A Top Chef’s Foodie Tips For Devon & Dorset
A Top Chef’s Foodie Tips For Devon & Dorset
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A Top Chef’s Foodie Tips For Devon & Dorset

Mitch Tonks is the restaurateur and chef behind seven successful cookbooks. First and foremost a fishmonger, his passion for British seafood stems from a childhood in Weston-Super-Mare. Mitch opened The Seahorse in Dartmouth in 2008 and two years later launched his first Rockfish restaurant round the corner – the group now has ten spots across the south-west. From the region’s best fish and chips to its top swimming spots, he’s here to share his recommendations for anyone headed south this summer…
Images: The Millbrook Inn; The Pig At Combe; Le Vin Perdu
Le Vin Perdu, Ashburton
Le Vin Perdu, Ashburton

RESTAURANTS

The Farm Table

Topsham

This is a personal favourite of mine. The team at Darts Farm have hosted me for a few events in the past and they often have our Rockfish tinned fish on the menu at their restaurant, The Farm Table. The place focuses on farm-to-table food, cooked with fire or fermented in the process. It’s a wonderful, vibrant place.

Visit DartsFarm.co.uk

Goto Japanese

Exeter

This is my favourite place for sushi. It’s excellent and anyone visiting the area should try it. Owners Dan and Katie Goto have really upped the Exeter restaurant game with this one, and what they’re offering feels very authentic and special. The menu features the likes of tonkotsu, seafood ramen and miso black cod.

Visit FaceBook.com
 

The Millbrook Inn

South Pool

You can head up here by boat from Salcombe or by car. It's a bit out of the way, but it’s well worth the detour. The team has a really lovely pub with a nice outdoor area, and they get most of their produce from their family farm at Fowlescombe. This is also one of the most beautiful settings for an al fresco drink. The team pours beers that showcase the very best of what Devon has to offer, from Salcombe Pilsner to Ocean Cider. 

Visit MillbrookInnSouthPool.co.uk
 

Le Vin Perdu

Ashburton

This is the little sister to the excellent Italian restaurant Emilia, from Clare Lattin and Tom Hill. French bistros like the French House and Bouchon Racine are so good in London, so it’s great having something like them right here in Devon. The kitchen serves the likes of beautiful ray wings roasted over flame, or big chargrilled legs of lamb. It hits all the right notes. 

Visit LeVinPerdu.co.uk

The Millbrook Inn, South Pool
The Millbrook Inn, South Pool

BARS & PUBS

The Wine Loft

Brixham

The Wine Loft is a beautiful wine shop, stacked to the brim with bottles, with a tasting room and deli area. We recently settled in for a bit of tapas and some really good bottles picked out by their brilliant team. 

Visit WineLoftBrixham.co.uk
 

Salcombe Brewery Tap House

Salcombe

Said by some to produce the best pint in Britain, Salcombe Brewery is the place to head to for an award-winning beer. Our newest Rockfish site is at Salcombe, and we’ve partnered with the brewery to create a menu that can be enjoyed here, overlooking the beautiful view at Batson Creek.

Visit SalcombeBrewery.com
 

Brixham
Brixham
Ben Wicks/Unsplash

The Manor

Brixham

Found on Higher Street, this pub is a bit more hidden away from the crowds on the beach, and is said to be one of the oldest in Devon. The drinks are great, and they also do the occasional live music night.

Visit TheManorPub.com

ICE-CREAM

Milly's

Lyme Regis

This is a proper little coffee and ice-cream kiosk in Lyme Regis. They serve proper old-fashioned Mr Whippies, but they make them all from scratch.

Follow @MillysIceCream

The Manor, Brixham
The Manor, Brixham
Le Vin Perdu, Ashburton
Le Vin Perdu, Ashburton
@Bistro_Vin_Perdu

Baboo Gelato

West Dorset

We serve the gelato from these guys on our Rockfish menus. Annie Hanbury set it up a decade ago and they get all their milk from Somerset to make proper, proper gelato. The vanilla gelato makes up part of the Rockfish Knickerbocker Glory – or it’s perfect with hot espresso for an affogato. You can find their shops all over the coast.

Visit BabooGelato.com

Salcombe Dairy Ice Cream

Salcombe

Salcombe Dairy is our new neighbour. It’s a family owned business that’s been running for over 40 years, using milk from the local farm.

Visit SalcombeDairy.co.uk

Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth
Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth

SWIMMING

Cobb Gate Beach

Lyme Regis

Every day you see people swimming here and you can watch them heading out against the waves. It’s great for people watching and it’s such an idyllic spot.

Visit LovelyLymeRegis.com

Blackpool Sands

Dartmouth

This beach is an epic place to visit, and a weekly pitstop for me. Best of all, you can enjoy a sauna on the beach afterwards.

Visit BlackpoolSands.co.uk

Breakwater Beach

Brixham

As a family, we like to pack up a big picnic and head here with a few bottles of rosé and some nice, tinned fish bits to make sandwiches on the beach. It’s five minutes away from where our boats come in and our fish is landed.

Visit BreakWaterBeach.co.uk

The Pig At Combe, Honiton
The Pig At Combe, Honiton

PLACES TO STAY

Seaside Boarding House

Lyme Regis

On Chesil Beach, this food-focused hotel is uber cool – they host a fun group of chefs for events throughout the year. I’ve cooked there once or twice and so has my pal Mark Hix – another local.

Visit TheSeasideBoardingHouse.com

Fowlescombe Farm

Ugborough

The is a new place everyone’s talking about. The guys who own it also have Millbrook Inn (see above). The site has a number of guest suites in original stone barns, but with totally modern designs inside, and they look very slick.

Visit Fowlescombe.com

The Pig At Combe

Honiton

A favourite of mine and very popular for a reason. The Pig team gets all the details right, and all the menus are based on the food they grow. 

Visit ThePigHotel.com

For more from Mitch, visit TheRockfish.co.uk and SeahorseRestaurant.co.uk

Fowlescombe Farm, Ugborough
Fowlescombe Farm, Ugborough
Seaside Boarding House, Lyme Regis
Seaside Boarding House, Lyme Regis

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