East Devon eats well on seafood. Lyme Bay produces some of the best brown crab, scallops and mackerel landed anywhere in the south of England, and there are still working fishing fleets at Beer, Sidmouth, and Lyme Regis bringing the morning's catch ashore at the slipway. From Hole Mill you can be eating fish that was swimming at dawn within fifteen minutes' drive in any direction. This is the local's guide to where to find the best of it.

Where the seafood actually comes from

The two main local fishing harbours within easy reach of Hole Mill are:

  • Beer. A small but genuine working fishing fleet, with boats winched up the shingle by tractor. The catch is sold the same day at the village fishmonger directly opposite the slipway.
  • Sidmouth Cove. Half a dozen small day-boats, also winched up the shingle. Catch goes to Sidmouth Trawlers fishmonger on the seafront.
  • Lyme Regis. A larger and older fishing port; boats land at the Cobb. Sold at the seafront fishmonger or on to the local restaurants.
  • Beer Trawlers and Lyme Bay Fish Company also work the wider Lyme Bay grounds and supply most of the local restaurants.

The grounds in Lyme Bay are unusually rich. The bay is shallow, sheltered, and (for the last 15 years) protected from bottom-trawling under a designated Lyme Bay Reserve scheme. As a result, scallops, brown crab, lobster, plaice, sole, hake, and mackerel are all landed in genuinely sustainable quantities by small day-boats using static gear (pots, nets) rather than by destructive trawlers.

What to eat, and when

Lyme Bay brown crab

The defining East Devon seafood. Sweet, dense, white meat from cock crabs landed in pots set on the local reefs. Best season: April-October. Eaten dressed (mixed with brown meat and a little mayonnaise) on toast, or as a sandwich.

Where to eat it:

  • The Anchor Inn (Beer) — the daily specials board often features a dressed Lyme Bay crab.
  • Hix Oyster & Fish House (Lyme Regis) — a serious crab presentation.
  • Sidmouth Trawlers — buy a dressed crab to take back and eat at Hole Mill.

Lyme Bay scallops

Hand-dived scallops from the bay's protected scallop beds. Sweet, large, properly seasonal. Best season: October-March.

Where to eat them:

  • The Pig at Combe — local scallops appear regularly on the menu in autumn and winter.
  • The Salty Monk (Sidford) — usually on the seasonal menu when in season.
  • Lyme Bay Fish Company — buy by the dozen to cook at Hole Mill.

Mackerel

Caught locally from May to October by feathering off small day-boats. Cheap, abundant, and one of the most sustainable fish you can eat. The mackerel boat trips from Beer let you catch your own — see our Beer guide for booking.

Where to eat it:

  • Beer slipway — Eat from the Beach kiosk does excellent fresh mackerel sandwiches in season.
  • Sidmouth Trawlers — buy a couple of the morning's catch to grill at Hole Mill.

Lobster

Native lobster (the dark blue British species, not the imported Canadian) from local pots. Smaller and sweeter than imported lobster. Best season: May-October.

Where to eat it:

  • The Anchor Inn (Beer) — sometimes on the specials board in summer.
  • Hix Oyster & Fish House — usually on the menu in summer.
  • The fishmonger at Beer — buy a live lobster to cook at Hole Mill.

Plaice and sole

Local flatfish from Lyme Bay, landed regularly by the inshore boats. Best season: spring and autumn.

Where to eat them:

  • Steamers (Beer) — fish specials change daily.
  • Hix Oyster & Fish House (Lyme Regis) — usually on the menu.

Mussels

Locally farmed Exe estuary mussels (rope-grown, available year-round) and wild Lyme Bay mussels (winter only).

Where to eat them:

  • The Pea Green Boat (Sidmouth) — moules marinière is a regular menu item.
  • The Salty Monk — seasonal mussels feature regularly.

Smoked fish

Smokeries in the area produce excellent smoked mackerel, smoked salmon, and smoked trout. Pinhay Smoke House near Lyme Regis is the best local source.

