What can you buy for £2.45 these days? Not a lot as the cost of living continues to soar. That paltry sum won't get you a cappuccino, a supermarket sandwich nor a couple of litres of petrol.
But miraculously you can find a really good quality lunch at Notts chippy for that amount. I was surprised when I saw the price - in fact at first I thought it might be a misprint.
I'm visiting this particular chippy thanks to Nottinghamshire Live readers who named it the best in our recent poll. From Retford to Ruddington and The Meadows to Lady Bay, everyone who responded claimed their local chippy was the one to beat.
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The responses poured in for Andy's Fish Bar in Stapleford, the Jolly Fryer in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Bestwood Fisheries, in Arnold Road, Nottingham, and the Cod's Scallops in Wollaton.
Chippy connoisseurs also shone a light on Georgio's in Sneinton, Apollo in Carlton and Plains Fish Bar in Mapperley. But there was one name that cropped up time and time again, so I just had to give it a try.
Sea & Earth in Woodthorpe isn't a standard chippy which is possibly why it's such a big hit. As well as fish and chips for we pescatarians, it caters for vegans.
Cod, scampi sausages, fishcakes, pies and chicken nuggets are on the menu. There's vegan alternatives, with banana blossom the substitute for fish. If customers aren't already aware of the fact they will be when they walk in as the hot food display has signs each side stating 'vegan' and 'non vegan'.
I can't say I've ever heard of anyone ask for a pickled egg in my entire life but they're also sold. Korean and katsu chicken, both meat and vegan, bring something different to the traditional chippy.
Sea & Earth benefits from a small parking area outside, in Mansfield Road, that's best approached from Thackeray's Lane. Many chip shops are very clinical - just a counter and that's it, but this one has a very natural decor with greenery from artificial plants, blue paintwork and a counter frontage made from wood.
Four people are in front of me. I'm acknowledged with a friendly "I'll be with you in a minute love" by the assistant. If you don't want to hang around you can order online and collect at a specific time.
But service isn't slow. I don't have long to wait before putting in my order. It's the lunchtime meal deals, served between noon and 2pm, that catch my eye. I don't want to eat a big piece of battered fish and mountain of chips at midday because it'll make me want a nap and that's no good when there's work to be done.
There's a choice of sausage, fishcake, fish bite, fish butty or chip butty (and the vegan equivalents) with a small portion of chips and a sauce. While I can hear "order, order" at the back of the fryers. It sounds like the Speaker of the House of Commons, probably an online order alert but it's quite amusing.
About five minutes later I'm being asked if I want salt and vinegar as my takeaway is good to go. The assistant Connor (he's wearing a name badge) wishes me, and every other customer leaving, "enjoy the food and have a good day". It's always a bonus to be served by a cheery member of staff.
The lunchtime meal deal comes in a cardboard box, six inches by six inches, so it's smaller than a standard portion. There's still a satisfying amount of chips for me but probably not if you're one of the high-vis wearing labourers in there who'd need a more substantial amount of food for all that physical work.
For people with a smaller appetite, though, it's perfect. The chips I guess are cooked in vegetable or sunflower oil, not beef dripping, so they're suitable for everyone.
The smell of salt and vinegar is one of the most tempting aromas to get you salivating, along with bacon and freshly baked bread so I can't wait to get stuck in, while sitting in my car watching the snow coming down in Mansfield Road.
I dig in with a wooden fork (full marks for no nasty single use plastic) and the chips are really, really good. Golden with a light crunch on the outside, fluffy on the inside and non-greasy.
The fish bite is about three-inches long. It's just enough as a taster. It might be small but it's quality. The fish is beautifully white and coated in delicate, crispy batter. I've added a pot of pea and lime mayo, which makes a change from tartare or ketchup. It's zesty and really creamy - you wouldn't know it was vegan.
For the accompanying sauce I've picked mushy peas. They're steaming hot and a natural looking shade of green, rather than that scary psychedelic green served by some shops. It's the ideal comfort food for a snowy day.
The meal deal cost just £2.45 and the pot of mayo added a further 80p. It's an absolute bargain for a hot lunch, especially given the rising prices faced by chippies across the UK at the moment.
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