Yes, this might seem an odd choice for Things we Like, and something that Fishpool would never eat at home, but on the riverbank, around dinnertime, there is little better than a hot meal – even if it is slightly synthetic.
The best varieties are the spicy ones. Though perhaps, rather like the misconceptions surrounding the origination of curry, this is because the heat tends to mask the true flavour. What is assured is that you have a pot of properly hot food, and in a world where sandwiches, pasties and sausage rolls clag our gums, this comes as a godsend. There is also very little hassle involved – the pot is no burden to carry either to or from the bank, and there is nothing to clean up.
Fishpool has perfected the cooking technique too. Boil the kettle first for the noodles and then leave to stand while you gather up another bundle of twigs for a second boil. With this batch of water you ready a cup of tea which, when brewed, can be put aside to cool. The noodles, in the meantime, are the perfect temperature for consumption, and having drained the dregs the tea is then also perfect for drinking. If, at this moment, a piece of flapjack happens to materialise, then Nirvana is successfully achieved.
And if you haven’t managed to finish the pot (in which case you’d be completely mad) then you can always try and use the coagulated remains as an unorthodox hookbait. Difficult to believe yes, but my editor has assured me he has tried it, and the fish enjoyed it as much as he did, though it’s a challenge to get a noodle to stay on the hook.