Milly Mossop

The Jolly Fisherman, Craster, Northumberland

No visit to Northumberland is alreet without a crab sandwich and a pint in The Jolly Fisherman in the unspoilt fishing village of Craster (Cornish fishermen weep tears of nostalgia when they hear its name).

First though, work up a thirst by walking to Dunstanburgh Castle and back, taking in some of the most dramatic castle-coast views (especially at high tide)this country has to offer. The only thing that will ruin this outing for you is forgetting that the pub shuts at 3.00pm (and stops serving food a short while before then) so really you want to be setting off no later than 1.00pm if you want to fit the walk in, which takes about an hour depending on how long you dally at the castle admiring the views.

On return to the pub, face slapped by the salty wind, you should order as many different snack dishes as the size of your party will manage. In an ideal world this will mean a round of Craster crab sandwiches, crab soup (made with whiskey), chips (don't underestimate the chips, they're cooked in beef dripping, just like the good old days), and stottie cake pizza (Geordie cuisine special).

I note that the website also mentions Craster kipper pate; I've no doubt this is equally excellent (Craster being the home of some very famous kippers that you can buy from Robson's opposite the pub) but for some reason I've never eaten it. I think perhaps pate is only something I see on a menu when I'm in London, up here I'm blind to anything that doesn't have a whiff of fatty heart about it. Not that crab is bad for you in the slightest, it's the chips and general tendency to fry everything in cow fat that's probably not advisable 365 days a year.

The last few times I've been to the Jolly Fisherman, including yesterday, they've had Black Sheep on the one and only pump. Nothing wrong with that, I'm a big fan of Black Sheep. And besides, it's really a pub that you go to for the location, food, and excellent Northumbrian pubness. Charcoal sketches on the walls of ancient but immortal looking fisherman hung next to nets and other fishing paraphernalia give the place an air of history and authority. And overall 'cool'.

I have to leave The Jolly Fisherman there, although I could witter on a bit longer - the Battle of Britain service is about to kick off (my parents have a canny knack of waiting til I'm up here before casually mentioning that there are not one, but two 'must see' church services on Sunday. This one, and Evensong, at which dad is reading a lesson so being a dutiful daughter I must go along and cheer, or whatever the appropriate level of support is).

The shackles are off!

Dear loyal and occasional readers,

Some very exciting news from Mossop Manor: as of 1 hour ago I am officially unemployed!

This is exciting in the sense of an oil rig capsizing being exciting: not necessarily good news, but certainly consequential, and something to speculate on. (And no, I don't know if oil rigs can capsize either, perhaps I meant topple over, or just sway a bit dramatically).

Anyway, in the first instance, once I've had a cup of tea and a packet of Kit Kats (this being a very long break) I'm going to pick up my cyber pen and write 'til I can write no more (or 'til Mozz starts bleating for attention, whichever comes first).

Actually, I'll come clean. I'm not really going to have a packet of Kit Kats. I'm going to have a quiche Lorraine, it's in the oven now. But the strapline have a break, have a quiche Lorraine never really took off so I thought I'd pretend for the sake of easy association. Why does that phrase evoke prostitution?..

I'm hungry which is why I'm gabbling so I'm going to stop here and go and plant some snowdrops whilst waiting for the quiche to cook. I rather randomly bought a packet of a dozen snowdrop bulbs the last time I was in Waitrose, and now the romantic in me is using them as a measure of my new career success. By the time the snowdrops appear in early Spring, I want to be successful in my new career.

Just got to figure out what it's going to be...