Bury St Edmunds Michelin-starred restaurant Pea Porridge, in Cannon Street, celebrates its 15th birthday

A restaurant boss has had more than one reason to celebrate this month.

Justin Sharp, who runs Pea Porridge, in Cannon Street, Bury St Edmunds, has not only celebrated the 15th anniversary of his restaurant, but also his 48th
birthday and his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

All the celebrations were saved up for one big get-together at his parents’ home in Scotland, along with wife Jurga.

Justin said: “As the years go by, you think ‘well, that’s another year gone by’ and give yourself a pat on the back.

“But 15 is a nice round figure and something you can justify popping a cork for and celebrating.

“We opened in 2009 in the middle of a global recession and some people thought we were crazy to be doing something like this.

“But opportunities were arising then, too, and it was just good for us to get going with it all – and thankfully it’s been a success ever since.”

Pea Porridge is still Suffolk’s only Michelin starred restaurant. It is an accolade the restaurant has held since 2021.

The Michelin Guide describes the restaurant as three ‘charming and delightfully unpretentious dining rooms’ with rustic tables, exposed brick work and its unique original baker’s oven.

It adds: “It’s warmly and personally run by a husband and wife and has a homely, slightly Bohemian vibe, with wooden furnishings and interesting artwork hung on exposed brick walls.

“The daily-changing menu of North African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes sees lots of ingredients cooked over charcoal, beech, oak, birch or pine cones. The esoteric wine list champions organic and natural wines.”

Justin added: “Obviously there has been quite a few other hurdles that have been thrown at us over the years.

“But you always get that, not just in our industry but all industries. It’s how you deal with those hurdles that make or break you and, despite one of the worst generational times with the Covid period, we’ve come out shining.

“We’re quite happy with the level of trade at the moment. Everyone could always use an extra cover here and there, but we’re quite content with what we’ve got.

“We have a good work-life balance, for ourselves and our colleagues.”

Pea Porridge has a team of four, including Justin, Jurga, chef Linas and front-of-house Amber.

Justin said: “I like to keep things tight at the restaurant and I think that’s important now more than ever.”