We thought you might be interested in a rare and unusual find in the East Midlands. Battered chips! It is rare to come across this Black Country delicacy anywhere east of Birmingham, although we did have some in a chip shop in Nuneaton a few years ago.
On this latest
occasion, however, we had them in a pub in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. The family
who run The Barge Inn are from the West Midlands, which explains why they have
introduced this delicacy to the Erewash Valley.
The Barge Inn
advertises a chip night for the last Friday of every month. Customers can
choose from cod and chips, roe and chips, steak and kidney pie and chips,
chicken and mushroom pie and chips, or battered sausages and chips for £7. A
portion of battered mushrooms is also on offer for £1.50. The £7 meal includes
either mushy peas or curry sauce, and you can eat in or take away.
The service was
very efficient and friendly on our visit. The cook came from the kitchen to set
the table and ask if we wanted tartare sauce with our meal of cod, chips and
mushy peas. It didn't take long to arrive, and looked eye-poppingly good on the
plate, decorated with a wedge of juicy lemon.
The battered
chips had an authentic orange colour. The batter had cemented most of the chips
together, and made them particularly filling. A woman at the table next to us
commented that she could not eat a whole plateful, and instead took some of her
partner’s portion.
The cod was
excellent. Its batter was lighter than that on the chips and beautifully crisp.
The fish was very fresh and moist. The peas appeared to be tinned as we had expected.
(For a once-a-month event, it was unlikely that the
establishment was ever going to soak their peas the night before). It would
have been interesting to try the curry sauce and the battered mushrooms. Perhaps another visit beckons. All in
all, this was very, very good.
Fish (cod): 4
Battered chips: 4
Mushy peas: 3
Service and
presentation: 5
Over all: 4
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