The Pie, the Pub, & the Easter Plot.

Whimsy on a Wednesday bringing you sea air & questionable ideas

Whitby Abbey by Jules Smith

I don’t know what you’re doing for Easter next weekend but it will probably involve a get together of some sort: a visit to church, a big Sunday roast, games with the family. Or, you might be stuffing your face with chocolate, going on an Easter egg hunt, trying to find an Easter bunny in Tenerife, or making devilled eggs. But should you be at a loss at what to do, I have a suggestion.

Food for Thought

This past weekend I went off to the North East coast, as I do a few times a year, to visit friends. There’s always something going on in Whitby and even if there isn’t some kind of special event, it’s a seaside town that never sleeps. Once up there, things get arranged for a few days so we all have a fun and exciting time. I’ve been to the Goth weekend, Steampunk, Fish and Ships. I’ve witnessed storytelling in the pub, the ice cream parlour, the funicular and Robin Hoods Bay. The list of fun activities is endless.

At this point I think the Whitby tourist board might consider hiring me.

This weekend we went to a pub called the Hare and Hounds that is famous for its steak, mushroom, and ale pie.

They only make so many and they are made to order so you have to wait patiently whilst you salivate over other peoples plates nearby. If I was going to give any advice on this I wouldn’t do what I did and just have a banana all day because you will start to eat your own insides. A glass of wine whilst you wait doesn’t help because you’re just adding to the acidic process. The wait, however, is worth it. The pie arrived like a tall column of magnificence, golden, shortcrust pastry loaded full of steak that fell apart in the thick meaty gravy when I sliced into it. Divine. I couldn’t breathe afterwards but I was more than happy to die at that point.

Pre- Easter Chicken

Anyway, the next day we went on what we like to call “The Whitby Trail” which means we meander around the cobbled streets looking at shops and popping into pubs and generally having an afternoon of pleasure seeking before teatime and the next northern culinary delight.

This was called Chicken Parmo and had been specially prepared by the local butcher.

Invented in the North East, Teeside I believe, and known as an indulgent takeaway. This chicken schnitzel, breaded, fried, and covered in bechemal sauce is then topped with melted cheddar cheese just to make sure they took indulgence to the next level. I was almost convinced that this actually would be the end and what way to go!

Thankfully it wasn’t, but I’ve found another way to go that should be a definite if you fancy slipping off the dish. This brings me back to my Easter suggestion.

A Crawl to the Bitter End

Whilst we were all out galavanting, my friend came across an Easter Saturday event. Just when you thought too much chocolate might make you badly, have you ever considered a twelve hour pub crawl?

No?

Well, allow me to enlighten you.

This pub crawl has been going for 27 years. And I’m not even sure if anyone has died, which is an absolute miracle.

You have half an hour to have a scoop in each pub before you move onto the next one. That’s what we Brits call necking it.

We all sat there wondering how this is possible. You would have to have 33 drinks. Even if you only had half a pint, that’s still 16.5 pints all necked at super speed. 33 glasses of wine, totally impossible as that’s nearly 7 bottles, and 33 shots would kill you. I don’t know what the badge of honour is at the end but I think it might be a free pass to a hospital drip.

Needless to say, I won’t be doing it because as you have read above, I don’t see the point in empty calories.

Until next time, Happy Easter!