The 2014 Chippy Challenge ended New Year’s Eve but I was hungry and had a half hour to kill and I’m still not sick of fish and chips so I popped into the Codfather as I wandered around Trowbridge. The fellow cooked the small portion (at least that’s what I ordered albeit a very generous “small”) to order in the packed house and by the time it came up all succulent and steaming the queue was out the door. Brilliant.
Yeah, a picture of a giant batch of cassoulet is precisely the way the Holiday Run Streak (Saturday before Thanksgiving till Saturday after New Year) should be represented…that or a mountain of empty bottles. I started working on the stew New Year Day to keep busy and take my mind off the hangover, then struck on the idea that I should have a few glasses of the wine I was cooking with, and a glass of port, then a bottle of prosecco, then a chianti with the casoullet.
Then a half bottle of Vin Santo with an enormous quantity of biscotti.
Then, I went for the daily run…a little over 3 miles of heavy haulage:
Friday I had to go to Oxford to get the lab started back up for the kids’ return from the holidays. There is a point at which there is nothing to do but wait for the pumps to catch up for about an hour so I used that time to stretch out and go get some fresh air (a crisp but sunny noontime met me):
Finally, the Saturday after New Year Day rolled around and I could put the Holiday Run Streak (43 consecutive days of at least 3 miles per day) to rest. That is, after one final trot, this time starting in Trowbridge. It was raining and cold at the 9:30 start but due to warm up (and rain even harder). Fortunately, there were breaks planned and sites to take one’s mind off things.
The course stuck to roadways at first because the permissive footpaths appeared to be flooded and the fields through which they passed were like soup. My shoes remained relatively dry until Westwood where a water main break at the top of the hill added two inches depth to the flood. Soon after the water spout, the road headed down a cliff to the Crossed Guns between the River Avon and the Kennet and Avon Canal.
Assuming the K&A Canal tow path to be passable, I took to it after my beer (the Crossed Guns opened at 10). Unfortunately, it was a slick, muddy mess right up to Bradford-on-Avon and my wet feet were then also coated in clay.
At stop 2, the Dandy Lion, I briefly considered leaving the shoes outside but saw that the floors were bare and decided to go on in as I was. While there, the clouds lightened and I could make out the shape of the sun so I finished up the stout and headed out only to watch as the skies blackened the first half mile before the rain restarted falling at 45° from vertical. Soon enough, though, I was back in Trowbridge at the Stallards where I found a coal fire awaiting. Warming by the hearth with a cider, I decided it was time to stop this nonsense and changed into my dry kit I had hauled around the previous nine miles.
Sunday, I rest from the Run Streak but with plans to start a ‘normal’ running schedule Monday.
[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: chips
Evaluation: This was the third of the frozen cod from the grocer I’ve included in the list. It was, like the Young’s, pretty good if ugly to behold. We were wolfing down some oily stuff as ballast against the pub crawl to come and I had these in the freezer as a back-up in case I couldn’t make the 7-day cut-off during the Year of Fish and Chips that ends today.
Unlike the Year of Kebabs immediately preceding this one, I don’t feel like I need to lay off the cod and chips for a full year; that was good to do, too, as I just started craving döner again a week or so ago. No challenges on for next year which is probably a good thing.
Days since last: 4 (Jolly Friar, Westbury)
Map link.
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Only one day left
In the year and the challenge.
Let’s have a blowout.
Name: Kiri Sauvignon Blanc
Type: white wine
Menu: Fish Tacos using haddock marinated in lime, olive oil, cumin, paprika, garlic and oregano with a sauce made from yogurt, limes, cilantro, capers, jalapenos, cumin, paprika, dill, and a dollop of tahini. Topped with shredded lettuce, onion, more cilantro, avocado, and tomato. Obscenely more-ish nachos to start. Yum.
Venue: house
Review/notes: The bottle suggests notes of gooseberry but more than anything there is honeydew melon in this drier-than-expected and truly sublime wine. Would have been really good with nuts, too, or nibbles out in the sun (stocking up on this for Spring).
Cold day out, sore back, and no motivation so just 3.6 miles today, near home:
[DT =Daily Tipple, explained in DT #000 here]
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: none
Evaluation: Light but flavourful crust, large piece of perfectly cooked fish…on a cold day while sweat rapidly dries 8 miles into a 10 mile run there’s nothing more welcome.
Days since last: (Six Bells, Oxford)
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There’s no newspaper,
The grocer’s on war rations.
Happy Boxing Day.
Name: Léon Perdigal Côtes du Rhône
Type: red wine
Venue: house
Review/notes: Surprised we weren’t hung over today, I had a rum and coffee then settled into baking biscotti as soon as I returned from the minimal run for the day.
