This place is a little gem, well worth the detour from Tiverton if you are passing through Devon or…read moreSomerset. The staff were really friendly and welcoming when we arrived and encouraged us to try some locally sourced ciders and gin. There were three menu options - a la carte, an extensive specials menu and a set three course weekend lunch. The food has a fine dining feel in a relaxed, casual setting. The duck two ways was a real highlight.

The UK is literally littered with country pubs, and in many cases it's sad to say, but…read moreappropriately phrased perhaps, that what they serve up as food is pretty rubbish. The phrase 'home cooked' seems to have been superceded my the concept of 'van delivered' all too often. Thankfully that's not the case at the Five Bells in Clyst Hydon. It's one of the very first places I visited when I moved to Devon many years ago, as a friend recommended it, and I've been returning ever since. It's the kind of place you turn to where you just know you won't be disappointed, a foodies rock in an otherwise tempestuous chain pub ocean. The pub's one many awards over the years, so I won't go on about how tasty the food is, but I will say that one of the nice things I've always liked about it is that they are still experimenting. Sure you can get your english staples there like steak & kidney pudding, game pate, treacle pudding, etc., but also other treats such as mediterranean tarts. The chef here is one of those increasingly rare beasts, someone who really knows what to buy and how to cook it. It's not some kind of reinvented gastro pub either - it's just a good pub with good food - why is that so hard to manage anymore? I should say they also stock a fine range of drinks, including the Otter beers, once of Devon's best breweries. Then there's the location and the pub itself. Buried deep in the heart of Devon, near some great woods (with some interesting mushrooms to hunt), wonderful gardens outside and an interior that just seems to keep on going, full of nooks and crannies, games to play, old books to read and much more. I once took a friend and his (very small) three girls for lunch there and the owners and staff didn't blink an eye. Sure they made sure we were tucked around the corner a bit but the girls didn't mind and all loved the food! If that isn't enough to tempt you then how about the fact that Clyst Hydon itself has it's very own lido just round the corner from the pub? Just check the Google map and you'll see it just next door. All in all this place is a gem. A little hard to find perhaps but if you can find it, then you deserve it. P.S. There's a two course lunch menu at £7.95 available from Monday - Thursday and Saturday. This is my favourite as I never know what I'm getting till I turn up at the pub.

Absolutely brilliant day. Great fun for all ages and real value for money for a family of 5. Lots…read moreto see and do, even on a rainy day. 6 star fun for all the family.

This is no doubt my favourite place to eat out in Totnes. Great to bring visiting friends and…read morefamily. Really cute, old pub, fireplace, great chef, friendly vibe.

Most under appreciated restaurant in Totnes. Locals and travelers agree, this place is a "must…read moredine" destination.

Lovely gastro pub style food and drink in a cafe setting with outdoor seating right next to the…read morequayside. Fish stew, tomato / rocket salad and hake and chips were all excellent, as was the selection of locally brewed beer. Otter Brewery OPA was one of the tastiest I've had all summer. Friendly wait staff and good kids menu too. Great spot in a great location.

Fabulous 17 the century local inn. Friendly staff fabulous food , never been disappointed. Lovely…read morebuilding , original beams. Large conservatory with hanging vine from the ceiling. Plenty of seating areas to eat or just a drink. Great atmosphere in the summer or winter. A lovely open fire in the main bar when it's chilly outside. Have visited this inn many times a real favourite with all the family.

SALMON, OTTERS & DUCKS The Daily Telegraph wrote: Henry Williamson,…read moreborn in 1895, served in the trenches during the First World War. This extremely sensitive, highly strung and romantic soul never recovered from the horror and the disillusionment he experienced in Flanders. From 1921 onwards he buried himself in the little North Devon village of Georgeham, seeking an escape from inner torment by exploring and writing about the wild and unfrequented landscapes of Exmoor. Growing up in the London suburbs, I was eternally gratefully for his highly-acclaimed works 'Salar the Salmon' and 'Tarka the Otter' which would instantly transport me to my beloved North Devon, where I spent so many happy times visiting family during the summer school holidays; a real home from home. My parents went back to their original home there upon retirement and I still visit my mother there when possible. Tonight we must go the Rock at Georgeham, she announced during a recent visit, so go we did. I had a vague memory of having gone there many years ago, but vague it remained. It is essentially an old timbered pub, with a modern conservatory. Food is served in both areas and we decided to sup some Rioja in the traditional area. Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/067bf03a.jpg The menu is very convincing and even more so the specials menu, which is displayed on a board but also available in print. Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/4ac9c2a0.jpg I thought that that the 'Georgeham cured ham' sounded pleasingly alliterative, poetic or whatever, and it certainly did not disappoint. The pan roasted duck breast was sensational, although I did not take so well to the 'gooseberry tarte tatin' which was 'tarte by name and tart by nature'. I think duck really deserves something a bit sweeter, but if anything it was my fault because I chose it. La contessa and la dowager contessa were delighted with their choices. Reasonable prices, excellent food, great ambiance and also friendly staff who definitely seemed just that bit more professional than average. Do take a look at the excellent website and if you are in that neck of the woods, you will not regret visiting.

