This selection of pubs, restaurants and ‘proper’ products all come served with a large dollop of Devon – you won’t find more local than this lovely lot!
Simon Hulstone’s restaurant is well known for exceptional cooking. The team has kept its Michelin star for another year, an accolade it has maintained for an incredible 19 consecutive years. It is one of only five Michelin-starred restaurants in Devon.
Simon is a self-made ambassador for the English Riviera and its fantastic produce. He is passionate about the local area and especially champions the ingredients grown and reared on the restaurant’s dedicated farm in South Devon. The Elephant is a family-run and independent restaurant serving the highest-quality food, in a casual but sophisticated environment.
Greendale Farm Shop sells fresh meat from its farm, and fish from its fishing fleet, as well as a range of local produce. The business includes an online shop, café and restaurant, and a new takeaway that also sources ingredients from the Farm Shop.
To support growers and producers on its doorstep, Greendale continues to run its ‘Love Local – 30 brands under 30 miles’ campaign, championing suppliers from East Devon.
Greendale’s owners, the Carter family, have farmed the East Devon countryside for more than five generations, with knowledge and experience handed down from father to son. Situated at Ladram Bay, the farmland includes a private fishing beach. In fact, fishing and farming have always gone hand-in-hand here, and the produce from which supplies the family’s ventures.
This boutique, country house hotel has a welcoming atmosphere, and the 2AA star restaurant has been in service for almost 60 years.
Head Chef Christopher Harris (Kit) was born in Plymouth and spent most of his life in the area: “I’ve been on the stoves for just over 11 years and worked mostly in hotels such as Boringdon Hall, The Arundell, Lewtrenchard Manor and here at The Horn.”
Devon, for Kit, is about the people: “People who are inspired by these beautiful, natural surroundings and grow up with a sense of responsibility for our sea and soil. Our local hospitality is special because it’s so welcoming. There are suppliers around here who have watched me grow up!”
Some of the local ingredients featured on The Horn of Plenty’s menus include: mushrooms cultivated in Dawlish, venison sourced from the Lifton area, beef and pork farmed from no more than 10 miles outside of Tavistock, and cuttlefish and lobster landed in Brixham.
A North Devon institution since the mid-1940s, the Johns of Instow Beach Hut continues to be a favourite with beach-goers for ice creams and great local coffee.
A mouthwatering range of ice cream is sourced from local producer Farmer Tom, who uses clotted cream in all his flavours. The popular Build Your Dream Ice Cream offers a choice of cones, flavours and toppings. You can also enjoy local drinks such as a Roastworks barista coffee or Exmoor Tea.
Open daily from 11.30am to 4.30pm (weather dependent).
This family-run institution is about as Devon as it comes. The Brunswick Place parlour sells a selection of home-made ice creams, cream teas, pies, jams, sweets and beers to take away. A speciality is ice cream topped with a dollop of clotted cream, along with takeaway cream teas.
Located opposite the shop, just by the brook, are some picnic tables and benches for customers to use while admiring the town’s famous black swans.
How many times have you driven past the orange elephant on the A38? This is where the award-winning Orange Elephant ice cream is made. It can be enjoyed in The Elephant Barn, ordered as a drive-thru, or via a click-and-collect system.
There’s a wide range of changing flavours, and you can buy cornets in a number of sizes and types from plain, portions for small kids, single/double waffle, chocolate dipped or sweet sprinkled. Toppings include clotted cream, Smarties, chocolate, brownies or flakes.
Extend your visit and enjoy a stroll around the summer meadow, orchards, play areas and the maize maze.
The milk for Orange Elephant’s ice cream comes from the herd of 300 cows at Taverners Farm. The cows graze outdoors for most of the year and go into the sheds in winter to calve.
The Taverner family has farmed Lower Brenton for 100 years. Robert and Helen have been on the farm for the last 25 years, with son Will becoming the fifth generation in the business.
Heron Valley has been making award-winning juices and cider for generations on its family farm. Its orchards feature some of the oldest heritage apple varieties from the West Country, and the business is also working with the Wildlife Trusts to develop sustainable orchards with pollinator-friendly wildflower meadows.
Approximately 1.3kg of fruit is in every 75cl bottle of apple juice, and many of the apples are sourced from rare, indigenous apple tree varieties in Devon. Only whole fruit and raw ingredients are put into Heron Valley drinks; there are no added sugars or sulphites.
Heron Valley’s Devon cider is made using cider apples from local orchards, and fermented using the natural wild yeasts on the skins of the fruit, with no added yeasts or sulphites.
It also produces a raw cider vinegar and all products are suitable for vegans and coeliacs.
A Devon cider maker with a long tradition and heritage stretching back over 200 years, Hunts uses the highest-quality Devon cider apples and ferments fresh bitter-sweet apple juice each autumn.
Still located at Broadleigh Farm in Stoke Gabriel and still using the same orchards that have nestled in this area for over two centuries, Hunts maintains traditional methods while embracing modern machinery and processes.
Teignworthy Brewery was established in 1994 by John and Rachel Lawton and is based in part of the historic Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot.
