paid

A former Michelin-starred chef has reopened a well-known chippy as part of his Salt and Malt restaurant and takeaway chain

Few foods are as quintessentially British as fish and chips. From seaside holidays to Friday night takeaways, the humble dish has become a much-loved part of life in the UK.

But the classic pairing of crispy battered fish and golden chips is actually more than a century old. Fried fish and potatoes were eaten separately before the two came together in the late 19th century, with English Heritage dating the combination to towards the end of the 1800s.

It wasn’t long before fish and chips became synonymous with a day at the seaside. This is where Reach’s reporter Mark David Taylor went to visit one iconic seaside for a day trip and to try some fish and chips.

Former Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton took over the much-loved seafront chippy after more than 20 years in business, transforming it into one of his Salt & Malt restaurant and takeaway outlets within just a few weeks.

And it appears to have struck a chord with locals straight away – by 6pm on the glorious summer Saturday of Mark’s visit, there was already a queue for tables inside the Weston-super-Mare restaurant, with an even lengthier one snaking outside for takeaways.

Boasting blue-tiled frontage, black and white ‘chessboard’ floor tiles and ribbed glass partitions between booths, this gleaming new Salt and Malt bears a striking resemblance to existing branches, giving the impression that Eggleton is eyeing up further seaside locations. And rightly so, as this upmarket fish and chip concept is absolutely crying out for wider expansion, reports Wales Online.

Featuring sustainably sourced North Atlantic fish, gluten-free chips and daily specials – on this occasion, Cornish Mounts Bay sardines with toasted sourdough, salad and pickles – it’s undeniably a ‘posh’ chippy, yet Eggleton has been mindful not to price out everyday seaside visitors.

Takeaway prices remain reasonably competitive with most seafront chippies – small cod and chips is £12.50, battered sausages are £2.40 and the kids’ meals are £7, chips in a cone at £2 and a large chip box for £5.60.

Inside the restaurant, prices are naturally higher, with battered haddock and chips with buttered crushed garden peas coming in at £19, and a homemade fishcake with cod, haddock, lemon, dill and parsley priced at £14.50.

The children’s menu (for ages 16 and under) in the restaurant is a reasonable £7.50, offering battered fish, sausage, chicken chunks, scampi and halloumi, all served with chips and a choice of peas, baked beans, carrots or cucumber.

Yet it’s the inventive touches and alternatives that sets Salt and Malt apart from your typical seaside chippy.

Alongside gluten-free batter as standard, diners can opt to have their cod or haddock baked in garlic butter rather than battered – perhaps the healthier choice for those craving a ‘beach body’ this summer.

For those less concerned about such matters, free chip refills are also on offer, though the portions are hearty enough that you may not need them.

Mark and his plus one sampled the cod and chips (£18) and the curried cod burger (£16.50), and neither disappointed. The cod was wrapped in crisp, golden batter, with large, moist and succulent flakes of fish inside, accompanied by a generous serving of buttery crushed peas.

Granted, £18 is above average for fish and chips, but this was a superb rendition of the great British seaside staple and well worth every penny. Nestled in a soft brioche bun, the curried cod burger featured a generous portion of lightly battered fish with a subtle curry sauce flavour, accompanied by tartare sauce, coleslaw and pickled red cabbage.

The chips were perfectly cooked – crispy on the outside, fluffy within, and completely grease-free.

Essentially, the dish brought together all the finest elements of a traditional seaside chippy – fish and chips, a bread roll, curry sauce and classic burger toppings – and the combination was nothing short of brilliant. If summed up in just two words, they’d be “top drawer”.

Traditional chippy favourites paired with stunning coastal views – what more could anyone ask for?

NEW YORK — The Russian oligarch who helped bankroll Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration says the president’s eldest son has paid back the money.

“Yes, he did,” Umar Kremlev told an International Boxing Association press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday. “He did repay the money I spent on the present.” Still, he said he felt the repayment was unnecessary.

