The prestigious Trencherman’s Guide (the South West’s definitive restaurant guide) is packed with venues championing sustainable dining, field-to-fork principles and close relationships with farmers, producers and fishermen. Here are five handpicked restaurants from the guide that we recommend visiting for hyper-local dining
Ugly Butterfly 2.0, Newquay, Cornwall
Chef Adam Handling (Great British Menu Champion of Champions in 2023) has a bold vision for sustainable British luxury, and delivers with a menu that sparks surprise and delight.
Along with head chef Jamie Park, Adam devises innovative dishes with a seriously sustainable ethos. Stems of fruit and veg form the basis of cocktails, while offcuts of meat are crafted into tiny bites of beauty (AKA bar snacks). Even the afternoon tea offering uses by-products that are elevated into exquisite delicacies.
Everything here is delivered with a slice of magic and theatre, from the Champagne trolley kicking things off to an infusions trolley to close.
Culinary highlights include bluefin tuna with preserved truffles and elderflower, Adam’s signature lobster and wagyu dish which utilises sweet, small St Ives lobsters, and freshly baked Cornish apple tart – served tableside.
The Holcombe, Holcombe, Somerset
The Holcombe is a labour of love for owners Alan and Caroline Lucas, whose kitchen garden inspires the imaginative menus they craft for one of the most environmentally conscious restaurants in the country.
The 17th-century inn is surrounded by acres of land, which are the source of fruit, veg, herbs and flowers for the uber-seasonal menus. What can’t be cultivated on-site is sourced from local producers and neighbourhood estates.
Sustainability-wise, Alan and Caroline set themselves a high bar. All food waste is composted, while used cooking oil becomes biodiesel. There are also wildlife-friendly plots among the raised beds to encourage pollinators and hedgehogs.
In the kitchen, Alan is a one-man prepping, pickling and preserving machine, finding creative new ways to use the produce from his plots and polytunnel. Everything – from the sourdough bagels and cashew-nut cheese to the ice creams and signature soufflé – is made in-house.
Flavour-packed dishes on the two-AA-rosette menus include pan-fried local pheasant breast with confit leg parcel, white gem garden parsnips and Chilcompton toasted walnuts. For pud, opt for the likes of mulled wine poached conference garden pears with set lemon cream and toasted cobnuts.
Porthminster Beach Cafe, St Ives, Cornwall
Perched on the white sands of Porthminster Beach, the restaurant delivers seafood and a seascape whose beauty rivals that of the art hanging in nearby Tate St Ives.
The restaurant enjoys great prestige thanks to head chef Ben Prior (formerly of Ben’s Cornish Kitchen in Marazion) and chef-owner Mick Smith’s sterling reputation for Asian- and Mediterranean-inspired cooking.
The chefs craft vibrant dishes based on the bounty of produce at their fingertips. Expect the freshest seafood, foraged coastal ingredients and garden-grown herbs and veg.
Menus are switched up regularly, but a typical Porthminster supper could include such beauties as hand-dived scallops, whole roast turbot to share, and black spice squid with citrus miso. Sunday roasts are available in autumn and winter.
Osip, Bruton
Osip has been making waves since it launched in 2019. Its trademark dishes are served within an ultra-contemporary barn, where an enormous window connects diners directly to the land.
Devon-born chef Merlin Labron-Johnson is known for achieving a Michelin star at London’s Portland within nine months of opening. Osip has also been awarded a Michelin star, but its Green Michelin star – acknowledging sustainable credentials – is just as pertinent, since the chef is obsessed with the integrity of ingredients.
Working in collaboration with Merlin is head chef Ciaran Brennan. The pair concoct dishes that tend to be low in meat, favouring instead an approach that centres around hero vegetables prepared in thought-provoking ways. When the team do serve meat, they use only whole animals or birds – all of which are organic and prepared in-house. Guests can enjoy expertly paired drinks whether they opt for wines or non-alcoholic alternatives.
The innovative dishes change from service to service, so menus are printed on a just-in-time basis – don’t expect to be able to check it out on the website before you visit.
The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn, Cornwall
Sat beside the working harbour at Newlyn, The Tolcarne Inn is just steps from one of the UK’s most prolific fishing ports. Chef-owner Ben Tunnicliffe (formerly of Michelin-starred The Abbey in Penzance) harnesses this bounty with a menu that constantly shifts to reflect the freshest catch.
A large chalkboard menu showcases bold, intuitive cooking that celebrates simplicity and depth of flavour. Think red mullet with lemon-glazed salsify and fennel, ray wing with smoked-ham croquettes and cider mustard, or weaver fish served with scallop-roe taramasalata and cucumber chutney. There’s nothing fussy here, just honest, flavour-driven plates grounded in Cornish produce.
Everything is made in-house, from sauces and stocks to desserts. The drinks offering is equally well considered, with local ales, ciders and a wine list carefully curated to complement the seafood-led dishes.
Since 1992, the Trencherman’s Guide has provided discerning diners with the definitive collection of exceptional restaurants in the South West of England (a region spanning Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Bath, Bristol Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire). Every venue included is handpicked and verified by industry experts and exceeds stringent quality criteria. Buy the 33rd edition here.
Like 5 of the best hyper-local menus? Check out our round-up of best French restaurants in the South West.
We choose the companies included in our 5 of the best features based on editorial integrity. Occasionally, some inclusions will be handpicked from clients with whom we have a commercial relationship.
