Wheelers Oyster Bar, Whitstable

Located on the High Street, Whitstable is this tiny oyster bar serving up some of the best seafood in this part of Kent.

Its one of our favourite places to visit though we’re yet to get a table in the main restaurant as it only has half a dozen or so tables and during the summer is booked  up months in advance.

However, all is not lost as you can pull up a stool and eat at the counter (remembering to bring a bottle of wine from the ‘offy’ opposite.) The seafood is excellent as are the excellent native oysters – Whitstable is famous for its oysters which have been eaten here (Whitstable, not the bar) since Roman times!

We love this place and make a point of visiting every time we visit Whitstable.

Old Neptune, Whitstable

Whitstable is teeming with pubs, nearly all of which are within walking distance of each other and whilst I’m yet to have a beer in all of them, by far my favourite is the Old Neptune or the Nep/Neppie as it’s known to Locals!

It’s in a great location, literally on the banks of the Thames Estuary and when warm, the outside seating is packed with both tourists and locals enjoying the great selection of beers on offer.

We were there on Christmas Eve 2011 – starting off the festive season enjoying a great evening watching the Christmas Eve sun set over the estuary.

Boxing Day with Dead Horse Morris

Whilst wandering around Whitstable earlier today – (walking off the turkey and trying to find a pub that was open,) we bumped into Dead Horse Morris – well we saw a group of guys, faces painted black and knowing theres no coal industry here in Whitstable decided to follow them. DHM are a group of men and women (from Whitstable and the surrounding area,) who perform a style of Morris Dancing that is more ‘Border’ style rather than the traditional ‘bells and hankies’ of the Cotswolds.

However, there is something quintessentially English about Morris Dancers, who in there right mind would think to wear an upside colander on there head with brussel sprouts dangling from said ‘hat’ and faces painted black – men dancing with men and the ladies the same. Truly bonkers – it makes you proud to be English!

They were fantastic – a large crowd gathered to watch as the men, faces painted black, wearing hobnailed boots, cordrouys and cheesecutter caps performed numerous dances with the Brussel Sprout Dance being truly memorable – sprouts flying everywhere it was (almost) lethal!

Having watched the dance and enjoyed a mince pie, we found an open pub and quickly settled in, enjoying a Boxing Day beer in front of an open fire.