IT’S years since I last visited this chippy. I was an impoverished student at the time and had been lured inside by an advert for a deep-fried Cadbury’s Creme Egg, a decision I blame entirely on my Scottish heritage.

Guiltily I enjoyed it, although tellingly I didn’t return. At least not until last week. With new owners at the helm I once again found myself in the chippy, although this time its new look appealed to my curiosity and the fishy aromas wafting from the door appealed to my belly.

Once inside I was pleasantly surprised how the place had changed; there were computers offering free internet to customers, a plasma TV showing the news – and a Chinese takeaway called Chopstix sharing the premises should customers fancy something exotic.

It was also good to see the place was making an effort to be sustainable by offering a tastier alternative to cod. I hadn’t heard of basa before, but the well-informed chap behind the counter told me all about it.

Originating from the rivers of Vietnam, the species has been brought to England where it is farmed to take pressure off the over-fished cod.

I was told it was even tastier than its sea-dwelling counterpart, so I ordered basa and chips with a pea fritter.

I wasn’t disappointed. In fact I can’t understand why you’d ever choose cod over basa. Of course it helped that it was battered and cooked perfectly, but in my book it’s a far superior fish. So full of flavour and ethical too.

My chips and pea fritter were also spot on and so was the price; my feast cost just £5.35. And not a Creme Egg in sight.