Devon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://theleyarmskenn.co.uk/new/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ley Arms</a>, Kenn</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin-1000x666.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49808" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin-1000x666.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin-788x525.jpg 788w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/11/8TheLeyArms190415Matt-Austin.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>A 12th century thatched pub in a pretty village just outside of Exeter, here&#8217;s got a whole load of twinkle, with cosy nooks and crackling fires a-plenty. Go for cocktails, Friday steak night or stay at Cramwell, their gorgeous 3-bed cottage &#8211; with hot tub &#8211; just a short stumble down the country lane. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://masonsarms.co.uk/">Masons Arms</a>, Branscombe</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="635" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms-1000x635.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54666" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms-1000x635.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms-800x508.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms-768x487.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms-827x525.jpg 827w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/03/masons-arms.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>An upmarket thatched St Austell Brewery pub that feels like an indie, thanks to its quality menu and stylish decor. It was packed on a rainy midweek night, so booking for Sunday lunch, served from 12pm with a choice of two meats, plus vegan and vegetarian options, is essential. Take to the Branscombe to Beer coast path for afterwards &#8211; the <a href="https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/walksdb/12/">Hooken Undercliff</a>, the site of an 18th century cliff landslip, feels practically prehistoric in its timelessness and abundant wildlife.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-thatched-tavern-maidencombe"><a href="https://thethatchedtaverndevon.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Thatched Tavern (opens in a new tab)">The Thatched Tavern</a>, Maidencombe</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36363" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/Low-Res_-Thatched-Tavern-_Poppy-Jakes-Photography-6052-2-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Much more glamorous than you&#8217;d expect from your usual coastal village pub, thanks to a refurb just before lockdown. You can tuck yourself way in a quiet corner to eat or sit in the larger dining room &#8211; it&#8217;s all lovely &#8211; and the food is great.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-beer-engine-newton-st-cyres"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Beer Engine (opens in a new tab)" href="https://thebeerengine.co.uk" target="_blank">The Beer Engine</a>, Newton St Cyres</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36320" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7351-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Housed in a 19th Century coaching inn, Devon’s oldest working brew pub is rightly cherished by locals and a mecca for beer fans, as owners Will and Vicki brew downstairs (you can have a nose through the viewing gallery). Think proper Devon pub, always welcoming and ever-excellent nosh, including a fabulous veggie roast and the option to have most of the menu gluten-free. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-fat-pig-exeter"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Fat Pig (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.thefatpigexeter.co.uk" target="_blank">The Fat Pig</a>, Exeter</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="960" height="720" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36327" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter.jpg 960w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/fat-pig-exeter-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></figure>



<p>Escape the city&#8217;s madding crowd at this teeny backstreet pub tucked away on John Street. Exeter&#8217;s only brewpub, distillery and smokehouse, it&#8217;s a hidden gem with a small but locally-focussed menu, including things like pulled pork (from their own reared piggies), fish and chips, homemade crumble and slap-up roasts on Sunday, plus local beers and cider brewed on site. Should be better known so tell your mates!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bearslakeinn.com/" target="_blank">Bearslake Inn</a>, Sourton</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="669" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-23157" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18-720x482.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/06/untitled-18-785x525.jpg 785w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>A Muddy fave on the northern edge of Dartmoor, with chocolate-box charm and picnic tables with seating for over 100, a babbling stream running by and views over open farmland, moors and granite tors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cott-inn-dartington"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Cott Inn (opens in a new tab)" href="https://cottinn.co.uk" target="_blank">The Cott Inn</a>, Dartington</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36330" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_1173-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Welcoming guests, they say, since 1320AD, this rustic thatched pub has nailed the year-round appeal with its al fresco kitchen and patio heaters but now&#8217;s the time to book indoors by the fire, to admire the seasonal dried blooms on the windowsills and tuck into a lip-smacking Sunday roast of Devon reared-meat or line caught fish.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-church-house-inn-rattery-south-brent"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Church House Inn (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.thechurchhouseinn.co.uk" target="_blank">Church House Inn</a>, Rattery, South Brent</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="669" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36336" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery-720x482.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/church-house-rattery-785x525.jpg 785w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>This olde-worlde pub has been brought tastefully up to date with a fairy-lit dining room and tasty local pub classics on the menu, from Ruby red rib, crispy pork belly and a good range of fish, including John Dory and monkfish. There&#8217;s said to be an ancient tunnel leading from pub to the church but owners John and William have yet to find it (nor the resident ghost). But they have found themselves a shiny-new Gold Award from Food Drink Devon proudly displayed on the bar.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-coppa-dolla-inn-broadhempston"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Coppa Dolla Inn (opens in a new tab)" href="http://coppadollainn.co.uk" target="_blank">The Coppa Dolla Inn</a>, Broadhempston</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1336" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36343" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn-374x500.jpg 374w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn-768x1026.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/coppa-dolla-inn-393x525.jpg 393w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Who ate all the pies? <em>You</em> will once you&#8217;ve tasted owners James and Ann&#8217;s legendary 2-in-1 pie (passed down from James&#8217; parents original recipe). It&#8217;s a half and half mix of creamy cauliflower and your choice of meat or veggie filling, including steak and ale and their wonderful homity. Best scoffed in front of a roaring fire under the hanging copper kettles and washed downed with a local cider. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ring-of-bells-cheriton-fitzpaine"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Ring of Bells (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.theringofbells.com" target="_blank">The Ring of Bells</a>, Cheriton Fitzpaine</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-36351" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2021/10/IMG_7779-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>An under-the-radar pub near Crediton which Muddy visited when we overnighted at the excellent glamping stay of nearby Orchard Retreat. It&#8217;s one of those quaint village pubs who double down on a small menu really well, and change it regularly to keep the locals coming back. Their autumn offering includes Chicken &amp; Leek Terrine, Roasted Onion, Marjoram &amp; Aged Gouda Tart with a pumpkin puree, and Sticky Toffee Pudding with a Butterscotch Sauce. Worth setting the satnav for, let&#8217;s go!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-farmers-arms-woolsery"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Farmers Arms (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.woolsery.com/pub" target="_blank">The Farmers Arms</a>, Woolsery</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="684" src="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/farmers-arms-woolsery.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-31209" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/farmers-arms-woolsery.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/farmers-arms-woolsery-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/farmers-arms-woolsery-720x492.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/farmers-arms-woolsery-768x525.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Not long ago this North Devon pub and restaurant had a tree growing out of the roof. Now thanks to a wealthy former local it is full of <em>hygge</em>, cosily restored by local craftspeople with the local stone, and wood  with homemade snacks on the bar and a team of foraging chefs serving the likes of 50-day aged Exmoor beef, grilled Blackwell Farm trout with sweet cicely and lemon verbena butter and dark chocolate baked custard. Read the <a aria-label="Muddy review (opens in a new tab)" href="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/muddy-stilettos-devon-review-farmers-arms-woolsery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muddy review</a> then book in for Sunday lunch with the family very soon, we say.</p>


Cosy pub pitstops with walks for chilly days

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