The story
Pea Porridge opened its doors in October 2009 in a pair of 1820s cottages on Cannon Street, Bury St Edmunds. The name comes from the long-gone “Pea Porridge Green” that once stood on the square. Inside, the restaurant retains its original baker’s oven and exposed brickwork, creating three unpretentious dining rooms with a cosy, homely feel.
The restaurant is an independent, hands-on affair run by head chef Justin Sharp and his wife Jurga, who works the front-of-house. Their approach is produce-driven, favouring simplicity and flavour over gadgetry. The menu changes almost daily and is built around Moorish-inspired cuisine, with local and seasonal ingredients at its heart. Nose-to-tail cooking is a regular feature.
The kitchen cooks primarily over a “Grizzly” charcoal oven. Sample dishes have included Moorish fish soup, spatchcock quail with ezme salad and pomegranate, and braised wagyu beef short rib with soft polenta and girolles. A fixed four-course lunch menu offers a daily changing selection. Desserts might feature a “Burnt” Basque cheesecake or an iced Sicilian pistachio parfait.
The wine list is carefully sourced from small-scale producers, with a focus on rare, natural and biodynamic wines. The team works with a handful of fussy suppliers to find bottles you won’t see on a supermarket shelf.
Pea Porridge has held Suffolk’s only Michelin Star since 2021, a recognition of its high-quality cooking and down-to-earth style. It remains a neighbourhood restaurant at heart, welcoming guests for both lunch and dinner in the historic market town.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
High quality cooking
Can it really be as long ago as 2009 when Pea Porridge first opened? Its name derives from the patch of green that preceded the present-day square in the centre of Bury St Edmunds, and Moorish-inspired cuisine is its game. There is an on-trend, stripped-down look to the interior, with a naked brickwork backdrop across three conjoined rooms that are reliably abuzz with excited custom. First off, everybody mentions the superb breads, which are not to be missed on any account, and come in very handy for dredging through appetiser servings of taramasalata or kashke bademjan (a garlicky, nutty Persian aubergine dip). From there, it's on to an extensive range of gently spiced, fragrant, often fruity dishes that are capably explained by staff. Muntjac kofte with tzatziki, blistered peppers, molasses and zaatar is a robustly satisfying starter, or for something lighter, look to a tempura-battered courgette flower with aged feta, beetroot borani and dukkah. The popular main-course choice for a hungry couple to share is Moroccan tagine, made with spiced kid goat, although dishes from the Grizzly charcoal oven are hard to resist, such as pluma Ibérica pork with peperonata, crispy chickpeas, baked figs and mojo verde. This is hearty, sustaining food that pushes all the taste buttons, right down to the burnt Basque cheesecake garnished with kataifi pastry and rose petals, or cheeses served with Greek mountain honeycomb and frozen Muscat grapes. Look to the eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus for some of the most interesting, and regionally unimpeachable, choices from the wine list.
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