Really lovely tearoom overlooking the picturesque Doctors Pond in Dunmow. It's the ideal place for…read moremorning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea and offers a great range of scones, homemade cakes, light lunches and desserts. The chocolate fudge brownies were to die for - and I have it on good authority that the carrot cake, cherry and sultana scones and shortbread were equally good!

This is a lovely little cafe beside a small lake called 'The Doctor's Pond'. Very popular with the…read morelocals. We normally drop in for coffee and cakes or afternoon tea and we have never been disappointed, but we understand the place is under new ownership. Closed on Mondays. Easy access for all but watch the kiddies and the unguarded water's edge. Plenty of ducks, geese and crocodiles and the like after any morsels left unattended.

Tanswell's Bakery offers delicious fresh baked breads, pastries, and confectionary treats. They…read moreoffer an assortment of filled rolls and baguettes each day. Tanswell's has expanded their operations where the baking is now done across the street providing a wider selection of offerings to their customers. If you are looking for a treat in Long Melford, follow the locals to Tanswell's.

Driving under the Orwell Bridge, out of Ipswich, heading towards the Shotley peninsular there are a…read morefew signposts for the Suffolk Food Hall. This is a permanent farmers market where you can buy quality meats, fish, veg, cheese, etc - all with great prevenance, and of high quality. I often buy the Sunday roast there - they do a great beef on the rib. Also here is the Bourne Garden Centre and the Samford Restaurant Cafe. The cafe is small and well served with a menu of homemade dishes (I like the Suffolk Steak Sandwich). There is usually also a good selection of veggie options. The menu is not huge, but does seem to offer a decent degree of choice. The food is very good quality - I believe that the current chef came from The Alex in Felixstowe. The prices are not cheap, but that is reflected in the quality of the food, so I don't think the food is overpriced. Service is friendly and good, and there are stunning views out to the Orwell Bridge.

On the way to Shotley under the Orwell Bridge - Suffolk Food Hall is great for lots of organic…read moreproducts, fruit & vege and specialty stuff. Big bouncy pillow for kids to play on. Cafe and also a great restaurant with awesome views out over river!

Under the Neptune Marina development, on the quayside is a very pleasant espresso bar called…read moreCoffeelink. I suspect it will get busy in the next few months due to the opening of the new quayside college building right next door, but for a quiet coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon it is excellent. Coffees are of good quality - as are the chocolate shakes :-) Particularly nice is the fact that the cafe doesn't just look out onto the marina, but that it catches the sun most of the day as well (although being english weather, that isn't too often). Nice location - good products.

Nice small coffee shop. Out of the way of the hussle and bussle of the town centre, its alot…read morecheaper thn other coffee shops in Ipswich and the servive is good! Being a regular, they even kow me buy my first name! its just that friendly!

The Museum Street Cafe is a vegetarian cafe that is also vegan and gluten-free friendly. You can…read moreexpect to see curries, tagines, couscous, stew, soups, lasagnes, home-made hummus, cakes, pies (savoury and sweet!) and much more, all made from local produce, and cooked by good, honest people. More importantly, you can get a damn good strong black coffee! Prices range from £5.50 - £6.50 for a main meal, which comes with a side salad. Their portions really are huge, so make sure you are hungry! I'm so glad they opened, as Ipswich is seriously lacking in vegan-friendly places to eat!

This shop sells items from America, items that you can't find anywhere else but really want. I love…read morethe welches grape sodayumm and they are reasonably priced. I once saw an excited customer filling a basket to the brim so much so that the manager said it's OK were will be here tomorrow were not going anywhere, which I thought was a lovely touch as this was his custom. The manager is always happy and smiling, he always remembers me and is glad to see me too. The opening times are not always kept to, they are a new business and are just settling in so I'm sure this is just a small glitch.overall this is a great store and is really needed in this area.

Gorgeous little American style cafe. It really makes me think of a 50's American milkshake bar! I…read morehad a chocolate muffin and a strawberry shake, and it was absolutely delicious! The muffin tasted like it had literally just been taken out the baking tin, and you can watch them make your shake in front of you. Really fresh ingredients and service with a smile!

Dangerous pieces of shrapnel shoot past my head as I down my fourth oyster. Ptiiiiing…read moreshhhhwwwwtttt. Tfoooooow. I duck and sway. Note to self. Paintball goggles needed next time. It's like the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan. But with crab shell not bullets. Now that's the sort of restaurant I want to dine in. One that isn't a restaurant at all, but a shed. With service at the front and kitchen roll on the table and mahoosive platters being carried out from the kitchen laden with squeaky fresh shellfish and seafood. And each table bursting with people who have totally entered into the spirit of the place, crab cracker in one hand, Bounty Extra absorbent in the other, and for those lucky enough to have three hands, oyster in the other. This is the type of place where three hands are a bonus. Diners are invited to bring their own bread, because The Company Shed doesn't do bread. And you can bring your own alcohol too although they have a lovely selection themselves. The staff are young and energetic and spend their time bringing you more mayonnaise or wiping up after you because you can't help but make a mess when you eat here. It's down and dirty and you may leave with a four inch piece of crab shell embedded in your skull millimetres from your cerebral cortex. But as long as that's not the part of the brain that deals with eating, job's a good 'un. This might not be everybody's cup of tea, although by the size of the queues I'm not sure that's true. If you rock up any time after 12 on a weekend likelihood is you won't get in at all. It's first come first served and after that they put you on a list. They open up at 9am and last service is at 4pm. The Company Shed is situated on Mersea Island. The Island itself isn't much to write home about although a walk along the marsh land is nice and if you're into birds you're in like flynn. But If you're within a hundred miles of The Company Shed, my advice is get yourself down there. Delicious fun.

his pandemic has a lot to answer for especially for not allowing us to have our days to the coast…read moreand our visits to this oasis of fresh seafood. Luckily my partner noticed that they had started a delivery service to our area. Needless to say she was on the internet with an order of two crab and seafood platters, 6 massive tiger prawns and 6 local oysters for me. It arrived dead on the time that they stated and was so fresh. Every item was delicious, especially the oysters. However, we still look forward to a visit to Mersea and sitting in the Shed. It's unique, in a seafaring way,