The Best Of The Best

Posted By on 10th September 2018

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while, but it took an afternoon in Boston (Lincolnshire not Massachusetts) to spur me into action.

Over the years we’ve visited lots of places some of which have become regulars on our ‘places to visit’ list. Within these ‘places’ we have kissed lots of frogs before arriving out our ‘best place to eat various things’ list.

For example, the best place in Skegness for a good quality flavoured ice cream cornet at an excellent price is ‘Bizzy Lizzies’ which is just next to Macdonalds.

In Scarborough the best ice creams, if a little dearer, are from the ‘Harbour Bar’ which is on the sea front almost opposite the jetty where the speed boats depart. But if it’s fish and chips you want, you could do worse than a little shop run by a Russian couple on Eastborough.

In Whitby I’m guessing the best fish and chips must be The Magpie Cafe on Pier Road, I say ‘must be’ because we’ve never tried them ourselves as whenever we go people are queueing out into the street and we’re usually too hungry to wait. Ice creams are readily available throughout the town, we are particularly fond of a ‘Lemon Top’ and the shop on the RHS just before the Abbey steps sells a good one. Can you see a pattern forming here?

So, as I said a few weeks ago we spent the afternoon in Boston, a town described by Wikipedia as ‘a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England, approximately 100 miles north of London’.

One of it’s major attractions is St Botolph’s Church affectionately known as the Boston Stump.

The town has a long and colourful history, but sadly has become more famous in recent times for it’s high percentage of immigrants, particularly from eastern Europe, and has been called one of the most divided towns in the UK with a poor record of integration.

I don’t know if this bad publicity is deserved or not, all I can say is that on a sunny Wednesday afternoon when the local market is in full swing, it’s a fun place to be.

But what is best about Boston?

Well it could be Skinners Ice Cream which usually has a small kiosk in or around Pescod Square, or it could be the excellent pot of tea we got from the cafe by the car park, but in fact the best thing about Boston is neither of these things.

The best thing about Boston is the fact that the twice weekly market (Wednesday/Saturday) sells the best cherries that we’ve ever had and at a reasonable price too. You even get a few wasps thrown in for free. They are quite simply the best cherries bar none, and are well worth the 80 mile round trip.

In previous visits we’ve eaten them standing on the bridge keeping ourselves amused by trying to spit the stones down a rather conveniently situated pipe in the river. Yes, I know it’s infantile, but great fun.

You’ll be pleased to know that this time we just sat in the square by St Botolph’s and ate them like grown-ups. Sadly the cherry season is fleeting, but well worth waiting for.

Now you don’t get information like that on ‘TripAdvisor’ do you?!

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