Visit this award-winning 'smugglers inn' by boat if you fancy lunch with a difference
By Charlotte Smith-Jarvis
10th Nov 2023 | Opinion
Suffolk Food Stories editor Charlotte Smith-Jarvis, probably Suffolk, and even Essex's top food writer takes the trip from Shotley to Harwich by boat for a time constrained lunch and finds a lovely surprise
Ferry…cross the St-our…
Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as the Liverpudlian tune does it? But I actually couldn't stop humming this as we basked in the proper start of the summer last weekend from the deck of Harwich Harbour Ferry…the sun beating down through a crisp blue sky,
I'm ashamed to say I've never been on the cheery little yellow boat before. I've written about the service, which connects Felixstowe, Harwich and Shotley, many times in the course of work, but for some reason or other didn't get around to trying it out…until now.
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The mercury read 32C in the garden. Too hot to sit outside, but perfect weather for messing about on the water, and partaking in the ubiquitously English pastime of 'going for fish and chips and ice cream'.
Parking at Shotley Marina is free. Yes, that's right, free! And tickets for the ferry can be bought online in advance or with a card onboard. Ferries run daily (£8.80 for an adult return) on the hour from Shotley, opposite the Shipwreck pub, beginning at 10am, and with the last trip out at 4pm - though that means you're staying in Harwich, as the last boat to Shotley from the Essex side is at 3.50pm.
Harwich Harbour Ferry en route to Shotley
On board Harwich Harbour Ferry
It's best to check it's all running OK before you set out. And note the ferry operates from April 1 to October 31. Rock up on November 1 and you're on your own I'm afraid.
I wish I'd checked the website first. I was so giddy with the idea of chips and a Mr Whippy that I overlooked the fact no boats run at 1pm, as the skippers stop for lunch.
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No matter, that gave us ample time for a stroll up the marina, marvelling at the enormity of the MSC shipping containers lined up over at the Port of Felixstowe on the other side. And to watch a couple launch their new boat out and off to sea.
A pint of the cold stuff at The Shipwreck, and we were off.
The bike and dog-friendly ferry takes a mere seven minutes to cross.
Mooring up at Harwich
Often maligned for its industrial-looking ferry port, Harwich (old Harwich more to the point) is actually quite pretty, with an air of Cornwall about it. Pastel-coloured historic buildings. Beamed pubs with low-slung ceilings.
And once you're ashore, there's plenty to sate the appetite. We had planned takeaway fish and chips at locals' favourite Pieseas, followed by a 15-minute stroll along the coast to The Pavilion at Dovercourt - an old public loo converted into a jazzy little Art Deco-inspired cafe and bar. But my rubbish timings put paid to that idea (next time).
On the pier there's dressed crab, crab salads…and crab sandwiches at the cafe, which juts out over the water.
The Pier hotel, part of the Milsom group, is renowned for lobster, and has a pretty darn lavish bar, The Navyard, filled to the brim with dozens of gins and other luxury spirits (again, next time).
If it's tea and cake that takes your fancy, pop into VintageFresh, just over the road from the pier, where you can indulge in a wedge of fresh viccy sponge…or buy a hand-painted chair!
VintageFresh is open for tea and cake
With time ticking, we quickly decided to bin off the idea of a takeaway, and explore The Alma Inn and Dining Rooms, which has been on my list for a long time. Winner of B&B and Guest House of the Year in the 2021/22 East of England Tourism Awards, I'd been told over and over of the magic of this place.
It didn't disappoint. The Alma has all the markings of a smugglers' haunt. Narrow corridors. Lanterns. Beams. Wonky floors. The smell of long-extinguished fires, real ale and the salt of the sea lingering within its walls.
We sauntered in, sheepishly, at 2pm on a Sunday, expecting to be turfed out. But the staff couldn't have been more welcoming. As it turns out, they cook through lunch and dinner.
The bar dining area at The Alma
Settled in with a glass of local blackcurrant and apple juice (it was hot) and a proper jug of ale from the week's tap takeover with Wharf Brewery, we took a load off to read the menu. I don't know if it was the heat or frazzled anxiety of messing up our timings, but we could not make a decision. The Alma offers a curious blend of tapas and British/European dishes. Basically all my favourite things rounded up on one piece of paper.
I like that they'd gone to the effort of photographing and printing out the specials board, which hung handily on the wall beside us. No worries about sending someone from your party off on a 'specials expedition'.
What to pick? Sobrasada -that piquant, moreish, spreadable Spanish sausage with charred bread. Mackerel pate. Oysters grilled with garlic and herbs. Smoked mussels with celeriac remoulade. Steak and ale pie. Let me stop before I actually list everything.
We began with, what I think (alongside dressed crab) is the essence of summer - prawns. These ones were particularly plump, and glossy with a dressing of chilli and sweet orange, with an olive oil-drenched croustade of bread on the side for dunking.
Prawns with chilli and orange
Smoked Harwich eel croquetas
On the other side of the table were a trio of Harwich smoked eel croquetas, all melting, oozy and savoury with a hint of oak, served with a slap-you-round-the-face horseradish mustard sauce, and a little salad of sea purslane. Corr.
Try as we might, we couldn't be steered away from the temptation of fish and chips. The pub etches up a list of 'catches of the day'. On our visit, haddock, skate and nuss. Now that was an education. This know-it-all foodie had no idea what nuss was, but two members of staff nearby were full of info, imploring us to try the member of the dogfish family - described as white, meaty and full of flavour.
It didn't disappoint. And they were bang on point. The nuss was sweetly meaty (more like monkfish than hake or haddock) and had a delicate but substantial texture. Fans of any white fish will enjoy it. I went for fresh skate, which forked off the bones into creamy feather-like pieces. The batter was incredible - golden, bags of flavour and with a proper crunch. And the chips (ungreasy) just like chip shop chips. And I mean, exactly like!
The kitsch touch of serving buttery peas in a scallop shell won our hearts. As for the tartare sauce? Best we've ever had. Really chunky and briney.
Sometimes you need a whippy ice cream
Time didn't allow for pud. That was a whippy ice cream and faux flake from the van at the pier, eaten in the stolen five minutes we had till the ferry came back. Next time we'll make time. Remember - the ferry doesn't run at 1pm.
Read more Suffolk Food Stories from editor Charlotte Smith-Jarvis, probably Suffolk, and even Essex's top food writer.
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