Sunday 23 September 2007

The Company Shed, Mersea

Excellent to see our wondrous Company Shed getting a nice long, illustrated review by Jay Rayner in today's Observer Magazine. And the verdict? Overwhelmingly positive (apart from a mild gripe about the lack of mayonnaise, and another about the queue to get in - but he got over these minor setbacks).

I entirely concur with Rayner's view that 'the star of the show . . . is the seafood platter, at £8.50 a head'.

The review ends with a paragraph that sums it all up perfectly:

. . . Seafood, a plate, your fingers and the waters of the creek just outside, on a low-lying piece of land that is dedicated to the way of the boat. As I was finishing my lunch I found out just how low-lying the land was. The people sitting next to me explained that, at high tide, the island . . . is often cut off, as the waters roll in to cover the causeway that links it to the mainland. I asked when the next high tide would be. They glanced at their watches. Oh, right about now, they said. So I won't be able to get off? Not for a while, they said. I advise you to check the times of the high tide before going to the Company Shed. Me? I wandered down the road to a cafe and bought a toffee ice cream made with local goat's milk. I sat on a bench, watched the boats come and go, and gave myself to the rhythms of the waters that had just helped supply my lunch.
Yep, that's what it's like round here. And long may it continue.

2 comments:

60GoingOn16 said...

Well, on the strength of that review, I predict if not a riot then an invasion. So you must all batten down your hatches on Muddy Island.

That will teach you to put mouthwatering words and pictures on your blog, Juliet.

Juliet said...

Yep, that's what happens when 'undiscovered gems' are suddenly . . . discovered! Oh well - the praise is richly deserved, though the queues will be even longer now. But it will still be worth it. (And people who don't like waiting can always buy their seafood over the counter at the Shed and take it home to cook and eat.)

Happy birthday for yesterday - the cake looks lovely!