Restaurants

The Devonshire’s modern country styling helps it resemble a rural boutique hotel set up for a glossy photo-shoot. Look how the vintage chairs have been wittily covered in shiny striped fabrics; note the carefully positioned Scrabble sets; coo at the old chap on the cover of the drinks list. If this were in Cumbria or Cork, you’d be angling for a weekend stay. The young crowd (and one Japanese family) on our visit seemed perfectly comfortable, though they didn’t look like locals. Most took a drink in the pleasant garden before dining on the likes of pan-fried bream with ratte potatoes, fennel and sauce vierge, and beetroot and ricotta salad with basil cress and candied walnuts. There’s a retro British hint to the ‘on toast’ section of the menu with its herring roes and (rather nice) devilled chicken livers, but not as much as we expected after our first visit – perhaps due to the hot weather. We still enjoyed the cottage porter pie with caerphilly, as well as an exquisite herb-crusted lamb. The wine list starts at a reasonable £13.50 a bottle, and for those preferring a brew, pints of Deuchars IPA are a welcome alternative.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009