Celebrating the Year of The Coast 2023, englandscoast.com is the clever tool that offers you the chance to browse over 2,000 coastal businesses – including hotels, B&Bs, self-catering properties, activity and attraction operators, transport companies, restaurants and much more.
And what better way to explore the English coast than with your stomach this harvest season? With more than 300 species of fish, one of Europe’s longest coastlines, and a plethora of restaurants, seafood shacks and pubs offering the freshest sustainable and line-caught fish and seafood – as well as other quality seasonal produce found locally – there’s a multitude of ways to discover the great English coastline.
From unassuming seafood trailers to Michelin-star bistros, and from vineyards to food festivals, there’s such an array of local produce to explore across our coastline in autumn 2023.
Isle of Wight: Bountiful produce
In a climate boasting more hours of sunlight than most of the UK, nutrient-rich soil, lush grass and thriving warm seas, the Isle of Wight is a haven for local seafood and produce: crab, tomatoes, garlic, gin, cheese, strawberries and more.
With autumn comes a bountiful harvest; discover its spoils at one of the island’s plentiful local farm shops – such as Harvey Brown’s working family fruit and veg farm featuring a café, food hall and butchery – and create a picnic to take on an autumn walk along the Isle of Wight Coastal Path.
Enjoy pumpkin-themed festivities at Tapnell Farm’s Pumpkin Festival during October (weekends 7-8 and 14-15, and half term 21-31 October), with Pick Your Own pumpkin patch, pumpkin-themed treats, a licensed bar and live music. You can also stay overnight in a safari tent, pod or dome in this glorious sea-view setting.
The Isle of Wight Autumn Walking Festival (7-15 October), invites ramblers to get off the beaten track and explore the island on foot, with over 55 guided walks during the week, many inspired by locals’ favourite walks and in the footsteps of famous visitors including Queen Victoria, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Jimi Hendrix. Refuel afterwards at one of the island’s many tasty eateries – after The Dickens Trail at Bonchurch, head to Ventnor for lunch at The Seapot – fresh seafood and sandwiches in a beach hut overlooking the beach, or The True Food Kitchen for a globally-inspired menu featuring catch of the day and Japanese cocktails.
Dorset: Foraging and fossils
Home to some of England’s most loved geological landmarks, the Jurassic Coast is also a foodie hotspot, with the pretty coastal towns of Swanage, Lyme Regis, Bridport and West Bay offering sublime seafood in vibrant seaside locations.
Explore the attractive market town of Bridport, with its tremendous reputation for food, culture and arts. Street markets on Wednesdays, as well as a range of independent shops and cafes, showcase the area’s rich foodie heritage. Local purveyors include award-winning Baboo Gelato, using organic milk from a local farm and seasonal fruit from its own orchard, it supplies restaurants and shops around the South West.
In a destination known for its fossil-hunting, forage, feast and adventure with Fore/Adventure on the sandy Studland Dorset peninsula; the husband-and-wife duo run kayaking and wild food adventures along the coast during which you can fish for mackerel, forage along the shore for seaweed and shellfish, then learn how to cook them and enjoy a wild gourmet feast on the beach.
Perched on Lyme Regis’s hillside with expansive coastal views, sits celebrity chef Mark Hix’s Oyster and Fish House, whose changing menu includes Portland pearl oysters, cod with Poole cockles and simple grilled fish of the day.
Kent: Creative buzz and vibrant seafood shack culture
This corner of the South East is home to a huge range of cultural attractions and world-class art galleries, whose creative spirit go hand-in-hand with an exciting foodie scene. The region is also home to a plethora of colourful seafood shacks serving up the freshest fish and seafood.
On the Isle of Thanet, the new kid on the block is Pearly Cow beside Margate Main Sands. Come for the freshest seafood and just-picked leaves, check out the likes of salt cod taco, lobster roll and Whitstable oysters.
The newly-reopened Hasting Contemporary boasts a mouthwatering café serving small bites, sharing boards, snacks and bakes with delicious produce sourced locally from Sussex and Kent; the 1930s modernist cultural centre De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea also works with local suppliers to serve seasonal eats with sublime sea views, including dishes such as crayfish and bloody mary mayo sandwiches and heritage beetroot, asparagus and walnut salad; and Eastbourne’s Towner Art Gallery, whose new restaurant Light opened in May this year, featuring a range of smørrebrød sandwiches and locally-sourced plates
In Folkestone, the Harbour Arm (formerly the ferry port) , bustles with scores of food and drink stalls, with the team behind Rocksalt fronting Little Rock, serving fresh catch from Folkestone Trawlers such as skate, mussels and cod cheek, with stylish deck chair seating overlooking the harbour; Whitstable’s Harbour Market is home to dozens of colourful fisherman’s huts boasting micro-eateries serving mouthwatering fresh fried fish, oysters, smokehouse meats, local beers and ciders and more.
Plymouth: Britain’s Ocean City
Plymouth, labelled Britain’s Ocean City, is home to one the largest fish markets in the country – more than 6,000 tonnes of seafood are landed here each year.
Before tucking into some of the freshest seafood available, if you fancy doing some of the work yourself, book a Cook Your Catch at the Hook and Line Experience and sail out for a private fishing trip; on your return, visit The Hook and Line Seafood Café and Bar to create the perfect dish
A fleet of in-shore day boats fish the local waters using sustainable methods, landing at Plymouth Fish Quay serving the scores of fresh fishmongers. Check out The Catch, an artisan seafood restaurant and cookery school-in-one
Look out for smoked salmon, gravadlax, hand-picked crab, lobster bisque, crab cakes, fish pies, chowders and more at the Shellfish Deli. You can even select your own crab or lobster from the onsite holding tank
The Village is one of Plymouth’s oldest seafood restaurants; try the fisherman’s platter, heaving with tiger prawns, scallops, mussels, calamari and more. Fans of Japanese food should visit KUKU sushi bar, this hidden gem uses local, seasonal ingredients to create delicious sushi, salads and soup
Renovated from an old fisherman’s store, The Boathouse Café is right on the waterfront. Focussing on sustainable sourcing, they catch and serve their own fish – you’ll find the catch of the day on the specials board
North West: A food lover’s destination
Cumbria’s reputation as a food lover’s destination is indisputable; the county has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other county.
From Herdwick hogget to Morecambe Bay and Solway shrimps, its farmers markets, damson orchards, breweries and cheesemakers attract some of the UK’s most talented chefs
New for 2023, the Pie, Mash and Pudding Train is just the ticket for a cold autumnal evening out. Board at Ravenglass station on a heritage train pulled by diesel engine, look forward to a pie, mash and pudding waiting for you on arrival at Dalegarth Station before returning
Another foodie excursion with a historical angle is the Fish and Chips Blackpool Heritage Tram Tour (13-17 October and 3-24 November), combining the town’s award-winning fish and chips with its heritage trams on a tour of the seafront
In the 18th century, Whitehaven was a bustling harbour, trading molasses and spices used in local specialities including traditional Cumberland sausage. They’re not as spicy as they once were but boast Protected Geographical Status and are star of the Manchester Sausage Festival.
Also worth checking out are Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and Cumberland Rum Nicky, which is stuffed with dates, treacly brown sugar and comes laced with ginger and rum.
To discover more ways to explore the mouthwatering produce on offer across the stunning English coastline, visit englandscoast.com.
All imagery credit: englandscoast.com
