Yachtsmen are flocking to a magnificent new waterside fish restaurant in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex – a town famed for the humble cockle.

The Boatyard has been created inside an old yacht shed – but where the slipway once launched boats into the creek is now a vast living canvas formed by special windows which act like Polaroid lenses – dimming or brightening with the available light.

The place has a splendid boardwalk where diners can take an aperitif before lunch. For more information contact: Tel 01702 475588 or check www.theboatyardrestaurant.co.uk