Mary Tavy, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“A great pub with good things happening in the kitchen”, which “makes excellent use of local produce, particularly venison from local stalkers and other meat from local farmers” – “still clearly a pub rather than restaurant, it has good local ales as well as a decent wine list”. Chef owner John Hooker and his wife Emma, who arrived in 2013, took over the Blacksmiths Arms in nearby Lamerton a couple of years ago.

“This old coaching inn on Dartmoor” has thrived under the ownership since 2019 of Jay & Tess Barker-Jones (she first worked here as a kitchen porter 20 years ago), and is “best described as a restaurant with a bar offering reliable, honest food” – although the fact that it’s busy through the winter is testament to its popularity with locals. “Grilled meats are the focus: select a cut and view the prep/cooking from your table”. Top Menu Tip – “ploughman’s lunch is a tour de force”.