We’re almost out of wine but I added a liter of port to the stocks. Looking forward to drying out a bit in January, but for now the party rages on.
[DT =Daily Tipple, explained in DT #000 here]
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Okay, it’s the evening and I’m piecing this together from photos. So, this morning I had a lie in (usually up at 4 to 4:30, today it was 8:45), then we had a leisurely coffee until Jackie suggested, “I feel a bit weak from last night…fancy a port?” “No, how about a rum?”
And with that the kettle was on and two shots each were in the mugs with some brown sugar and butter and soon we were medicating. Happy Christmas.
I started the duck the day before which involved scalding the bird 5 times in a boiling water and malt vinegar bath, internally coating with five spices, then cooling and drying overnight before coating with a maltose, soy, and rice vinegar and baking slowly for fucking ever.
Along the way, I fitted in a run around the buurt and broke a real sweat and somehow got the sugar equilibrium back under me before drawing a hot bath and putting on some Christmas radio. It was a sunny, if cool, day so the bath was going to be relaxing looking out on the world…even more relaxing since Jac noticed her glass of sloe gin left just a shot of our precious fluid for me to carry in with me. A delight.
She wasn’t expecting the dinner to take so long (I already had the cornbread for the southern style dressing done and was awaiting the crust for the sweet potato pie while the tub filled). So, I had her set out a bit of runny brie and open a grand bottle of old St Emilion to breathe. It was lovely but I needed to come up with something for the dinner.
The Lussac St Emilion was perfect and the dinner was Christmasy enough (Jewish Christmas, like the link in the previous post but Christmas nonetheless) considering the punk classics we were playing instead of carols (we had enough of that up to that point). We finished up with some pie and the last of the port (farewell, old friend).
Somehow, we had the sense to realise that the booze was rapidly depleting and opted for a bottle of fizz — a prosecco we’ve been sitting on for weeks — which should have been plenty but as it was only 5:30 pm we had to soldier on: Christmas is not for the weak hearted or the soft-livered.
And, so here I am…Merry Christmas…both of us having fun…here’s to tomorrow and the hangover to come. And. another run tomorrow. And an off license trip ’cause we are out of beverage. Almost.
No more work is done
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the sun.
…… an edit of Noel Coward in memory of Joe Cocker …..
Name: Fair Exchange Cab Sav – Shiraz
Type: red wine
Recipe: Lasagne-esque chillies rellenos
Venue: house
Review/notes: This is the last bottle of the backpack full of Fair Exchange CS-S I bought as back-up wine at Thanksgiving and it has been a pleasant surprise, pairing well with just about anything we threw at it.
It was also the last day the Chemistry Research Lab would be staffed until New Year and by the time I returned from my lunch run to the Six Bells I found the lab was more-or-less abandoned. I’ll be in at least once during the closure this year, always the most pleasant time since things are largely quiet.
[DT =Daily Tipple, explained in DT #000 here]
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: chips, mushy peas, Carlsberg
Evaluation: Tasty, generous plop of mushy peas, and cheap. I’ve had worse pub F&C, believe me.
Days since last: 3 (Market Plaice, Devizes)
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Life is far too short
To drink poor quality wine
(Too regularly).
Name: Cline Zinfandel
Type: red wine
Recipe: Beef Wellington: Sauté some chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic slowly in butter till very soft adding a little Worcestershire sauce to bubble down the last couple of minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly brown all sides of a salted and black peppered beef roast (a cut that doesn’t need a lot of cooking to be tender). Spread the sauce on a puff pastry then wrap this around the roast, seal the whole thing with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for ½ hour then letting rest for ½ hour more. Serve with duck fat roasted potatoes and something fresh and green.
Venue: house
Review/notes: The wine was absolutely awesome. I have its tasting notes, none of which seem to describe any aspect of this sublime beverage. It really deserves to be drunk on its own or with spare nibbles, perhaps while listening to some baroque music wafting in on the summer breeze from a concert in a park. It was among today’s purchase of 6 bottles from Majestic (a wine warehouse chain here in Britain) along with the annual Vin Santo from Franco and Anna.
I had hoped to get the Vin Santo from the new Italian deli which is much closer to the house and far from the temptation of the discount wine store, but as I ran past it dawned on me that it is Sunday and the Gorse Hill trip was my only option. Lugging a backpack stuffed with seven bottles up the Drove Road hill was slow going (for that matter, so was the flat bit along County Ground), but I finished with a full 4 miles (and change):
[DT =Daily Tipple, explained in DT #000 here]
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: none
Evaluation: Unbelievably delicious and I would have gone back for seconds, some chips, and mushy peas if a) I hadn’t promised to do a proper green curry from scratch when Jackie got home and b) the bus, which only runs hourly, wasn’t due. The Pelican, two doors down and which allows you to bring in outside food, was a real temptation at this point; my resolve was later rewarded (great meal, good wine, lovely company) but I shall ever be nagged by what might have been.