I've never been to The Half Moon before so I didn't have any expectations. I learnt from the…read morelandlord that the place had changed manager three times over the last three years and he was hoping to break that trend. He's brought a new team of chefs in with him, so I'm told. Those chefs certainly seem to be earning their money as they turned out excellent gastro pub style food. Not quite fine dining but not far off. Looking at the menu I could have chosen any of the starters or mains. I went for the goats cheese "mousse" for starters and fish from the specials board for mains. The portion of goats cheese I had was very generous (some places only give you a small amount because of cost I guess) although I felt it was a bit heavy to be a mousse. It was really nice all the same. The fish was perfectly cooked and the pommes anna was a perfect accompaniment. The pub's decor probably didn't quite match the quality of the food and I think some people will be surprised how good the food it. The was a really good range on the menu from unusual items (I'd never had samphire before) to regular items such as burgers and fish and chips. I'd definitely return and have already recommended it to friends. Check it out yelpers.

A great place to eat just outside of Taunton. I've been on an evening as well as on a Sunday for…read morelunch. They seem to be good for families, although I don't have kids and nor do I particularly like them.. So that's probably a negative for me. The evening menu was great, quite pubby with the fish and chips, burger and steak, but they threw in some nicer things like scallops with cauliflower and bacon, plaice with caper butter and something else that I didn't order... It's not too pricey, so well worth a trip if you're in Somerset. As for Sunday, it was refreshing to see a pub that actually knows what a decent Sunday lunch is. It had non-standard veg going on, like beetroot and spinach. The potatoes weren't greasy and old like we're all used to in pubs. The yorkies were awesome too. I'll go again for sure.

"A-OK" just about sums this place up perfectly. The decor is very well done for a gastropub and…read moregives a very elegant vibe. The service and food quality, however, fell very short. I visited on a business dinner. The local beer at the bar was nice, but my experience went downhill from there. I ordered the cured meat board as an appetizer and the sirloin steak with chips for dinner. The board was decent, but I"m not (apparently as I learned at this time) a huge fan of cured meats. The bread, however, was delicious. My main problem came with my main course. I ordered the sirloin, medium rare. Another member of my party ordered the sirloin medium well. Both of our steaks came out cooked above medium well but not quite well done. It was literally difficult to chew, but I wasn't going to send it back during a business dinner. The chips were pretty plain, but that's typical of English chips. Overall, the highlights were the beer and the house salad that came with my meal. Its a cool looking establishment and a nice place to have a beer, but you wouldn't catch me spending my own money there.

Bickley Mill Inn is heavily bedded within the region of Ipplepen and Abbotskerswell, the restaurant…read moreis worth the trip if your in the local area, prices can be expensive and you leave with a feeling of not being very fulfilled but i would still recommend this to a passer by.

What a great find in Tavistock - Cornwall/Devon area of England. The 4 of us had an excellent meal…read moreand deserts! Bartender, Jordan, was very gracious. Check it out if you are in this area.

A wonderful place just outside Dartmoore. We were able to relax by a fire with decent local beer…read morebefore having a lunch that felt very British and very Cornish. Salmon with cockles and seaweed bernaise, guinea fowl, deviled kidneys, crab risotto. Almost a Dickensian list but at the same time truly modern. This is British food at its best. Best of all though was the childrens menu. Our active little toddler was very happy with the ham hock pizza. We're used to toddler pizzas being thick with sweet tomato sauce and showered in plastic cheese. This was balanced and considered.

I thouroughly recommend you put your sat-nav / map-reading skills to the test and seek out this gem…read morein little Triscombe, right on the edge of the Quantock hills in Somerset. We chose here as a midway point to meet some Devon-based friends for dinner and were absolutely delighted. First the dinner compares to some of the best restaurants I've visited in the southwest. There isn't a trace of gastropub pretention. Most of the ingredients are made or sourced within a stone's throw of the village, including a beer brewed 150 years away. I chose hare starter, slow roasted belly pork with black pudding and apple (I know everywhere does belly pork these days but this was five star compared to the greasy hunks some places serve), and the somerset cheese board (vivid descriptions of local cheeses were too fascinating to resist). Second, the setting. Who could not love being nestled upstairs in a narrow, thatched barn, timber beams arching above, wood stoves crackling gently, with a blissful view of north somerset and exmoor? It was worth the slightly nervous drive down lanes so narrow the nettles brushed the car windows. Seek it out if you can!

I couldn't disagree more! The food is mediocre, but highly priced. The restaurant is certainly not…read moredisabled friendly. I wouldn't recommend this pub/ restaurant.