marshall’s Traditional Fish & Chips, restaurant and takeaway is located at 33 Front Street, Tynemouth, just head east from Newcastle and when you hit the coast, stop you are there.