IMAGES: MATT BRIGHT; LYMPSTONE MANOR
EAT
Below from left: Amrit Madhoo, co-owner of South Devon Chilli Farm; vineyard, Lympstone Manor Estate
F IVE FOOD FIND S THUNDER & LIGHTNING
A preternaturally creamy ice cream from the UK’s first carbon-neutral
farm. It’s made using an old recipe from the family’s grandma and contains honeycomb and clotted
cream from Langage’s Jersey herd.
langagefarm.com
CHILLI JAM The signature fiery-sweet
condiment from long-established South Devon Chilli Farm, whose impressive seed-growing set-up
is fast expanding since Amrit and Jenny Madhoo took over in 2022.
southdevonchillifarm.co.uk
BLACK FOOT CHARCUTERIE Buttery, gamey air-dried ham,
capicola, salami and nduja are made from Iberian pigs raised on organic pastures at 500-acre Fowlescombe Farm.
rareandpasture.com
SINGLE MALT Dartmoor Whisky’s remarkable
English single malts are made with Dartmoor spring water in bourbon, sherry and Bordeaux casks. Book tastings among the copper stills in the Victorian grandeur of
Bovey Tracey’s former town hall.
dartmoorwhiskydistillery.co.uk
JUBULANI
A smooth, fruity, rich award-winner made with beans from a partner
women’s collective in Rwanda. Visit the Ivybridge cafe-roastery for
barista classes and tasting sessions.
owenscoffee.com
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NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL
warehouse where you can now taste a range of 12 pre-mixed cocktails. From a sweet-bitter Devon Stormy made with Exeter’s Two Drifters rum to a lemon-tart bramble with Salcombe Gin and Six Liqueurs Blackberry Liqueur, local ingredients are the cocktails’ cornerstone. I resist a stomach-lining Docker’s Egg,
the signature take on a scotch egg using smoked haddock served at nearby deli Fish on the Quay. Instead I take a sunny seat by Exmouth’s slipway at Rockfish: a premium spot for some plump, briny Portland Pearl oysters and buttery, hand-dived scallops. I buy a can of Lyme Bay mussels from Rockfish’s new canned seafood range. Like everything on the menu, the sustainable catch is landed daily in Brixham, 30 miles south, by Rockfish’s boats. Owner Mitch Tonks, an abiding champion of British seafood, will soon add to his ever-expanding South West portfolio with similarly idyllic waterfront locations at Salcombe, Topsham and Sidmouth, the latter with its own moat. South Devon has no shortage of seaside
dining spots, many now encompassed by the South West 660. The coast-hugging road trip, launched in 2022, showcases the best of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset in 12 distinct 50-mile sections, with detailed route notes and dining suggestions for travellers registered through its website. I cover just a fraction of the Devon leg, but each turn is a wow. There’s the windblown beauty of Burgh Island in its tidal isolation at Bigbury-on-Sea, where The Oyster Shack serves oysters with toppings that
include Bloody Margaret, a spicy tomato sauce with house-made gin; the dune-backed wonder of Hope Bay’s sandy coves; and the elegance of Plymouth’s Barbican district, where Jacka bakery’s ‘croissant wheels’ are somehow as delicate as they are super-sized — and all from premises that have been baking since 1597. Britain’s oldest bakery looks like a pup
compared to nearby Boringdon Hall. The hotel, set in a Domesday Book-listed country manor, is home to Àclèaf, a Michelin-starred spot in a mezzanine overlooking the 16th- century Great Hall. Halos of wildflowers and herbs frame complex dishes, described simply as ‘crab’ or ‘hen’. The cheese course is a medieval feast in keeping with Boringdon’s carved oakwood panelling, with breads, local honey still in the comb and a standout brie from South Devon’s Sharpham Cheese. With no mead to hand, I settle, happily, for a glass of local Lyme Bay Winery’s multi-award-winning Rosé Brut. Deep pink with strawberry notes, sipping it while sampling the Jersey-milk brie is like having a deconstructed cream tea. And as Devon convention dictates, I go cream first, then ‘jam’.
HOW TO DO IT: In Dartmouth, Alf’s Rooms has doubles from £70.
alfsrooms.com Lympstone Manor has doubles from £346.50, B&B. Tasting menus from £230 per person.
lympstonemanor.co.uk Boringdon Hall has doubles from £135, B&B. Tastings menus from £120 per person.
boringdonhall.co.uk southwest660.com
visitsouthdevon.co.uk
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