The restaurants we send guests to for serious seafood

Hix Oyster & Fish House (Lyme Regis)

On the cliff above the Cobb at Lyme Regis, with sweeping views over the bay. Mark Hix's original restaurant — the menu now changes with the chef but the brief is the same: simple, well-cooked local fish, oysters, scallops, mackerel, hake, sole. The room is small; book ahead. About 25 minutes' drive from Hole Mill.

Best for: a special-occasion seafood lunch.

The Pig at Combe (Gittisham, near Honiton)

Not a fish-focused restaurant, but the wood-fired grill regularly cooks Lyme Bay scallops, hake, and whole fish, all sourced within 25 miles. The bar menu (pizzas, sharing plates) is more accessible than the dining room. About 20 minutes' drive.

Best for: scallops in autumn, fish from the wood-fired grill.

The Salty Monk (Sidford)

The most ambitious local kitchen. Seasonal small fixed menu, almost always with at least one seafood dish — Lyme Bay scallops, locally landed sole, dressed Lyme Bay crab. Owner-run, careful, properly good. About 15 minutes' drive.

Best for: a serious sit-down seafood dinner.

Steamers (Beer)

A small smart restaurant on Fore Street in Beer village — Modern British food with a strong fish focus. The location, two minutes' walk from where the boats land, gives them genuinely fresh fish.

Best for: dinner in Beer without driving back to Hole Mill afterwards.

The Anchor Inn (Beer)

A pub rather than a restaurant, but the daily specials regularly include locally landed fish. Dressed crab sandwich on the lunch menu in summer is excellent.

Best for: lunch after a coastal walk.

Buying fish to cook at Hole Mill

Hole Mill has a serious kitchen — a big island, decent knives, a gas hob, and a proper oven — and many guests find that buying local fish to cook themselves is one of the highlights of the week. Three places we recommend:

Sidmouth Trawlers (Sidmouth seafront)

Family-run fishmonger directly opposite the seafront. They work their own boats so the fish is genuinely off-the-beach fresh. Crab, lobster, sole, plaice, mackerel and seasonal whitefish. They will gut and fillet for you.

Distance: 15 minutes by car. Hours: typically 9 am to 4 pm, closed Mondays.

Beer Fishmonger (Beer)

Directly opposite the slipway in Beer — the catch from the morning's boats is sold here within hours of landing. Smaller selection than Sidmouth Trawlers but unbeatable freshness.

Distance: 10 minutes by car.

Lyme Bay Fish Company (Lyme Regis)

A larger fish merchant in Lyme Regis, supplying many of the local restaurants. Wider selection, including frozen and smoked options. Useful if you want a specific species.

Distance: 25 minutes by car.

Tips for cooking local fish at Hole Mill

  • Less is more. Lyme Bay crab, mackerel and scallops need very little doing to them — a quick pan-fry, lemon, salt, butter.
  • Use the BBQ. Hole Mill has a covered outdoor cooking area that is ideal for grilling whole mackerel or cooking scallops in their shells.
  • Leftover crab keeps well for a day in the fridge — make crab linguine for lunch the following day.
  • Mussels need to be cooked the day you buy them; lobster and crab the day after at the latest.
  • The fishmongers will not generally open early in the morning — buy the previous afternoon if you want to cook for breakfast.

Sustainability

Seafood from Lyme Bay is, by national standards, an unusually sustainable choice. The bay's protected status means scallop dredging is restricted to specified areas, brown crab is fished only with pots, and mackerel is caught only with hand lines. Buying local fish from local fishmongers directly supports the small day-boats keeping these grounds healthy.

Eat seafood at Hole Mill. Lyme Bay does it as well as anywhere in England, and the supply chain — boat to fishmonger to dinner table — is short enough that you can sometimes recognise the boat that landed your lunch. Check our availability for your dates.