Love those delicious seasoned salad plates but hate all the chopping? I’m with you sister, and that’s why I love an encounter with the deli-counter at The Green Table! The great choice for veggies is not the only good reason: being part of the Dartington Hall estate means it shares their ethos of sustainability, sourcing locally (some of it from their own veg garden a third of a mile away), from estate farmers and reflecting the seasons. Fish is a sustainable catch too: from small-boat fishers using rods, or static nets.

Its open, airy and uber family-friendly – I wished I’d had a place like this to bring my Mudlets when they were small, as you can catch up with friends on sofas while they race around the pink scooters or play in the dressing-up box and no-one bats an eyelid. On sunny days, there’s a terrace of picnic tables and parasols – as well as vegan and goat’s dairy ice-cream to lick – or indoors you’re welcome to pick up the guitar or have a tinkle on the piano.

Ingredient-led dishes include soup of the day, grilled steak or roast veg sandwich, keftedes, frittata and half-portions of most things on the menu for the littlies, washed down with home-made lemonade or local wine from the Sharpham Estate or Lyme Bay.

Afterwards, take a wander for free around the serene gardens, with its Henry Moore sculpture and ancient trees – cool garden designer Dan Pearson is currently giving it an update so look out for subtle changes, all set to be good ones. There’s a year-round programme of courses, concerts and workshops here, as well as the Barn Cinema and Totnes with its artisan shops and river-running through it just a few miles down the road.

Hungry for more? Read my Muddy review here.