Peldon Restaurant Guide

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.

In July 2024, Ben & Sophie Crittenden re-located their award-winning (including, last year, Harden‘s Top 100) venture from Thanet in Kent to this new site over 100 miles away on the Essex coast. It occupies the wooden clapboard premises of what was previously ‘Seafood at Dawn’ and is bigger than the 12-seater they’ve left behind. The six-course tasting menu format is broadly unchanged, with the menu provided at £90 per person (with a wine flight available at £55 per person). No feedback as yet, but we’ve taken a punt and maintained the excellent ratings that they held in Kent – reports please!