England’s seaside towns have been in steady decline for what feels like decades but it has been interesting to see how some of them in recent years have reinvented themselves and revived their economies as centers of art and gastronomy. One of the most successful in this respect has been Whitstable.  Situated just a few miles from the ancient city of Canterbury, Whitstable started to prosper as a tourist destination for Londoners in the mid-18th century.

Today, the town attracts visitors from far and wide drawn to its outstanding seafood restaurants, pretty shops and pubs, and the long shingle beach.  The day we visited recently was a wild and blustery one, the kind of day when staying upright on the beach was a challenge for everyone.  It wasn’t too hard to be persuaded to take refuge in Wheeler’s Oyster Bar, a small place that opened first in the mid-1850s and has been serving outstanding fish and seafood ever since.  Wild Whitstable oysters (famous throughout the UK), halibut, spicy crab cakes and homemade bread with Guinness-flavored butter were served at the tiny counter and it was fun to watch people coming in to buy fresh crab and prawns at a place that’s clearly loved by locals and visitors alike. If this is typical of what Whitstable has to offer, I can’t wait to visit again on a calmer day, perhaps during the summer oyster festival.