Want to boost the road trip mood this winter? Factor in a little extra travel time to feed hungry souls, pick up last-minute gifts or even sleep it off. Below, we’ve picked out some of our fave pitstops for Christmas journeys in the South West
Teals, Somerset
Teals is one of those pitstops that induces a deep and happy sigh as soon as you cross the threshold of its purpose built glass and wood barn, found just a stone’s throw from the A303 between Wincanton and Sparkford.
A place that exudes artisan and quality, it’s a treasure trove of food, drink and gifts, catering for all your seasonal needs en-route to your festive destination. Together with a special selection of eco-friendly gifts and books, they have plastic-free cards and wrapping paper, an eye-catching choice of cute/quirky/classical (take your pick) stocking fillers and larger gifts, including a fine selection for pets. Industrial-style shelves are populated with a generous range of craft beer and cider, alongside good-looking and well-priced spirits and wines.
A haven for foodies, either stop off for sustenance (you can book ahead) for the likes of braised venison haunch, local brie flatbread, or just keep things Scandi-light with smoked trout and pickled kohlrabi while sitting next to the atmospheric wood burner flickering away. Takeaway foodie treats aren’t in short supply either – both the giftable and car snackable kind – not to mention tables stacked high with fresh fruit and veg, artisan bread, speciality coffee, plus a butchery and cheese counter, all of which makes shopping early for Christmas suddenly seem very overrated.
Holm, Somerset
Even if your journey isn’t heading in the direction of south Somerset it’s worth taking a detour to South Petherton, where a seasonally-driven festive menu is available at the winner of last year’s Best Trencherman’s Restaurant, Holm.
Nicholas Balfe and his team work with local farmers, growers, butchers, and frankly anyone who shares their love of exceptional ingredients, and this is no more obvious than in their six-course festive menu. Available for lunch or dinner, it’s heaving with local titbits and starts with Montgomery cheddar beignets with apple and lardo, moves onto fried sprouts with smoked cod’s roe, then to XO caramelised onion soup with Old Winchester sourdough and onion butter. Mains of trout with clementine and horseradish crab ravioli in a bisque, and venison with carrot and bitter leaves, are a beautiful nod to winter ingredients. Just remember to save room for dessert and petits fours. Such is the careful nature of their sourcing, all the above ingredients and dishes are subject to change, natch.
Why not make the most of the fabulous small grower wine list and break the journey with a stay in one of their stunning bedrooms too? A midweek winter special is available right now, rolling two nights on Wednesday and Thursday, a Chef’s Menu for two and a Feasting Menu into one fantastic price, while the weekend offer takes a whopping £50 off two chef’s menu meals when you stay on a Friday or Saturday night.
Gloucester Services
Visiting Gloucester Services makes a journey on the M5 actually bearable, and that’s saying something, even more so during the holiday season.
A destination in its own right, this is a glimpse into motorway services of the future (we hope). Family-owned and as sustainable as it could possibly be, this ode to a better way of living proudly celebrates and supports the people and produce of Gloucestershire, featuring 130 producers within 30 miles on the last count.
Inside the award-winning building is a thriving cafe filled with natural materials. Serving locally-sourced produce that’s made from scratch, kids meals are a crazy reasonable price of £1 when bought alongside an adult meal. Those short on time can grab soup, pies, milkshakes and more from the Quick Kitchen.
The Farmshop features a separate butchery, deli, patisserie and cheese counter, plus aisle after aisle of tipples, including a good selection of English wines. The creative and tasteful products made by talented local makers includes homewares, clothing, home fragrances and the kind of wellbeing products it might be hard to find elsewhere.
Hawksfield, Cornwall
A perennial pitstop for anyone familiar with the Atlantic Highway, Hawksfield is Cornwall’s very own artisan shopping village, promising a delicious array of services and goodies to see you through the next leg of the journey.
Strong Adolfos could be a pitstop in its own right. Grab a speciality coffee while perusing the hearty menu which features the likes of curried cauliflower toastie, haddock noodle laksa or just keep it simple with a bacon butty. Fluffy American pancakes, meanwhile, are the roadside foodstuff of kids’ dreams. Need a gift? They have plenty, from smellies and fridge magnets to Christmas pudding-chocolate, it’s all up for grabs.
Power-through pastries can be picked up at Da Bara‘s cafe, which opened its latest site at Hawksfield earlier this year. Load up on sugar-coated cinnamon buns (pictured), frangipane mince pies, or perhaps the beautifully boxed stollen as a gift for your holiday’s host? And, if there’s a crowd to feed, the Every Day Box is an easy way to stock up on bread for the imminent bank holiday days.
There’s more. A mid-journey pamper is available at the hair salon and separate nail salon, and while kitchenalia vintage store Mooch and lifestyle store Jo & Co sort the last-minute present dilemma for humans, Bella’s Pet Boutique is guaranteed to give pooches and other pets their own dose of mid-journey love.
The Queen’s Arms, Somerset
Visiting a charmingly-rustic family-owned pub is lovely at the best of times, but as a Christmas journey stopover The Queens Arms makes for a seriously decadent treat. Here on the Dorset/Somerset border almost everything consumable is crafted in-house, from the celery salt sprinkled on the Bloody Marys to the pork scratchings devoured at the bar.
Head chef Rich Townsend and his team use ingredients from a range of quality local producers – including Montgomery Cheddar in North Cadbury and pork from The Story Pig in Sherborne – to deliver classic British pub dishes of pedigree, guaranteed to satisfy even the hungriest of travellers.
If you’re lucky enough, you may have time to bag one of their limited edition hampers which are made to order. The Bloody Mary hamper includes its signature homemade celery salt and horseradish vodka, the cheese hamper includes homemade tomato chutney, while the mulled wine hamper is filled with own bouquet-garni. If the hampers have gone and an eleventh hour gift is needed, pick up a personalised gift voucher – for any amount from £20 and upwards – redeemable against rooms, food or drink.
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