"places to eat" news and stories

The top ten seaside restaurants in the South East of England -

• Hythe Bay Fish Restaurant Marine Parade Hythe "with its easy-going air and the English Channel lapping at the shore outside the Hythe Bay Fish Restaurant is a real find" [website]
• The Anchor Inn, Main Street, Walberswick, Southwold, Suffolk "Mark Dorber (of the White Horse at Parson's Green) jas brought a seconf home..." [details]
• The Boatyard High Street, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex "Dramatic glamour isn't a quality usually associated with the Thames Estuary, but that is what the Boatyard has brought to Leigh-on-Sea, with its large wooden deck that overlooks the river" [details]
• The Company Shed Coast Road, West Mersea, Colchester "primarily a fishmonger but the cafe side of the operation is an increasingly popular sideline... located among the salt marshes and boatyards of West Mersea island" [details]
• The Crown, High Street, Southwold, Suffolk "the flagship hostelry of local brewers Adnams is situated just yards from the brewery." [details]
• Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack, Little Street, Brighton "This is casual and fun dining at its best, which is why it is popular with families" [website]
• The Sportsman, Faversham Road, Seasalter, Kent "hidden away at the far end of the village on the fringes of the marshes" [details]
• Terre a Terre, East Street, Brighton "This just off-the-seafont restaurant is housed in a large, light space that blends cool contemporary looks with astonishing Asian-edged food" [website]
• The White Horse, Main Road, Brancaster, Norfolk "relaxed and stylish pub with impressive sea views. The conservatory dining room maximises the vista and puts the emphasis on fresh fish, taking in lots of local produce" [website]
• Whitstable Oyster Fisher Co, Horsebridge Beach, Whitstable "decor at this on-the-beach fish restaurant, with its peeling paint, worn floorboards and junk-shop furniture is more dress-down Friday than Armani." [details]

At last the Times restaurant recommendations leave the confines of London and track down ten of the best pubs in the South East. One is just down the road from me in Marlow; I shall have to go!

1. Crooked Billet, Newton Longville, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire  "serious passion" [website]
2. The Anchor Inn, Walberswick, Southwold, Suffolk "1920's Arts and Crafts Adnams pub whose gardens are a real haven" [info]
3. The Cricketers, Clavering, Saffron Walden, Essex "an adventurous, frequently changing menu" [details]
4. The Cricketers On The Green, Weston Green, Thames Ditton, Surrey "new gastropub offering such well-sourced ingredients as Cumbria Ham and Coin Valley smoked duck" [details]
5. The Greyhound, Stockbridge, Hampshire "a super riverside garden with fishing rights for residents" [details]
6. Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire "the cooking takes you into much higher realm. Respect for British ingredients gives the menu an edge - it's not often that every dish listed appeals" [details]
7. Hare Restaurant, Lambourn Woodlands, Hungerford, Berkshire "You'll find Mayfair style at this former country pub set in magnificent racehorse country" [website]
8. The Hinds Head, Bray, Berkshire "Don't expect gastropub wizardry at Heston Blumenthal's pub venture as he keeps the ancient building as the village local, serving traditional tavern food" [website]
9. The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent "Hidden away on the fringes of the marshes, the Sportsman appears desolate at first, but inside the coastal light sweeps through an airy room" [details]
10. The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk "A stylish pub where the sea views from the conservatory dining room are beyond compare and the natural colours and modern artwork are complemented by the relaxed attitude of the staff" [website]