Charles Brickland Ltd in Hoole, Chester

Wishing I could find a good fish merchant having lost Tim's Fish in the Wrexham area I took to Google. I was so pleased to find that the Brickland business that used to be in Chester, still existed, in nearby Hoole. Wanting to cook some fish for a dinner party this week I went along. I bought fresh dressed crab (which was being dressed at the time) some brown shrimps and some halibut. The prices were quite high but I wanted top quality. That's exactly what I got. The halibut was truly exceptional. Perfect, in fact. I cooked it simply - pan frying it skin side down then transferring to the oven to finish. I served it 'Heston' style with vanilla butter. A strange combination? Well a very winning one indeed. The crab and the shrimp? A salad recipe from the Good Food website with asparagus and wild rocket. The cost was worth very penny as I was able to present restaurant quality food at a fraction of the price I would have had to pay if eating out. Thank you Brickland - I won't be able to buy every week but when entertaining and wanting to cook fish, I will become a loyal customer. Iona