Little Clamshack Makes Big Waves

In their time the Woodman family, longstanding clamshack owners and industry leaders, have encountered many friendly competitors in the marketplace invented by their predecessor, Lawrence “Chubby Woodman”.  However for over 97 years they have yet to find themselves in direct competition with one another, until now.

In April of 2009, Woodman’s of Essex opened a new shop in Litchfield, New Hampshire. Located on the Charles Bancroft Highway in Mel’s Funway Park they have been relentlessly dishing out mollusks of the fried variety for almost three years now. Although still a toddler in the eyes of their Essex senior, they are giving the old folks a run for their money!

Yankee Magazine, a reputable authority of all that is food and travel in New England, dubbed Woodman’s of Litchfield “Best Fried Clams in New Hampshire” in their   “Best of New England” May/June of 2011 issue. “Used to be you had to go south of the border (to Essex, Massachusetts) to get a taste of the real thing, at the original Woodman’s (where it’s said the fried clam was invented in 1916). No more: Head to Mel’s Funway Park, hit a few at the driving range, then chow down on Woodman’s legendary goodness.”

Woodman’s at Litchfield on YouTube

The New Hampshire Woodman’s location, while supervised by the third generation, is run mainly by a fourth generation management team and all of their hard work is finally paying off.   While the food at both locations is created according to Chubby’s legendary recipe, Litchfield is taking credit where credit is due and Essex couldn’t be happier for them. So whether it is a summer day at the beach with friends, or a round of mini golf and a few zooms around the go-cart track you can look forward to a heaping plate of Woodman’s award-winning fried clams and finish your day with satisfaction.