Teignmouth, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Decorated TV chef Simon Hulstone’s longstanding home base on the harbour was the first restaurant in Torquay to gain a Michelin star – an honour it has retained ever since; produce is largely sourced from Hulstone’s 100-acre Brixham farm, feeding into a brilliant value set-lunch (it’s thus tipped as a “superb lunchtime meeting place”) and more elaborate tasting menu.

“Beautifully presented, interesting modern cuisine” is on the menu at this “Georgian coaching inn, centrally located in a lovely unspoilt historic port in the Exe estuary”, with “a conservatory-style dining room created by an intriguing glass roof over the former carriage yard”. “Seafood and fish is a speciality”, and post-pandemic they also operate a fishmonger’s.

This “amazing organic pub-with-rooms, serving great food with a conscience and really lovely wine list” is “different from the usual”. It’s owned and run by Geetie Singh-Watson, a self-proclaimed feminist and ethical publican who moved to Devon after meeting her husband, Riverford founder Guy Watson, on Soil Association business. She sold her London flat to finance the rescue of the run-down pub, which is “becoming an established favourite for Totnes residents and visitors, so it’s wise to book”.

A “lovely” Southernhay restaurant plus basement wine bar that’s handy for Cathedral Yard. The “excellent wine list and menu showcase local producers”, contributing to what is an invariably “reliable” spot.

2021 Review: One of the better pubs in the Exeter area – this well-known gastropub near J29 of the M5 has been in the same hands for over 25 years, and wins praise for its “very reliable cooking” and “a great choice of local beers and ciders”.