Leigh-on-Sea has been crowned as the best place to live in Essex for 2023, according to Muddy Stilettos.

The women's lifestyle website creates a 'best places to live' list each year for England and breaks it down regionally. 

The 2023 list was revealed towards the end of 2022 and now after votes from Muddy Stilettos readers, the eight Essex entrants have been ranked.

The full lists of all the counties in England can be seen on the Muddy Stilettos website here.

A national winner is set to be revealed on Tuesday, March 28.

What were the eight best places to live in Essex?

The eight listed entrants for Essex were ranked by Muddy Stilettos voters as follows:

1. Leigh-on-Sea

2. Thaxted

3. Saffron Walden

4. Mersea Island

5. Chelmsford

6. Wivenhoe

7. Manningtree

8. Stock

In describing Leigh-on-Sea Muddy Stilettos wrote: "Industrial-style coffee houses, boutique bars and a sandy shoreline lined by characterful cockle sheds: Leigh-on-Sea is Southend’s smaller, trendier sister and thanks to a steady stream of relocating Londoners over the years, it’s managed to blend its small-town-seaside charm with on-trend hospitality offerings. (Yes, there’s even an artisan vegan-friendly gelato house and it doesn’t come much more ‘Shoreditch of Essex’ than that.)"