Days since last: 1 (Leo Fish and Chips, Wootton, Oxfordshire)
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: none
Evaluation: Too much batter but otherwise flawless. This assessment may be due to running 6½ miles in the cold on an empty stomach just beforehand.
Days since last: 1 (Bell and Compass, Oxford)
Map link.
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: Nachos. Chips. Mushy peas.
Evaluation: Ghastly, but the fish was tiny (silver linings, etc). The tortilla chips in the nachos were cheese flavoured Doritos and the salsa was a smoky-sweet barbecue sauce (I think this was supposed to go with the fried mushrooms I passed on as a starter). The mushy peas were a firm paste that further solidified as the endurance test progressed. At least it was cheap. Absolutely horrid…what a surprise.
Days since last: 2 (The Chippy, Didcot)
Map link.
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: chips
Evaluation: I was starved, having missed out on the Christmas Party feast for which I skipped lunch to make the most of. It was raining out and my core temperature never really recovered from the River crossing which forced me to skip the elegant do. So, this may not be as good as I felt thought at the time but to me the chips were heavenly and fluffy inside and the huge piece of fish perfectly seasoned and filling. what more could I have asked?
Got in another mile-and-a-half run making the loop from the train station in Didcot to the chippy and on to the Wallingford Arms…a little more than 10 miles total on the day with the sprint uphill from Swindon Station to Old Town, later.
Days since last: 6 (Royal Standard, Oxford)
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: chips and mushy peas
Evaluation: Very good for a pub, especially good for a pub with so many mouthy youths around. Spectacular landlord here, though. You should go there.
I had originally planned on the Butcher’s Arms for the lunch at the mid-point of a 7 mile or so run but this was actually closer to my G-Had/hash prelay inspection. Just as well, in the long run.
Days since last: 4 (South Cerney Fish and Chips, South Cerney)
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My job’s just to be
A janitor, not a cop.
Just make the mess good.
Name: Old Golden Hen
Type: golden ale
Venue: Royal Standard, Oxford
Review/notes: Running to the Butcher’s Arms but couldn’t find it so, wanting to see if I could find Gadget’s trail after lunch, I headed back toward the main drag and, generally, where I expected to find powder. No luck, as it turned out but on my return to the labs found equipment that everyone should know better than to fuck up and yet fuck it up they did despite my warnings that the thing was easy to fuck up and up with which fucking would be imminent should they fucking try to fix it on their own…on their fucking own. Oh, well, top 1% of the academic world and all (bunch of fucking assholes).
[DT =Daily Tipple, explained in DT #000 here]
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: mushy peas
Evaluation: Hungry before the bus to Cricklade, I was ravenous after a five mile run in the cold, damp air near the reservoirs that make up the Cotswold Water Park. So, the fish here needn’t have been as absolutely perfect as it was and I would still have wolfed it down.
The queue led out the door, always a good sign, and while the chips looked perfect I opted for the mushy peas which still retained pea texture and tasted like they were made from fresh (although the season for such ended months ago). I hope the people of South Cerney appreciate what a treasure they have, here.
Days since last: 5 (Oxford Fish and Chips)
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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]
Fish: cod
Sides: chips
Evaluation: The newest chippy in Oxford opened Friday so Monday was my first chance to try it out. Delicious but very stingy: a very small handful of chips and a “large” portion of fish smaller than most places sell as a small. At least it was also expensive (£6.50).
