Apparently Joyful West’s Shellfish Bar in Sheringham, North Norfolk, was a local institution. It first opened in 1896 and closed its doors for the final time in October 2022 – a sad day for locals and its owners alike.
Now, though, a brand new local institution has risen in its place. Megan Hart – who also owns local bakery Winibees – opened Crumble Crib in October 2024.
Like the London-based entire that went viral on social media, Crumble Crib specialises in one thing. Their build-your-own-crumble menu allows you to choose your fruit, crumble, topping and any extras, priced at £5.50 for a small pot or £7 for a regular. And, as you’ll see below, there’s a huge amount of choice.
Unsurprisingly, there were pretty long queues for most of the afternoon, but these moved quickly. Most elements of the offering at Crumble Crib are pre-prepared, so it’s just the assembly that takes time.
The seven-year-old and I chose to share a small crumble for £5.50. We chose the Biscoff & apple base, shortbread crumble and hot vanilla custard – and paid the 75p extra for the Biscoff drizzle & crumb.
And look how beautifully the Crumble Crib team presented it!
The Biscoff drizzle was far more than simply a drizzle: it worked beautifully with the custard to completely envelop the tub. Once we made our way through the top layer, we reached a beautifully crisp and buttery crumble topping – and plenty of it, too. The Biscoff and apple base? Beautiful, with a lovely tartness to the fruit and served at a sensible temperature to eat.
Was our crumble from Crumble Crib in Sheringham worth the price? Absolutely – it was the perfect portion for me plus child, and far less than you’d pay in a restaurant. With Sheringham overflowing with cafes, fish and chip shops and ice cream parlours, it’s lovely to find somewhere that truly does stand out from the crowd and offer something different.