Coggeshall Restaurant Guide

“Pub grub done the Galvin way” is to be found in the chef brothers’ home county at their “beautiful pub, restaurant and garden, set in stunning countryside” (if “in the arse end of nowhere”, according to a day tripper from South Woodford). “The cooking here is very good with something of a European vibe (with pub standards to fall back on if you choose to dine in the bar rather than the more formal restaurant setting)”. “The staff always make you feel welcome, and the landlady, Katie, is particularly charming”. Top Tip – “an unusual highlight is Christmas Day lunch, which is well thought-out and nicely cooked (Chateaubriand or halibut if you hate turkey!)”.

A day trip to this legendary and descriptively named seafood mecca has been a feature of the Essex coast for decades. Take along your own BYO wine and bread and be prepared for the interior to look exactly as you would imagine from the titular ‘shed’. Long loved for its “great seafood platters and daily specials” (crab, cockles, mussels, prawns “don’t get fresher than this”, alongside fine smoked salmon and mackerel); the only problem, as ever, is “if you can get in” – particularly complicated in summer when you absolutely have to book. Top Tip – lobster must be pre-ordered.

A 500-year-old country inn set in gorgeous Suffolk countryside provides a stunning backdrop to a meal at this ambitious property, which has been owned by Richard Sunderland & Sarah Broadbent since 2022. But if “after spending millions the place is very nice”, the odd report also has reservations: the traditional (and sensibly priced) French-inflected cuisine is well-rated by one repeat-visitor, but another feels that: “they seem to be chasing a Michelin Star, but are trying to run before they can walk”.

“The setting is beautiful” – “especially outside in the summer months” – at this famous half-timbered destination, which has been a restaurant since 1925 and is a major favourite in the area for special occasions thanks to its marvellous beamed interior and heavenly location in Constable Country. Even those who acknowledge these strengths, though, note that “the food varies in quality and does disappoint” as results are “only average and very overpriced”. Also, “service can go downhill, especially when there is a large wedding going on… but it is lovely…”

“Locally sourced food cooked to perfection” and a “charming welcome” reward visitors to Constable Country who are lured by the distinctive yellow facade of this 15th-century coaching inn, owned and operated for 22 years by Piers Baker. The “great menu”, which takes most of its cues from Italian cuisine, makes this “a place to while away the afternoon” over a long lunch.

A striking Georgian coaching inn overlooking this pretty destination’s surprisingly long village green. Now in the safe hands of the East Anglia-based Chestnut Group (behind the Old Bridge in Huntingdon and, most recently, The Maltings in Weybourne), this “reliable local” turns out varied grub, from hearty roasts to vegan options – and you can walk it off at one of the many stately homes nearby (of which the NT’s Melford Hall is just a hop away).

Paul Wendholt’s tiny operation serves a 9-12 course tasting menu at £80 per person, with servings varying in size (from bite-size snacks to full plates). We received too few reports for a full rating this year, but one promising review continues to justify its inclusion as a tip when in the area: “exceptional tasting menu food and that you can chat about while watching the preparation of the dishes. Ambience is less exceptional, but then you are engrossed anyway”.

“Who needs Pizza Express” when you’ve got this bottomless Neapolitan pie joint – a “great concept” (since exported to Colchester) where you press the button for service and “pizza slices keep coming round” in a form of culinary roulette; since no two slices are the same, “you get to sample loads of exciting flavour combinations” that “one would not ordinarily put on a whole pie” (“the sweet chilli chicken with honey is a favourite!”).