I've written before that one of those things that the British instinctively seem to seek is the…read more"ideal country pub", and this one is about as close as it gets! It's a medieval thatched building, located next to a country stream, with a (mainly) steam operated preserved railway (a former branch of the GWR - Great Western Railway or God's Wonderful Railway, according to locals) running on the adjacent embankment. So a quiet pint in its garden in summer certainly ticks the location boxes. And on the victualling side of the equation, the service is friendly, the (largely local) beers well kept, and the food very well prepared and well presented. The lunchtime menus are, perhaps, a little unadventurous, but the evening options are more varied. Highly commended.

I went for sunday roast dinner. It was decent, but I have had better. The potatoes were a little…read morehard and not soft and fluffy inside. Also I thought it seemed a little pricey, over 100 pounds for 4 adults and 2 kids. Although that did include drinks and wine.

Excellent beer. Very good food. Would be five star if menu was more extensive (no white meats) and…read moredoes need refurbished loos. Gets very busy and no booking so get there early!

Well worth a visit to the new notley. Excellent food, friendly service. A lovely garden with a…read morestream, perfect for a sunny afternoon .

I just stayed here for a wedding. Decent sized parking area with a very nice garden. Beautiful…read moreplace. It was very welcoming and clean with all new bathrooms with cozy robes, complimentary beer, fizzy water, biscuits, and we enjoyed some great food. Breakfast was included. Also very dog friendly! They provided a dog bed for the family dog. Oh and very lovely beer brewed on side! Will be back for sure!

An absolute gem of a pub in one of Devon's prettiest, most tucked away coastal villages. The…read moreMason's Arms is, quite simply, a fantastic place in every sense of the word. I've stopped off for a snack or a quick drink a couple of times, and it's always really impressed me, and the lunch my parents and I had recently ranks as one of the best pub dinners the Andrews family can remember. Their crab sandwiches were fresh, as were the fish in their delicious creamy leek fish stew, while the ploughmans was huge. Desserts of chocolate and pecan brownie and banana fritters with toffee sauce were gobbled up. Ok, it's not cheap for a Devon pub, but the food is worth every penny - there was hardly anything on the menu I didn't want to scoff down. The pub itself is a charming sprawl of wooden rooms, and a small seating area out the front. It's homely and although the staff run a slick operation, they're still friendly and helpful. The pub was recently taken over by St Austell Brewery, so there's a good range of their beers, plus a couple of guest ales. This includes one local beer brewed in Branscombe. It's quaint, delicious, comfy and sits in one of the most stunning areas of the Devon coast. It is, quite simply, a perfect pub.

What a great little find! Cute place! Lovely service. Beautiful gardens. Clean bathrooms, and most…read moreimportantly, fabulous food. I wasn't expecting much, but left delighted.

From the owner: Quaint and traditional 16th century pub and restaurant on the edge of Dartmoor, offering great…read moreales, Ciders. Only 10 miles from Exeter and 15 miles from Okehampton. Only 1 minute off the A30 Devon to Cornwall road.

My wife and I joined friends for a couple of days in the countryside in Devon and Somerset. We had…read morenever before heard of The Rock Inn nor met the publicans Ruth and Daren Barclay. When we arrived late afternoon Daren was behind the bar and two locals were sharing pints and stories. (Very solid selection of cask ales and a very good wine list by the way). Turns out one of the men had raised the lamb on the menu. A short time later we had settled in, our friends arrived and we sat for dinner. Wow. We eat out a LOT and for us one test of a great menu is having real trouble deciding what to eat. The Rock Inn's menu is that good and more. All local. All fresh. All wonderfully thought out, prepared and presented. One of our favorite meals of the year. I won't try to include all the offerings as they could change with the season. But from beginning to end over two days of eating we were truly happy with everything we were served and are very much looking forward to our next visit.

we were on a walking trip and had dinner at this restaurant. it was pouring rain and we walked a…read moremile to it. totally worth it! excellent food and service in a charming place, also their house wine was great. very reasonable. the owner heard us saying that we needed to finish our food quickly as we didn't want it to get too dark to walk back to where we were staying. she very kindly left her restaurant at a very busy time and gave us a lift back, saving us a walk in the dark and rain! a big thank you!

Having been to the UK 2x before, I was still waiting to be wowed by any of the food. So this 3rd…read moretrip was a holiday in Devon with my lady. Our cottage in Chulmleigh had a brief paragraph about the Masons Arms and mentioned it was Michelin's 2010 Pub of the Year. Off we went. Stopped by in the afternoon to make reservations for that evening. Enjoyed a nice Cotleigh Tawny bitter while we perused the menu ahead of time. We were delighted with our options from starter to dessert. Couldn't wait for the evening! We arrived for dinner and ordered a drink at the bar. The place is very cozy and staff professional - smiles all around. They are all happy to be there and it really makes the place enjoyable. The Masons Arms was one of my favorite dinner experiences ever. We were brought into a comfy side room with our drinks and handed the menus to review while we munched on complimentary olives, etc. A few minutes later we placed our orders and were left to conversation - which was essentially wondering what would be happening next. The waitress came back and brought us to our little table along the window - where our wine and starter were brought almost as soon as we sat down. Interesting and effective way to do things. Is that common over in the UK? Who cares! Starters: I had the smoked haddock leek and potato soup and she had the chicken liver parfait with chili jam and brioche toast. Both were just sooo astonishingly good. Main: I had the John Dory with clams, butter beans and chive ravioli. Delicious but I think I liked her prosciutto-wrapped monkfish loin with creamed potato in an orange/balsamic sauce. We couldn't stop talking about how good they were. Dessert: We ordered the roasted pineapple pannacotta and the special - chocolate ganache with lime jelly. Both were good and a great end to a great meal. I am not big on sweets but a good dark chocolate hits the spot every time - and the special was really nice. The triangles of lime jelly were a pleasant and delicious surprise, as I didn't think I would care for them. Overall - great meal. Great meal worth every penny - on the high side but well worth it. Of course, we might have gone overboard but it was our holiday! Service was excellent - not one of those places where staff comes by so often it's annoying. They were attentive at just the right times. I will certainly be back should I ever venture anywhere near the Masons Arms again. Great job Mark, Sarah and staff!

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.

The Muddiford Inn was a nice find. We were touring the area and looking for somewhere to stop for a…read moresnack. We passed this place and stopped, well, just because it was there. We had a bar snack sandwich each and was impressed by the staff and the quality of the food, so we had a quick look at the full menu and decided to book a table for that evening. The food is quite traditional, but with a wonderful eastern influence. Beautifully presented with fantastic flavours, every course was a delight and I thought the bill was very reasonable. I've certainly paid more for lesser fare than this! I would heartily recommend anybody who finds themselves in the Barnstaple area check this place out!

What a lovely friendly restaurant very good reasonable priced food plus real ales that are kept…read morewell and taste delicious. There's pub caters for everybody including dogs indeed there's a jar of dog biscuits on bar. They have a big garden with a very good play area for children. I had the cod and chips it was delicious the people with me also had different meals which they told me was really nice all in all a very nice pub.

Now renamed The Orchard pub and Eating House this venue comes highly reccommended. The food is…read moredelectable with a Carvery Tuesday and Thursday Lunchtimes and there is also lunchtime deals from. The atmosphere in this venue is homely and the surroundings are relaxing. I had a Rib Eye steak here and it was absolutely the best steak I have ever had, it was so tender you could cut it like a hot knife through butter. I would highly reccomend this place to anyone who wants an enjoyable meal. I have no complaints with the food here and have eaten here several times now.