"Q - You need to go to The White Hart in Cumbria, where vinegar is banned. The landlord says it affects his very well kept beers so will not allow it in the place."

I love that. I used to work in a pub where the landlord used to say that a thunderstorm would turn the beer, but I've never heard anyone claim that simply being in the proximity of vinegar would have some mystical chemical effect. Fantastic!

For the record: I have absolutely no idea what Lizzie is talking about re other boards, other discussions, etc. Life is too short and frankly I can't even remember every real-life, important conversation I had three, four, five years ago, let alone internet trivia. I only mentioned that they were Hugh's lyrics as a point of clarification, as the story seemed to be the thing that was relevant to the thread. He is a storyteller, and as Kitty says, the story is his.

Re salt and vinegar vs without: for me, this has been a matter of taste changing over time (again). When I first came to England I never had salt on my chips, just vinegar - I think I was subconsciously frightened of a meal that not only had that much fat in it, but was also covered in salt. But my palate has changed over the years, and now I recognise the error of my ways: fish and chips with salt and vinegar is, in fact, the food of the gods (though I only tend to eat it once a year - as Lizzie says, the White Horse in Sidmouth is pretty hard to beat, and that's where I have my annual indulgence these days). But I still don't like salt and vinegar crisps.