Chips and caravans on Towie

Is this the first use of fish and chips in Towie? Mick Norcross took Joey, Diags, Arg and Mario for a lads sleepover in his caravan at snowy Walton-on-theNaze. They boys ran in the sea and in the evening stood round a brazier drinking beer and eating fish and chips. Mario was amazed that Walton-on-th-Naze really was part of Essex, while Chloe had earlier warned "Caravan… winter… mental!" Possibly Arg agreed as he ran out of the freezing sea shouting "My balls, my balls!"

Essex is surely the world centre of the chip shop and during my researches so far I can report that the Islanders chippy in Canvey Island is exceptional and sells MSC approved fish, while I've also enjoyed fine chips at the Flying Fish in Brentwood, Dhillons in Grays, Fishy Business in Corbet's Tye Road, Upminster, and the chippy near the Pier in Southend where we ate fish and chips on the beach. There's clearly a firm Essex County Council rule that every town in Essex has to have a chippy, Wimpy and nail and beauty salon.

Meanwhile Mick is emerging as a kind of philosopher king of Essex. Despite running Sugar Hut all he really longs for is his caravan by the sea, chips, a brazier and somewhere he can look up at the stars and dream of meeting Miss Right. Only there were no stars in the sky that wintry night at Walton and Arg suggested, "Mick, you wanna get your money back!"