I didn’t plan to write this post… But last week I fell in love with Devon! Murray and I decided to tag a few extra days onto a friends wedding and visited a part of Southern Devon we’d never visited before. We wanted to unwind and have a break from our phones and computers, so blogging was not on the agenda.

I’d heard a rumour that Totnes was a foodie goldmine, but nothing prepared me for all the delicious food we ate everywhere we went. As a food lover I always do a little research on where to eat before I visit a new area. My trusty stead, the Lonely Planet guide, usually sees me right. And it did indeed lead us to some great places on our Devonshire trip. But we also stumbled upon some amazing places of our own and we didn’t even have to try. My usual trick is to walk around scoping out places, looking at about 20 different menus, then returning to the original place because it looked the best. On this trip though, you couldn’t go wrong – it all looked good!

Another thing I loved about Devon, amongst many others, was that it was so easy to buy organic, local and healthy. Murray had to put up with me pointing out of the car window and shouting ‘Look at all those vegetables’! then ‘Wow, another health food shop’! And… as sad as this sounds… there were nakd bars everywhere. I was loving it.

I have to confess as I wasn’t in blogging mode my photos aren’t the greatest and I don’t have many…. I seem to have a lot of the drinks, which I took pictures of whilst waiting for our food to arrive. I blame the fact it was all too delicious to spend time taking photos of it! By the end of the trip I realised I wanted to write a post on Devon so I managed to get a few shots at least.

10 places to check out

1. The Fish Deli, Ashburton – Beautiful shop and delicatessen selling all things fish along with some other foodie delights for good measure. Lots of organic products and really friendly staff.

2. Riverford Field Kitchen, Buckfastleigh – Known for their veg boxes, Riverford Farm also cook up their beautiful produce for visitors. The kitchen has two sittings per day, one for lunch and one for dinner. There is a long wooden table that everyone sits at while they await their organic set menu. This is where I tasted the best apple juice I’ve ever had, made by Heron Valley.

For our starter we had two beautiful salads that were laid out on sharing platters. The main was slow cooked ox cheek for meat eaters or courgette and garlic stuffed mushrooms for veggies. This was accompanied my roasted carrots and radishes, steamed spring greens and THE most amazing sweet potato and ginger puree. I will definitely be making that one at home.

For dessert we lined up at the kitchen counter and chose a pudding of our choice. This was harder than it sounds because there were about 8 to choose from!

For £23.50 per person the meal was super generous! We left so full that we could hardly walk! Highly recommend and booking ahead is a good idea.

3. Rumour, Totnes

When we walked into this place it somehow felt very Devon. It had a very laid back vibe and everyone was very smiley. Murray had a locally brewed Totnes IPA . I had a water, which was also local and from Devon!  The pizzas have a really good reputation here and after being very tempted, I couldn’t turn down courgettes three ways – A courgette bake with courgette fries and courgette salad.

4.  The Curator Cafe, Totnes

Being the late people that we are, we arrived in Totnes wanting an afternoon tea around 5.30pm. The cafes were winding down on the main high street, but we found this great little Italian coffee shop just off the main street. Great coffee and magazine selection. We also found a understated door just outside, which led to an Osteria serving authentic Italian food.

5. Sailor V, Salcombe

Really cool coffee shop that also sells ice cream, cakes and juices. The lunch menu look great too.

6. Captain Morgans, Salcombe

As you get off the ferry from Portlemouth you can almost see the blue benches of this little eatery. We had a Salcombe crab sandwiches and delicious drinks! Murray’s ‘Surfer Bum’ Pale Ale was from Cornwall and my Apple and Raspberry juice from Bristol. A big hit in my eyes. And it was Gurt Lush!

7. The Seahorse, Dartmouth

We wanted to have one treat night of the holiday, so decided this would be it. The Seahorse is seafood chef Mitch Tonks’s restaurant. The place was so warm and welcoming, the staff very knowledgeable and passionate about the food. We shared a locally line caught sea bass, which was the best fish I’d ever eaten! Beautiful restaurant.

8. Alf Resco, Dartmouth

Alf Resco’s felt like a favourite amongst locals and tourists alike. It was also recommended to us by our air bnb hosts. Specialising in breakfast and open from 7 am – 2pm, it had a great atmosphere, healthy homemade granola and a huge selection of condiments.

9. Saveurs, Dartmouth

The. Best. Pain au Chocolat. Ever. Saveurs is a French bakery that Murray found on his way back from the post office. Getting an unexpected croissant brought back to you is enough to make anyone happy, but this one was extra special.

10. Pasty Presto, Dartmouth

When you visit the South West you can’t really leave without having a pasty. This nicely branded little eatery definitely had a seaside feel. We got our pasties to go and sat on a bench looking out over Dartmouth one last time before we left to go home.