“Frankly speaking, I do not understand why he decided to do so,” he went on. “There are all kinds of events organized by all kinds of people. It is as if I invite you to come and visit my country house. Would you expect me to issue an invoice to them afterward?” Speaking through an interpreter, he said that would be “ridiculous.”

ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative website, reported last month that Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses” when Trump Jr. married socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May. That included paying to rent one of two private islands where the three-day party was held.

In a subsequent post on her Instagram page signed by the couple, Bettina Trump wrote that they had been married “surrounded ONLY by our family,” but that Kremlev, head of the boxing association, was a “dear friend” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”

President Trump, who did not attend the nuptials, previously defended the arrangement but told reporters that the money would be paid back.

“It’s totally allowed,” he said. “But, as I understand it, he paid them back.”

“That’s very common,” he added, “I’ve given wedding parties to numerous people.”

Kremlev, who was recently honored with the Order of Friendship by Putin, also played down the significance, saying the celebration was “a shared event” and “people blew it out of proportion.”

“I mean, why can’t we be friends? We are just friends,” he went on. “We are simply friends and what unites us is love for sports.”

The focus on Kremlev comes as Russia remains at war with Ukraine following its invasion in 2022 and as Trump has failed to broker a promised peace deal between the nations.

Trump Jr. has previously been scrutinized over his ties to Russia. During the 2016 campaign, his meeting with a Russian attorney in Trump Tower to discuss potentially incriminating information about his father’s then-Democratic opponent was a critical element of investigations into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to meddle in the election to help Trump win.

Colvin writes for the Associated Press.

NO signal, no all-you-can-eat buffet and your bed is next to hundreds of shipping containers – it’s certainly not your average cruise.

Yet this didn’t stop passenger Pieter Stroop Van Renen from shelling out £850 to travel for a week on board the shipping boat.

Pieter, 59,said he was stunned to realise you could pay to travel onboard the ships that are usually for cargo rather than leisure.

Talking to The Sun, he said he jumped at the chance to go on one and loved the idea of being the “only passenger onboard.”

Paying around €1,000 (£848) to travel aboard the Elbcarrier, the 140m-long vessel sailing was from Rotterdam to Dublin and back again.

It’s safe to say that the ship is the opposite of a luxury liner – there’s no infinity pool, no cocktail-fuelled small talk with fellow tourists and no breakfast buffet.

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The first major difference from a commercial cruise was before the journey even began – as nobody could tell Pieter exactly when the ship would leave.

Even in the week before his holiday, he did not know whether he would depart on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Pieter eventually boarded the Elbcarrier at 4pm on Saturday – but the ship did not set sail until 12 hours later, at four in the morning.

As he waited, confined to his cabin while loading was completed, the reality of spending several days aboard a working cargo ship began to sink in.

Peter said: “I thought, will I get bored, or will I get seasick, or what happens there? Where can I walk? Who are these guys, and do they know I’m coming?”

But that wasn’t a problem for Pieter, who instead spent hours on the bridge watching the captain and officers navigate, studying the ship’s radar screens, chatting to the crew and touring the engine room.

Pieter continued: “The bridge was beautiful at night. They keep the lights off, so it’s pitch black outside and all you can see are the navigation lights and the equipment glowing in the darkness. It was magical.”

At the invitation of the captain, Pieter had one of the best seats in the house as the vessel headed out towards the North Sea.

The journey to Dublin usually takes at least 48 hours by sea, but Pieter’s crossing lasted around 52 hours.

Pieter also couldn’t wander about as he pleased on deck – passengers aren’t allowed to walk between the stacks of containers, which can tower four or five containers high.

Pieter explained: “If something happens [and one falls], then you’re crushed and you’re dead.”

Mealtimes gave him another taste of life aboard a working ship.

Pieter’s ticket included three hot meals a day – there were fried eggs for breakfast and hearty dinners of meat and vegetables in the evening.

