Hitchin: that place in Hertfordshire no one’s heard of

Going to school and going out night and day in Hitchin (in Hertfordshire, that county north of London) for the last seven years has taught me a little about the town and its people… here are a few of my observations.

Scrolling through the ‘We are from Hitchin Hertfordshire’ is time well spent

Everyone from Hitchin kind of has to be on the ‘We are from Hitchin Hertfordshire’ Facebook page. Otherwise, are you really from Hitchin? The feed mainly consists of various Janes searching for an inexpensive handy man or complaints about newspapers being dumped by paperboys/gals but the middle-class complaints of the residents are really quite entertaining. I also now know which taxi company service is the best for getting to Luton airport and some well-referenced dog-sitters. Thanks Hitchin.

In response to the newspaper dumping scandal – edit courtesy of Ryan Milner

Food is so expensive but so good

Eating out in Htown isn’t exactly cheap unless you’re a connoisseur in Pizza Express voucher codes or want to walk the extra mile for a Maccy Ds meal deal. A Pitcher and Piano lunch menu where you only have to pay £6 for your meal starts to seem like a steal and the classic Hatters becomes a haven for our purses (paying less than £2 for chips? Yes please). However Chia Cafe deserves a mention – it’s rare to find a place where you can spend £5+ on a smoothie and not feel bad about it until at least the next day… and not just because they look pretty damn good in an Instagram photo.

Classy meal at Chia – I could only afford this because Yasmin got staff discount

You can judge the intensity of a night based on whether you made it to Osinkskys

Of course we have our beloved Spoons and a few extortionate cocktail bars, but only in Hitchin can you judge the intensity of a night out based on whether you made it to Osinkskys; the place we all pretend to hate but secretly love. If you don’t have to focus all your energy into acting relatively sober whilst getting ID’d, you’re probably not ready for what’s inside. Turning 18 and being able to access the enigma that is Ostinkskys (we’re so creative and mature) is a landmark in every Hitchin teenagers’ life – a true upgrade from drinking Glenns on Windmill hill.

I would insert a picture of O’s here but I’ve never taken one. I think that says enough.

Everyone seems to gather in Hitchin – I don’t know if this is because Hitchin is great or everywhere else is dead (probably the latter – I don’t even officially live in Hitchin… call me a con) but, despite the high price of coffee, McDonalds being too far on a night out and the limited free parking spaces (so many permit-only roads… so many), we kinda love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Enjoy a scenic shot of Hitchin fields to make up for the lack of Osinkskys evidence