Maldon, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “A short drive from Chelmsford” in “the heart of Essex” – this “highly recommended” inn is large enough to host weddings and conferences, with a spacious Victorian-style conservatory for dining that has a “real vibrant buzz”, along with “decent good-value food and very friendly service”.

2024 Review: In a village a short drive outside Chelmsford, this converted sixteenth-century pub has fine countryside views and provides a traditionally comfortable destination, complete with linen tablecloths, candles and cut glass. It wins good all-round feedback (if not a huge volume of reviews) and its modern brasserie fare (with steak, beef Wellington and cote de boeuf to share a highlight) helps it regularly feature in Essex food awards. (Owners Brendan Curran & Justin Mullender are also known for the quality of their put-downs on Tripadvisor!)

Focused on sustainability (and to a certain extent on veganism), John Lawson’s small spot has won attention (including a recent visit with a TV crew and Michel Roux) for his “amazing” cooking, served in a tasting menu on Friday and Saturday evenings (with lunch service also available on those days and Thursday). One local fan approves “many delicious meals eaten here”.

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!

2022 Review: Darren Bennett’s stalwart, serving up creative modern British cooking (including a well-regarded afternoon tea) “continues to be reliable in all respects”, whether you stop to take advantage of the set menus or its popular side act as a wedding and events venue.

2024 Review: Sawdust floors and shelves of wine for sale add to the atmosphere of this ‘Wine Merchant & Dining Rooms’ – a Dickensian-style space that’s been a linchpin of the town’s eateries since 1976. It continues to win consistent support for its traditional fare, and is well-suited to business lunches.

2023 Review: “A good-to-find culinary outpost in an area with few interesting eating spots” – this “welcoming” gastropub is well worth remembering: “a steady hand in the kitchen meets good ingredients, and if food and wine both tread a relatively safe path, it’s no less enjoyable for that”.

2024 Review: This “lovely old Essex pub” with a white wooden facade serves food that is “well above average for pub grub” – and its popularity means it “gets overcrowded and noisy” at times. Originally three weavers’ cottages from 1460, the building was converted two centuries later using beams salvaged from naval vessels docked at Tilbury. Top Menu Tip – “the skate wing is delicious”.

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”.