Sunday lunch 2.jpg

Rupert Marlow

The best food and drink in Surrey

Essential Surrey Awards 2020: Food & Drink Winners

Meet some of our fabulous local restaurateurs, producers and retailers who have all secured top honours in the Essential Surrey Awards.

Like so many businesses, our trusty purveyors of fine dining, coffee, breakfasts and all things food and drink related have had a less than easy year.

But their resilience, resourcefulness and downright hard work have not gone unnoticed. 

Here, we pay tribute to those leading lights of the local food and drink scene as voted for by our readers and visitors to essentialsurrey.co.uk.

Scroll for the best food and drink in Surrey, chosen by Surrey readers and residents...

Best Breakfast

🏆  Winner: Eight on the River; Barge Walk, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AJ

Scooping ‘Best Cup of Coffee’ in our 2019 awards, this lovely café situated on the river bank at Molesey Boat Club is co-managed by Jeff Wood and has now taken top honours for its breakfast menu comprising perfect pastries, a super sourdough selection, as well as a stacked full English and veggie variation.

Jeff says:

“It has been really tough, but we have been lucky, operating as a takeaway service. The team has been so flexible and without them, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

The biggest thank you needs to go to our customers, who have supported us by eating over 6,500 bacon and sausage baps and nearly 5,000 pastries all washed down with more than 110,000 shots of coffee.”

Congratulations to runners up: 

Best Local Producer

🏆  Winner: Williams and Bunkell Fishmongers; 17A The Parade, Claygate, Esher KT10 0PD

Claygate’s busy high street can now claim another Essential Surrey award-winner thanks to your votes propelling fishmonger Williams and Bunkell to the Best Local Producer prize.

Trading for more than 35 years, this traditional shop is in the capable hands of Matt Clift and Mark Bean.

Matt says:

“It’s great to get such recognition. For us, 2020 has been really busy and we have welcomed lots of new customers.

During the lockdown, I think people started taking time to cook and eat fewer takeaways. We were worried that once people felt safe going to the supermarkets again they wouldn’t come back, but they have and we’re thrilled. It’s important to keep the high street going. I think last year made people think about that more.”

Congratulations to runners up:

  • Bachmann; 6, Criterion Buildings, Portsmouth Rd, Thames Ditton KT7 0SS.
  • Chalk Hills Bakery; 75 Bell St, Reigate RH2 7AN
  • Noel’s Farm Shop; Sutton Green Garden Centre, Whitmoor Lane, Off Woking, 7QB, Guildford Rd, Guildford (07908 124603)
  • PJ Dale Family Butcher; 27 Bridge Rd, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9EU

Best Fine Dining

🏆 Winner: The French Table; 85 Maple Rd, Surbiton KT6 4AW

Showcasing an array of traditional and contemporary dishes, the French Table in Maple Road, Surbiton is owned by Sarah and Eric Guignard.

Following lockdown, the restaurant adapted its offer to include a tasting menu and a British staples selection with a French twist for a takeaway with added je ne sais quoi.

Sarah says:

“We are going into our 21st year and we feel so grateful to all our lovely customers not only for the recognition but for their support too.

We really love what we do and we are so pleased to be of value to the local community.

During the lockdown we tried to give people something easy yet special – gorgeous dishes that just needed reheating. Our customers have been great and that has helped us cope.”

Congratulations to runners up:

Best Sunday Lunch

🏆  Winner: The Limping Fox; 15 Rushett Rd, Thames Ditton KT7 0UX

Based on Russett Road, this stylish pub and eaterie have been in the care of Luke and Heloise since 2017.

Its Sunday lunch has become the talk of the town with visitors praising its “delicious food”, “warm welcome” and “friendly atmosphere”.

The Limping Fox is already the recipient of numerous awards – no surprise then that it has proved such a hit with our readers.

A family business which the team describes as “a labour of love” uses local produce wherever possible to create a mix of modern and traditional dishes.

Not only does the pub serve up a fantastic mix of food and drink, but it also doubles as an art gallery, regularly hosting exhibitions by local artists.

Congratulations to runners up:

Best Coffee

🏆  Winner: Miss Polly Café; 119 Walton Rd, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 0DT

While our readers have chosen to champion this popular family-run venue owned by Dale and Jo Annells for its impressive coffee range and taste, the Miss Polly team spent the past year transforming the business to ensure that locals had supplies of fresh food and produce.

Thanks to a number of volunteers, they made more than 1,500 food deliveries to people across the area.

Jo says:

“It has been challenging but rewarding too. As well as offering a takeaway service we were also able to help people who needed food delivering. We always hope people will support local businesses and it was great to then support them and to know they were getting well-fed. People were so grateful and appreciative, it made it all worthwhile.”

Congratulations to runners up:

Best Vegan/Vegetarian

🏆  Winner: Crazy Bean Café; 23 High St, Great Bookham, Leatherhead KT23 4AA

Set up by Krissi and Rob in 2016 to prove how delicious well prepared and served vegan food can be, the Crazy Bean has become a firm favourite with locals in Great Bookham and beyond.

Offering a selection of cakes and coffee, as well as evening dinner and heartier snacks the café has found itself constantly adapting to meet the challenges of 2020.

Krissi says:

“This is amazing. We flipped the restaurant immediately into a takeaway and thankfully all our customers just went with it. We have had such overwhelming support.

Another great thing is that we got to know our customers so much better. We were delivering to their homes and standing at the end of the drive and saying ‘Hello’.

We are still here and that is down to them. They have kept us battling on and we would really like to say a big thank you to each and every one of them.”

Congratulations to runners up:

Best Cake Maker

🏆  Winner: The Lavender Cakes, 2 Westway Gardens, Redhill RH1 2JA

Bashini Weerasingha established her celebration cake business back in 2006 and has been creating mouth-watering masterpieces from her base in Redhill ever since.

Catering for weddings, birthdays and any other cake-required occasion, she specialises in a range of sweet treats that taste as good as they look.

Bashini says:

“This is so wonderful. Last year was difficult as not only were people having weddings cancelled, any events they did have such as birthday parties were a lot smaller too. So sadly not as much cake needed. I love baking – it is my passion but the real thrill is seeing how happy my cakes make other people. To see their faces when I deliver a cake is wonderful.”

Congratulations to runners up: