Off all the things to become obsessed with in life, I have this terrible tendencies to crave for those that I really can’t afford. Truffles, foie gras, caviar and seafood. Whole lobsters, quality crabs and plump scallops don’t come cheap these days but it still hasn’t stopped me. As soon as payday comes I splash out and by mid-month I’m back on baked beans. Last weekend I spent an incredibly relaxing overnight stay at spa hotel Lifehouse Spa in North Essex – on the way back I couldn’t resist the temptation to visit Mersea Island – racing to reach the island before the high tide comes in and blocks off the marshes – which provides access to this lush green, sort of island.
Looking out over the gorgeous harbour here at Mersea Island, this seafood shack is nestled in-between the ship docks, with workers slacking away across wrecked ships and fishing boats. All the seafood here at West Mersea Oyster Bar is as you could imagine, incredibly fresh. After a glass of wine or two we shared a seafood platter for one – rather large for a single person – but a bargain at only £11.95. This fresh and vibrant plate of seafood was piled to the brim with cockles, crayfish, prawns (shell on and off), rollmops, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel and half a fresh crab. It’s not often you get sample seafood this fresh, especially in the comfort of the cold sea air. The only negative point I will say is if you’re spoilt rotten with huge crab legs from Norway and chunky prawns from Thailand then do bear in mind this in – this is simple, fresh British seafood.
As good as our seafood platter was here at West Mersea Oyster Bar – the fish and chips were on an epic scale and easily the best I’ve eaten in a long time. The pristine white battered fillet of cod was unbelievably fresh and the batter – well it was extraordinary. Golden in colour, oh-so crispy and with each forkfull made the most amazing sound when it crunched. The chips were proper chip shop style, crunchy and had that rich potato flavour – none of this mas supermarket rubbish. Mushy peas were a little standard but otherwise complimented the dish – all it was missing was a side of bread & butter and a gold old English cuppa.
Our journey home from our relaxing spa break should have been a mere two hours drive, but with this little detour it turned out to be at least double that – but worth every minute. Not only is there the added bonus of visiting Mersea Island for the food, but also for the views, the walking trails it has to offer and the fresh sea air – you get to realise just exactly what you’re missing living in the big smoke. Just over two hours from London may seem along way to come for fish & chips, but you’ll see exactly what all the fuss is about when you arrive. Something about this island is completely magical – it even has its own vineyard.
8/10
