Lanchester in County Durham saw its village fish bar open to large crowds earlier this week and it offers something usually found in a chippy in Scotland.

I was one of the many who queued outside Grandpa's Fish Bar in Lanchester to witness its grand opening and while I wasn't one of the lucky first 20 customers to bag a free cone of chips, I did have something I've never eaten before.

Scanning down the menu seeing the regular fixtures of cod and chips, pies, and jumbo battered sausages, there was a notable addition that I had not seen on a board above a North East chip pan before... a deep-fried Mars Bar.

(Image: Sarah Caldecott) It was promptly added to the overall order alongside the portions of fish and chips.

And I couldn't wait to tuck into mine.

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the first thing that hits you when you open the box is just how silly the idea seems. And yet, here I was about to tuck into a Mars Bar encased in batter and crisped up in beef dripping.

(Image: Sarah Caldecott) But it worked. And it worked well. The crispy batter gave way to a gooey chocolate which had melted into the nougat and caramel, somehow miraculously maintaining its structural integrity.

The flavours of a Mars bar are known well. Now add crispiness and a sense of dicing with death to the equation and you're well on the way to entertaining yourself with the Scottish treat.

I felt as though I was one of the schoolboys lining up for a free cone of chips.

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My eyes had been opened and there was no going back. What a way to spend £4.50.