Our hectic January is drawing to a close, and we continue to entertain the plucky Rick who had ventured from the warmth and comfort of SoCal to damp Blighty.

On our quest to show him around a bit, we headed to Whitby this past Saturday. We hoped that Whitby, normally rammed with chavvy types on a bank holiday, would be quieter in the middle of January.

It actually turned out to be busy enough but not too busy, so all in all to my liking. We’d promised Rick the “best fish and chips in England” from the Magpie Cafe. After briefly strolling along the harbour wall, we headed back toward the Magpie. It was 11.55am and as there was no omnipresent queue up the stairs to the entrance, we decided to dive in for an early lunch.

I’ve been to Whitby a few times in the past few years and there has always been a queue of people outside this fabled cafe. I was therefore quite excited (as one can be about fish and chips) that we were gaining a painless entry to this most famous establishment.

Entering, we were warmly greeted and seated. It didn’t take long for us to decide our order – fish and chips, natch – and soon our waitress had been and gone. We soon noticed that the queue to come in was building and therefore our timing had been spot on.

After a wait we felt a bit excessive for fish and chips, our meals arrived. The verdict? It was really rather tasty. Was it the best fish and chips ever? Well, to be honest, no. I’ve had better fish and chips in Whitby. The fish was great but the chips lacked something: they weren’t fluffy enough inside.

It’s probably not a good thing to admit, but I’m a real chip-man. I love chips. We’re talking proper, well cooked chips not your ‘fries’ you get in the US.

Suitably sated, we left the Magpie, and wove our way through the eagerly waiting customers and headed for the old town.

Yup, after moving to the O.C I’m going to miss decent fish and chips that’s for sure. My one saviour will probably be the Olde Ship Inn in Fullerton where, amongst other things, traditional fish and chips are served in an ‘authentic’ British pub setting. It even has beamed ceilings, you know (with false ceiling tiles between the beams, but hey, they’re making an effort).