Farm-to-table restaurants
The South West is blessed with its own rare breed of farm-to-table restaurants that celebrate hyper-local cooking in unique environments. Discover a few of our favourite spots for a field-to-fork feast
The Riverford Field Kitchen, Buckfastleigh
The OG farm restaurant, Riverford Field Kitchen opened its organic restaurant in 2005 and pioneered the plot-to-plate style of dining before it really took root in the region.
Nestled within Riverford farm, the restaurant sources its produce from the surrounding fields and garden, which means the kitchen team talk in food metres rather than miles when it comes to ingredients. Veg-centric set menus for lunch and supper make the most of the farm’s ripe and ready slow-grown produce. The drinks menu is also painstakingly crafted and features cocktails infused with house blends such as bergamot lemon vodka and rosehip gin.
On Saturdays, head chef Lewis Glanvill and team serve a superb four-course brunch, which strays far from the norm. Expect to feast on the likes of buckwheat porridge, strawberries and bee pollen; freshly baked sourdough with mushrooms and kale pesto; wild garlic pannise and rhubarb brown sauce; and breakfast pudding.
The multi-award-winning destination also hosts occasional guest-chef supper clubs – with previous chefs Romy Gill, Emily Scott, Honey & Co, Melissa Hemsley and Ixta Belfrage stepping up to the pass – plus workshops such as wreathmaking, grow-your-own kitchen garden and cooking veg over fire.
The Farmers Arms, Woolsery
Part of the The Collective at Woolsery, this creative dining pub put Woolsery village on the culinary map when it opened in 2018. North Devon natives, holidaymakers and those travelling the Atlantic Highway make a beeline for The Farmers Arms to experience executive chef Ian Webber’s dynamic produce-led dishes.
Ian and his creative team produce hyper-seasonal menus built around what’s grown and reared on Woolsery Collective’s Birch Farm. Rare-breed and heritage meats, as well as daily picked fruit and vegetables, are put to delicious use in new-wave British classics such as Birch Farm beef cottage pie with root veg and smoked garlic mash.
Foraging trips along the nearby coast and woodlands result in flavourful dishes featuring intriguing ingredients such as sea buckthorn tart with pink peppercorn, tarragon and hibiscus sorbet. Dishes are complemented by a handcrafted drinks list of local ales and spirits, as well as seasonal alc and no-alc sips, which showcase syrups and cordials using ingredients from the farm’s gardens and greenhouses.
Feast on the incredible dishes, relax awhile in the cosy confines of the pub’s rustic dining rooms and enjoy a hit of ASMR – from the tactile joy of sipping a post-supper coffee from hand-thrown pottery to the background crackle of a log fire.
Nancarrow Farm, near Truro
This off-the-beaten-track gem near Truro enjoys glowing reviews and a returning farm-to-table fanbase thanks to the regular communal suppers and feasting nights held in its gorgeous barn.
Discerning foodies make the trip to experience Jack Bristow and team’s simple-yet-exquisite set menus. Dishes are reflective of fresh produce from the organic farm (such as the herbs and brassicas from the no-dig kitchen garden, salad from the reclaimed greenhouse and pasture-bred meat from the farm), with food cooked over fire for maximum flavour. The kitchen team showcase their talents in attractively presented dishes such as wild garlic agnolotti, roasted chicken and wild mushroom; and wood roasted leek, mustard and toasted oat.
Also on the farm are a series of simple rustic buildings and wagons, which are available to book for the night (allowing you to enjoy a seriously good breakfast the following morning), plus an on-site butchery, larder and micro-bakery.
Its bucolic setting and relaxed vibe add to the list of crowd-pulling highlights. In winter, enjoy the hygge hit of sitting under the stars on a cool evening, cosying up by the firepit with a spiced cocktail before feasting in the warmth of the barn. In sunnier climes, dine alfresco in the verdant courtyard.
Trevaskis Farm, Hayle
Whatever time of day you visit Trevaskis Farm’s Restaurant, you can expect a dining experience true to traditional farming roots and a hyper-local ethos led by head chef Ross Massimino and team.
Start the day with the Trevaskis Breakfast featuring sausages, hogs pudding and home-cured bacon – all produced from its outdoor reared, rare-breed British Lops, bred for their exceptional flavour. Drop in for a relaxed lunch to dine on fan-favourite dishes including burgers, locally caught fish, Trevaskis Club and the New York deli.
As the sun sets the evening menu rises to the occasion and the native south Devon breed beef takes centre stage, the slow-reared and naturally fed meat yielding incredible flavour and a fine marbling. Every single cut of meat has been hand-crafted by the team’s highly skilled butchers, found in the Trevaskis Farm Market. Burgers, steaks and sizzling skillets are complemented by other flavour-packed dishes such as Korean chicken and katsu curry. Veg-focused diners aren’t left out either, and can delight in the likes of Moroccan stew and vegan haggis. All dishes are served with a range of seasonal vegetables.
At the end of the week, locals and holidaymakers pour in for the Sunday roast, in which British Lop pork, south Devon beef, free-range chicken and locally reared lamb are served with seasonal veg, cauliflower cheese, roast Cornish potatoes and a showering of fresh gravy.
Over 100 different fruits, vegetables, salads and herbs are grown for use in the restaurant and can be bought in Trevaskis Farm Market (or handpicked in summer as part of the Pick Your Own scheme). Take a mooch around the market to discover artisan produce and goods from its bakery, butchery, fishmonger and fields.
Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden, Cirencester
Sustainability is at the core of this community-focused cafe-restaurant in Cirencester Park.
Head chef Sam Iodine rustles up modern-British breakfasts, lunches and dinners based around ingredients sourced within a 25-mile radius of the park. Produce that hasn’t been sourced from trusted local suppliers is home-grown and freshly picked each morning from the on-site kitchen garden. The team’s aim is for menus to feature 75 per cent home-grown produce by spring next year to lessen carbon footprint and food miles.
The dining hub has a pleasingly laid-back vibe, with an offering that rolls with the seasons and is regularly switched up to keep things fresh. Themes include Fun Fridays (focused around disco tunes and fried chicken) and Small Plate Saturdays (all about tapas-style dining with a dynamite wine and cocktail list). The light and airy restaurant features vaulted ceilings and large windows, with two courtyards offering alfesco dining among edible flower and herb-filled raised beds.
Like 5 of the best farm-to-table restaurants in the South West? Check out our roundup of sustainable restaurants here.
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