What Pieter had not prepared for was getting peckish between meals – but luckily the captain sold chocolate bars and cans of beer.

Sleeping was another challenge altogether because while daytime conditions were relatively calm, it’s a different story at night.

Pieter explained: “You’re just rolling in your bed from left to right continuously. I didn’t get seasick. But I didn’t sleep at all at night.”

He warned that anyone particularly prone to seasickness should think carefully before following his lead – especially as there’s no getting off the boat for excursions like on a usual cruise.

Anyone expecting to spend the voyage scrolling TikTok will also be disappointed as on the Irish Sea, there’s no connection whatsoever.

Pieter had to wait until he was back on dry land before posting about his experience on social media – where clips from the trip unexpectedly took off.

While the internet is impressed with his thirst for adventure, his family, however, were less enthusiastic about joining him on board a working ship.

He said: “I couldn’t get them to come. They would never do this. So, time for myself.”

To see more of Pieter’s container ship holiday, head here.

“America will never be a communist country,” states the 30-second television ad.

Never mind that socialism is a more probable scenario given the rise of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Nithya Raman’s healthy lead in the Los Angeles mayoral race. This commercial is not about semantics, political systems or the health of the nation.

It’s about touting the alleged achievements of President Donald Trump, from “reigniting American manufacturing” to “defend[ing] law and order” and giving Americans the “largest tax cuts in history.”

One can argue the legitimacy of such claims if they still have the energy to do so after 10 years of relentless MAGA puffery, but the real issue here is that this particular piece of bluster is produced and funded by the U.S. government.

Laws prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for “publicity or propaganda,” even if the White House is referring to its new ad campaign as a PSA.

“This is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America, and it is an egregious and utterly illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars,” wrote Democratic House and Senate Appropriations Committee members in a letter sent Friday to Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

They demanded that the ad be immediately taken off the air and that “Federal employees who knowingly violated Federal law in working on and paying for this advertisement” be disciplined. “The law is not complicated,” they wrote. “You cannot use taxpayer dollars for political advertisements.”

The spot, which first aired Wednesday on conservative media outlets Fox News and Newsmax, cost $14,000, according to the firm AdImpact, which tracks media spending. By Friday, that number had jumped to $430,000 as the ad hit multiple markets across the country.

And it isn’t the only instance of American tax dollars at work — for Trump. A second ad paid for by you aired Thursday night on CBS.

The minute-long commercial featured footage of the president speaking against the backdrop of Mount Rushmore in an audacious display that might have turned George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt to stone if they weren’t already immortalized in granite.

It included clips from the U.S. military’s Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, snippets from Trump’s Independence Day weekend speech, a voiceover from UFC CEO Dana White praising the president as “the toughest, most resilient person” he’s ever met, and a montage of images featuring Trump, Trump and more Trump. It ends with the star of the show proclaiming, “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America,” then comes the written disclosure: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”

Anyone who has lived in or traveled to countries with state-run media will recognize the similarities between Trump’s ads and those of, say, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein or current strongmen like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un: the intense leader-like gaze, the baseless claims, substandard production quality and music that suggests the subject of the ad should be worshipped. (Trump’s choice for the first ad was “Love Me” by R&B singer JMSN, who opposed the use with an emphatic “I would never…”)

But on U.S. television, the ad feels more desperate than dictatorial. The whiff of desperation coming from the ad blitz may have something to do with the president’s dismal polling numbers headed into November’s midterms.

The administration has argued its ads are “educational and unapologetically patriotic” public service announcements. The White House said in a statement, “These public service announcements are about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.”

A White House official reportedly said that the PSAs “are clearly not political” and noted that “the President is not on the ballot and the ads don’t have a call to action.”

Trump has repeatedly told his base to vote like he was on the ballot.

With propaganda like this coming out of the White House, communism is hardly the biggest threat facing the country.