Devon Food, Drink and Local Information - Blog

Exeter Food and Drink Festival 2015
Last weekend we visited the Exeter Food & Drink Festival featuring top-notch produce from around the South West - what could be a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon! This is the 12th year that the festival has run and the organisers have made a real effort to make it a great day out for the whole family. Cooking classes, arts & craft tents and a miniature farmyard proved a hit with children, while adults were able to indulge in some of the best food and drink in the... Read more...
Dartmoor Cream Tea Challenge
About the Dartmoor Cream Tea Challenge The cream tea challenge is a route across Dartmoor that incorporates 16 great tearooms and hotels that sell Devonshire cream teas. With its stunning scenery Dartmoor is the perfect place to enjoy a cream tea, or 16! Its open expanse makes Dartmoor perfect for walkers, with the most well known trek being the ten tors adventure where students hike between 35 and 55 miles across Dartmoor on a route that takes them between 10 Dartmoor tors. How the Dartmoor Cream Tea Challenge Works The Dartmoor Cream Tea Challenge is a fun... Read more...
Interview with Peter Hunt, Dartmoor Wild Flower Honey
Based in North Bovey, Dartmoor Wild Flower Honey is run by expert beekeeper Peter Hunt who has been beekeeping ever since he was 12. As well as managing his own 100+ beehives, at various locations from the banks of the River Tamar to around 15 hives in his garden, Peter also offers advice to other beekeepers and bee swarm removal services. We’ve recently stocked Dartmoor Wild Flower Honey in our Thunder & Lightning Cream Tea and will be adding it to more food hampers soon, so we caught up with... Read more...
Home Farm Cafe
Last week we visited Home Farm Cafe on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, near Bovey Tracey, to sample their cream teas after originally missing them from our '50 of the best cream teas in Devon' list. It was our mistake to miss them, the scones were homemade, warm, fresh and rather large! The cream tea cost £4.95 for a pot of tea for one, two scones, jam and clotted cream, which is good value. The cafe is set in the Parke estate, which is now home to the Dartmoor National... Read more...
Mothers Day Hamper Rush
Our first experience of Mothers Day has been busy with lots of cream tea hampers being sent out this Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you to everyone who bought one, hopefully all the mums receiving their Mothers Day gift hampers will love how original the present is. Fruit scone cream teas proved popular this year, and why not have fruit instead of plain scones with a cream tea. It's too late to order a Mothers Day present from us now but if you still need inspiration check out our Devon cream tea list... Read more...
Mothers Day Afternoon Tea Ideas for Dartmoor
Although we believe a Mothers Day hamper from us makes for an excellent Mothers Day present, you can't beat spending quality time together so with that in mind we recently produced a guest blog for http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/ on where to take your mum for afternoon tea on Dartmoor and thought we would share the article. Here is a list of 5 places to take your mum for an afternoon tea on Dartmoor this Mothers Day: 1. Primrose Cottage Tea Room, Lustleighhttp://www.primrosetearooms.co.uk/ Nestled in the Wrey Valley on the edge of Dartmoor, Primrose Tea Rooms... Read more...
Dartmoor Accommodation
With its imposing granite tors, rugged moorland, deep wooded valleys and freely roaming animals, it’s not hard to see why Dartmoor attracts so many visitors every year. For anyone visiting Dartmoor National Park www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk is an excellent resource listing lots of local hotels, B&B’s, holiday cottages and campsites. The website makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a dog friendly farmhouse or child friendly hotel. Dartmoor Accommodation isn’t just useful for finding great places to stay; it also provides lots of local information and... Read more...
Langage Farm
Last week I visited Langage Farm, near Plymouth, to learn all about their cream and how they produce it. I was really impressed with how green, committed to quality and friendly they were. Langage Farm generate their own power in an anaerobic digester facility which creates energy from the waste of local businesses. They’re the first UK Carbon Neutral Dairy with an anaerobic digester facility generating electricity from food waste. Enough power is generated to supply over 500 Households, 25,000 Light bulbs or 5,000 Laptops. I didn’t need much persuading... Read more...
Freezing and re-heating scones
For more up-to-date information, read our in-depth guide here. Can you freeze scones? Yes, scones freeze well. Let them cool before freezing. Place in a re-sealable bag or airtight container to protect from freezer burn (a sheet of waxed or parchment paper between them isn’t a bad idea to keep them from sticking to one another). Use them within 3 months. Leave to defrost in packaging at room temperature for 2-3 hours before serving. What’s the best way to re-heat scones? If you want to eat them warm place in... Read more...
Devonshire cream teas fuel marathon!
The Tarawera Trail Marathon in New Zealand is 50k across forests, mountains, lakes and waterfalls. It's a serious race that attracts some of the world's best runners and in 2015 the race will include a re-fuelling station offering Devonshire cream teas to athletes. The cream teas will be severed in the local landmark of Buried Village, where the original village was destroyed by mud from the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption. Clearly the organisers have good taste! Check out their website if you fancy popping over to New Zealand for a Devonshire cream tea and 50k... Read more...
Devon Farm Shops List and Map - Updated 2022
Last Updated: 15 May 2022  Devon Farm Shop Map in Full Size   North Devon Farm Shops Besshill Farm Shop, North DevonArlington, Barnstaple, North Devon EX31 4SW https://www.besshill.com/ The farm shop sells fresh seasonal vegetables, fruit, salads, eggs and dairy as well as meat.  As well as the shop, they also offer free local deliveries and nationwide deliveries too.  All the beef and lamb is sourced from Besshill Farm which is owned by the Mather family, who look after their award winning herd of cattle and their lambs. Marshford Organic Foods,... Read more...
Devon vs Cornwall Cream Teas
Devonshire cream teas have been made with cream on the bottom and jam on top ever since their origin in Tavistock Abbey in Devon, where the tradition of eating bread with cream and jam began in the 11th century. This origin of the Cream Tea is disputed by the Cornish who believe the only way to serve a cream tea is with the cream on top. Historically, there have been more variations between Cornish and Devon cream teas than just whether jam or cream is placed on top. In Cornwall,... Read more...