The White Hart Inn to reopen after nine years

The White Hart Inn is due to reopen after nine years on the 15 June. The property has reportedly undergone a £1m investment to transform it into a “tasteful, contemporary and eye-catching venue minutes from the sea”. 

The project was led by Piers Baker of Baker Hospitality, which also owns the “award-winning” Sun Inn and the Church Street Tavern in Colchester. 

The building plans involved “a light and welcoming bar and dining room” with a vaulted ceiling and open kitchen. The lounge has an open fire, outdoor seating in the sheltered terrace garden with heated benches. 

There are also six individually designed ensuite double bedrooms. Some with sea views will reportedly have king-sized beds with pocket-sprung mattresses, original artwork and antiques. Bathrooms have large walk-in showers, fluffy white towels and bathrobes, and Bramley toiletries.

Eliot Craven, the previous sous chef at the Church Street Tavern, has also joined the team as head chef ahead of The White Hart Inn’s reopening. The front of house team will be led by Jack Tuck, who has been part of the Baker Hospitality team since 2019 as a manager at The Sun Inn. 

The White Hart Inn “will be somewhere for a casual pint, relaxed lunch or a special dinner with delicious food”, and plans are in place to regularly change the menu to “a mix of casual bar food, along with a restaurant menu”, using local ingredients. There will also be roasts on Sunday and options for kids. 

Mersea Island has been described by Baker Hospitality as “a lovely place for a getaway with an old-fashioned and laid back atmosphere”. It said it is a “place to walk, watch the boats go by, relax on the beach or tuck into delicious native oysters”, as it is only connected to the mainland by a causeway that disappears at high tide.