❤ LOVE LOCAL ❤ TAKE A TRIP TO YEO VALLEY HQ FOR LUNCH WITH A DIFFERENCE
Lunch with A VIEW
W
hen you see a yogurt pot or carton of milk on the
supermarket shelf it’s easy to forget where that product actually came from. The brightly coloured packaging and tempting fl avours seem far-removed from the cows and the farm that actually produced them. Yes, you see adverts on the telly showing farmers in the countryside advertising dairy products, but it somehow doesn’t seem real. This is not, however, the case when it comes to the West Country’s Yeo Valley. Perched above the farming village of Blagdon, Yeo Valley’s stunning HQ over- looks the whole valley, including Blagdon Lake. This is where the action happens, where the Mead family discusses the day-to-day running of their business, where offi ce and farm workers are located and, very importantly, where they eat, in the staff restaurant. It’s this restaurant that, after two years, is fi nally opening its
have tickled Sarah Mead (head honcho Tim’s wife) over the years. It’s Sarah who is responsible for Yeo Valley HQ’s new look, which was introduced just in time for the launch of the Yeo Valley cook- book written by her sister in law, Tim’s sister Sarah Mayor two years ago.
doors to the public for weekday lunches. You may have been lucky enough to
visit Yeo Valley HQ already at some point over the last two years. They are certainly not shy about inviting the public in for events, conferences and shindigs, and when you visit you will understand why. Yes, the views are spectacular, but it’s once you move past reception that you are really blown away. Everywhere you turn there is something quirky to take in. The deep red corridor is adorned with various photographs and artworks that
The panoramic views over Blagdon Lake would single- handedly be enough to tempt anyone out for lunch, but when you couple them with the wacky décor and top notch British food, you’re
surely onto a winner. If you haven’t been lucky enough to visit yet, you are in for a treat. The restaurant, aptly named Fod- der, is a stunning place to be. Think huge open spaces, overhead lights, long tables with comfortable chairs, seasonal murals and colanders doubling up as lights. I met with Sarah Mead, who explained:
“We want people to come and see that we are real. We’ve got this space so we want to use it. We want to get people remarking.” It’s not just the décor that
50 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
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