Welcome to Beeston by the Sea – otherwise known as Jerry’s.
A welcome relief from the stress of the road works, Jerry’s is a brightly coloured taste of the seaside right there on Beeston High Road. I’d been working in Beeston for a few a while and had been plucking up the courage to go in for some time. When I heard that my time at Beeston was up I knew it was now or probably never.
Why hadn’t I been in? Jerry’s isn’t just for kids, but it is more of a fun family orientated venue than one aimed at a lone female like myself. Neither is it just a cafe, it’s also an arcade having video games and air hockey yet every time I passed it the child in me was lured simply by the names of hot dogs on offer.
Jerry’s offer a whole range of fantastically named foot long hot dogs with toppings such as the Hoop Doggie Dog – topped with Spaghetti hoops, the Barbie Dog topped with hot cheese and BBQ sauce and the Cow Boy Dog topped with Beans, as well as seasonally themed Dogs such as the Goose Fair Dog topped with mushy peas and mint sauce and more recently the Scary Dog topped with Mushy Peas and tomato sauce. Sticking with the seaside theme I wanted to try the Skeggy Dog topped with Mushy Peas.
I sheepishly ventured in one lunch time. I was wearing a suit. The ladies behind the counter looked at me a little amused. I ordered my Skeggy Dog (albeit a small version – a Skeggy pup you could call it) The child in me took over and I also ordered a Malteser hot chocolate too and took a seat on one of the brightly coloured seats whilst I waited for my food to arrive. A music channel was on TV. It was playing hits of the 80’s. Maybe they’d seen me coming and turned over deliberately to make me feel at home. Jason Donovan sang ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ as my Skeggy Dog was delivered.
Hot Mushy Peas blanketed my Dog which sat in a warm white roll. The anticipation, as often it is, was slightly greater than the food. The sausage was flavoursome as Hot Dogs go, as were the peas but their presence made the enveloping roll a little soggy. It was simple fun food, you don’t go there for fine dining though and I smiled to myself wishing I could try the other Dogs and thinking how great it would be to have one of the Arcade Birthday parties they hold here for kids.
The Maltesers Hot Chocolate was actually gorgeous. Topped with whipped cream there were real Maltesers on top as well as a few scattered around my saucer.
Jerry’s don’t just do Hot Dogs. Although you can start your day with a Breakfast Dog they also offer Jacket Potatoes, Toasted Torpedoes (foot long rolls, buttered served with a choice of toppings) as well as donuts, milk shakes, slush and pretty much most things you’d expect to find at the seaside.
I won’t miss the road works in Beeston but I will miss Jerry’s, so next time your there take a break from the traffic and rediscover the kid in you at Jerry’s. You won’t regret it and it’s a lot closer than Skeggy.
Jerry’s is at 106 High Road, Beeston
Open Mon -Sat 10-6.30pm