Days since last: 2 (Crispy Cod, Worcester)
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Thirteen of the Daily Tipples were in the beer category with 12 pub visits (6 of which were Wetherspoons, 5 of those were the Four Candles). The highlight of the month had to be tasting the finished batch of Two Cures, though, with the worst experience of the bunch the very disappointing trip to The Lighthouse:
| BEER | ||||
| DT # | Date | Name | Type | Venue |
| 305 | 01-Nov | Wadworth Green Hopped Beer | bitter | The Prince of Wales |
| 310 | 06-Nov | Ellgood’s Cambridge Bitter | bitter | Four Candles |
| 315 | 11-Nov | Summerskills Ninja Beer | bitter | Four Candles |
| 326 | 22-Nov | Brewers’ Blizzard | bitter | The Bear |
| 327 | 23-Nov | Arkell’s Centennial | bitter | The Clifton |
| 330 | 26-Nov | Fireside Ale | bitter | Red Lion |
| 334 | 30-Nov | Bishop’s Finger | bitter | house |
| 311 | 07-Nov | Rooster’s Union Gap | blonde ale | Four Candles |
| 333 | 29-Nov | Cameron’s Gold Bullion | golden ale | Mug House |
| 328 | 24-Nov | Tuborg | lager | Four Candles |
| 321 | 17-Nov | Cotswold Spring OSM | mild | Four Candles |
| 316 | 12-Nov | Krušovice | pilsner | The Lighthouse |
| 320 | 16-Nov | Malmesbury Westport | porter | The Hop Inn |
| BOOZE/OTHER | ||||
| DT # | Date | Name | Type | Venue |
| 318 | 14-Nov | Two Cures Sloe Gin | booze | house |
| 322 | 18-Nov | Sloe Gin Fizz | booze | house |
| 313 | 09-Nov | Wychwood Ginger Beard | ginger beer | house |
| WINE | ||||
| DT # | Date | Name | Type | Venue |
| 308 | 04-Nov | Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet | red wine | house |
| 309 | 05-Nov | Villa Verde Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | red wine | house |
| 312 | 08-Nov | Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon | red wine | house |
| 314 | 10-Nov | Vaucluse Grenache-Syrah | red wine | house |
| 317 | 13-Nov | Viña Maipo Merlot | red wine | house |
| 319 | 15-Nov | Petit Monde French Red | red wine | house |
| 324 | 20-Nov | Corte Viola Cabernet Veneto | red wine | Bella Italia |
| 325 | 21-Nov | Hardy’s Bankside Shiraz | red wine | house |
| 332 | 28-Nov | Vinsobres Cru de Côtes du Rhône | red wine | house |
| 323 | 19-Nov | Hardy’s Bankside Rosé | rose wine | house |
| 331 | 27-Nov | Torretta Prosecco | sparkling wine | house |
| 306 | 02-Nov | Chateau Pierrousselle Entre Deux Mers | white wine | house |
| 307 | 03-Nov | Castelliere Pinot Grigio | white wine | house |
| 329 | 25-Nov | Sorso Pinot Grigio | white wine | house |
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The Chippy Challenge dragged until the last week of the month but there were some spectacular examples (Crispy Cod and Robinson’s Traditional Fish and Chips) and some crimes against cuisine (Marmaris and WingLoon House):
| # | Name | Where | Date | Venue Type |
| 109 | Prince of Wales | Shrivenham, Oxfordshire | 01-Nov-14 | Pub |
| 110 | Morrison’s Café | Swindon, Wiltshire | 08-Nov-14 | other |
| 111 | WingLoon House | Oxford, Oxfordshire | 14-Nov-14 | Chippy |
| 112 | Marmaris | Swindon, Wiltshire | 21-Nov-14 | Chippy |
| 113 | Robinson’s Traditional Fish and Chips | Bowerhill, Wiltshire | 22-Nov-14 | Chippy |
| 114 | Red Lion | Marston, Oxfordshire | 26-Nov-14 | Pub |
| 115 | Pinehurst Fisheries | Swindon, Wiltshire | 28-Nov-14 | Chippy |
| 116 | Crispy Cod | Worcester, Worcestershire | 29-Nov-14 | Chippy |
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The GHadHHH had two minor trails this month, one each versus the Oxford and Moonrakers hashes, both night efforts. More importantly was the treatise on IntifadHHHa and CalipHHHate differences in this confusing era of global Hashlam and its various pretenders.
Pub count: this month only added 8 more pubs to the total and all of them came on runs. Started the calendar year with 1197 and the blog year (19 January) with 1201 so it is shaping up to the weakest effort of the 6 years so far but at 1280 I hope to hit 1300 before the end of 2014.
The Endless British Pub Crawl 
“You’re going to swell up like a tick.”
–Work mate when he heard about the Chippy Challenge.
“No, he did the same thing with kebabs, last year…he’ll be fine.”
–Another colleague, in response.
Actually, I lost weight, starting the year at 178 lbs (12 stone 10 or, for the metric-minded, 81 kg) and spending most of the last 6 months dead on 154 lbs (11 stone even or 70 kg). This was grand, as I drank more this year than usual and ran only about the normal amount (maybe even less than, but I haven’t tallied the runs yet). I would highly recommend this diet at least to those who normally live on the 2013: Year of Kebabs Diet. I’m looking forward to seeing what drifting back toward normal alcohol and food intake will do to the weight.
Of the 126 qualifying meals, 75 were at a chippy, 40 in a pub, 3 at the house, 1 at a Dutch fish stand, and 7 others (cafes and dining halls).
I didn’t travel much this year so geographically they are pretty tightly clustered around home and work. I nailed a couple in mainland Europe and a few down at the southern coast, as well, but I had 36 each in Oxford or Swindon so I have favourites in those two localities.
Top 10 in Swindon:
Top 3 in Oxford (Chippies in Oxford are generally shit, but seek these out):
The 5 most dreadful:
Best 5 of the rest:
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