With the largest bottled beer range in Devon, the brewery also sells cask ales and special ales. The company believes in traditional values by sourcing local ingredients from local businesses.
Located on the South West Coast Path, a ten-minute drive from Salcombe, this hotel has been owned by the Makepeace family for four decades.
Soar Mill Cove Hotel is the perfect example of a Devon hospitality business that takes pride in providing a warm welcome for its guests. The team says that as a guest you should feel like it’s their family welcoming yours.
Fine dining meets family-friendly food here. From high teas to the highest cuisine, Head Chef Ian MacDonald prides himself on sourcing the best seasonal, local produce. The restaurant has won two AA Rosette awards.
This welcoming pub provides a gentle ambience to allow for good conversation. Owners Ben Stevens and Leanne Charlotte Bray offer interesting food (made by Ben), with a focus on local produce including vegetables from the pub’s garden and local farms. Meat comes from Downings, a Tavistock butcher shop, which also makes burgers to the pub’s unique recipe. Fish comes from S&J Fisheries, which sources from Plymouth and Brixham.
The breakfast menu centres around Ben’s homemade crumpets, while drinks come from local producers such as Luscombe, Tavistock Brewery, Salcombe Brewery and South Hams Drinks. It also sells spirits from local producers including Plymouth Gin, Salcombe Gin and Two Drifters Rum.
Ben says: “We like to make cocktails using herbs from the garden and infused syrups and garnishes, which we create ourselves.”
The Leaping Salmon is now open every other Wednesday evening too, offering a community space to locals in Horrabridge. “This includes a group of teenagers playing Dungeons & Dragons, a sleep workshop, and a craft group. We offer a 10% discount on drinks on the night for locals and a pizza van is often available in the car park too.”
Ben adds: “Everything we do is designed to support our local community and offer something different.”
This family-run, 16th-century working watermill grinds a heritage species of wheat, known as Maris Widgeon. The wholemeal flour is used to make the cakes, which are all baked on site and served at the Miller’s Wife’s Tea Room. There’s a tempting selection of afternoon teas, cakes and lunches.
As well as scones, the menu includes traditional Devonshire splits, also known as cutrounds, tuffs, Devon dumplings, or Chudleigh buns. It also offers ‘thunder and lightning’ – clotted cream and black treacle – for a truly traditional Devon cream tea, plus a savoury cream tea, served with the tea room’s award-winning caramelised onion marmalade.
With room for 30 plus in the outside covered seating area, there’s also space for an additional 38 in the tea garden. Access to the mill is free.
This is a family-run enterprise with a vineyard, winery, café and shop on the family farm just outside Lewdown, near Okehampton. Tom Hodgetts, Head Wine Wizard, describes: “Our surroundings are who we are – from influencing our wines to providing the views from the café. We started growing vines on our slice of Devon around 15 years ago, and we opened our new winery, café and shop in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic.”
Tom explains: “Our family team of four consists of me, my parents, Mike and Sarah, and my partner, Adam. We run each element of the business together and champion Devon at every step along the way. We enjoy pairing our wines with fantastic local produce, through our signature winemakers’ platters and quirky lunch menu.”
The café uses as much local produce as possible – including charcuterie, cheeses, roasted nuts and chutneys. The drinks menu is 90% Devon-based, but 100% South West-originated. Visitors can enjoy ‘local lunches’, a breakfast club and the Devon Bar. There are regular wine and tasting tours, as well as Live in the Vines music events.
“Essentially, we like to shout about Devon wherever we can, especially when showcasing our wines, as we are very proud of where we make them and where we call home.”
Amelia and Jason Greenway, a young farming couple, turned their dream into a reality in 2018 when they were offered 80 acres of organic pasture to rent. Since then, they have gained recognition from the National Trust and now rent 900 acres of ancient woodland, wetland, parkland and permanent grass. The couple produces meat and livestock.
Amelia says: “We advocate for the highest animal welfare and Devonshire meat you can buy. We strive to provide great-tasting meat, along with a personalised customer doorstep delivery service. We sell pork from our free-range pedigree Mangalitza pigs and pedigree Highland beef from our organic, pasture-for-life certified bullocks. We believe these accreditations prove we are taking nature-friendly farming seriously and advocating for the best of Devon’s beef and pork.”
Blackwell’s Pasties is a small, family-run business. It sells its award-winning pasties and other savoury and sweet items to locals and holidaymakers from all over the world.
Whether you’re after pies or pasties, or even buffet items for special occasions, the friendly staff are happy to help. Why not pop in to look at its world-famous Big Bertha pasty – it’s so large, you can even have a message baked onto it (with 48 hours’ notice).
Blackwell’s believes in sourcing ingredients from local suppliers to support the South West and help keep local businesses running. It strives to keep quality products on its shelves and prices to suit a family budget too.
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Taste Buds is published by We Make Media, a family-owned Devon company. Taste Buds is produced using Devon-based writers, chefs, photographers and sales team. It is printed on environmentally friendly paper. Just like the food we write about, Taste Buds is lovingly made using the finest local ingredients!
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