What constitutes the West Country (in the UK)? Generally our family would limit this geographically to the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Last weekend we were somewhere in Devon, itself carved into North Devon, South Devon and East Devon. So we were in East Devon.
I am writing these notes because we were caught out on Saturday, having not booked anywhere for lunch. I am not a fussy eater but I get very stressed when it comes up to a mealtime and the dreaded words what are we doing for lunch/ dinner? spill out. If alone, I always have a plan. In a group, I try to give others a chance to offer suggestions if I am not local to the area. To cut a long story short we ended up with soup and cheese scones in a small cafe. Zero points for the awful tomato soup, which was akin to eating heated tomato ketchup with added sugar, salt and starch. 10 out of 10 points for the warm cheese scone which I would return to eat. You win some, you lose some. Next time I am taking charge of booking a restaurant for lunch.
Here are a few suggestions taken from the Good Food Guide, the Michelin Guide and from past experience. This is not snobbery, just plain common sense. If you are spending hard-earned money on a meal, make it a good meal where someone actually cares about what they serve you. Otherwise do like I do, and eat at home or make and take something with you. 90% or more of what I eat is home-cooked. Even when I am away in a foreign country I will try to cook if I can, using the local produce.
I have whittled out some suggestions which I tried and did not like. Sometimes the food was good but the premises were very cramped or the service half-hearted. At other times the food served is just not what I want to eat (e.g. offal). This then is a highly selective list. National Trust houses (see below) almost always have a cafe where the food is reliable. The Michelin recommendations for Devon are listed here.
Salutation Inn, 68 Fore Street, Topsham EX3 0HL
Dart’s Farm, Topsham EX3 0QH
The Pea Green Boat, The Esplanade, Sidmouth EX10 8BB
The Lost Kitchen, The Long Barn, Chettiscombe, Tiverton EX16 7PT
The Pig at Combe, Gittisham, Honiton EX14 3AD
The Rock Inn, Haytor Vale, Dartmoor National Park, Newton Abbot TQ13 9XP
Tytherleigh Arms, Tytherleigh, Axminster EX13 7BE
Otterton Mill (see below) has an on-site restaurant and cafe
For a special meal, head to Lympstone Manor, Courtlands Lane, Exmouth, EX8 3NZ
Inside the entrance to Lympstone Manor, where the chefs have gone hunting and fishing for your Michelin-starred meal
For things to do in the area, here are some recommendations for properties under the National Trust (NT) and Historic Houses (HH) umbrella. Please note the seasonal opening times. An annual membership will make the visits cheaper over the course of a year.
Knighthayes NT, Bolham, Tiverton EX16 7RQ
Killerton NT, Broadclyst, Exeter EX5 3LE
A La Ronde NT, Summer Lane, Exmouth EX8 5BD
Cadhay House HH, Ottery Saint Mary EX11 1QT
Powderham Castle HH, Powderham Estate, Exeter EX6 8JQ
For walks along the beach: Exmouth, Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton. The latter could do with a bit of a revival as around half of the shops in the high street are empty and the last remaining bank closed a year ago. The ice cream shop where the children always had a treat has gone. The greengrocer, corner gift shop, sweet shop and local supermarket remain. A few cafes provide much-needed refreshment after a bracing walk. I liked browsing in the charity shops where I picked up a few second-hand baking books.
In Budleigh Salterton
For some light shopping there are no end of gift and souvenir shops, as the area caters very well to tourists. Head instead to a crafts shop where you can pick up something handmade. My top suggestion is MAKE Southwest (Riverside Mill, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot TQ13 9AF). This is a bit further away, towards Dartmoor. Combine this with a walk up to Haytor, and a meal at The Rock Inn (see above).
Other shops where you can pick up handmade items, some from local artists :
Azure Gallery, Old Fore Street, Sidmouth EX10 8LP
Otterton Mill, Otterton, Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HG
Otterton Mill Shop
If you have made it this far then here is your reward of a map of the places mentioned above, which I will update regularly to reflect current recommendations.
The Chinese New Year is upon us. Next up is the annual recap of our established and favourite home-made Yee Sang recipe.