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”.