The story
Pea Porridge, at 28-29 Cannon Street in Bury St Edmunds, is a Mediterranean restaurant with Modern British roots, and it holds a Michelin 1 Star (2026). The kitchen cooks Moorish-inspired food, and the menu changes almost every day.
Justin Sharp leads the kitchen as head chef, and his wife Jurga runs the front of house. The cooking is produce-led, with local and seasonal ingredients and a regular nose-to-tail thread through the menu. Many mains come off the Grizzly charcoal oven, including pluma Ibérica pork with romana peperonata, crispy chickpeas and baked fig.
The Good Food Guide rates the restaurant Very Good (2026) and singles out the bread, which is good for dredging through taramasalata or kashk bademjan, a garlicky, nutty Persian aubergine dip. Starters might include tempura courgette flower with aged feta and beetroot borani, or Suffolk muntjac kofte with tzatziki and za'atar. For two, the Moorish spiced kid goat tagine is the traditional share. Dessert often means burnt Basque cheesecake with poached peach and rose petals.
Pea Porridge opened in October 2009 in two cottages built in 1820. Three small dining rooms keep exposed brickwork, rustic tables and an original baker's oven. The wine list focuses on rare, natural and biodynamic bottles from small producers, with eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus choices.
Recognition
Ambience
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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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