Devon Tourism & Taste of the West Awards…

As our customers well know, there are lots of good reasons for people to holiday in Devon, and this was celebrated this week at the Devon Tourism Awards.

Michael Caines

Gidleigh Park, one of the UK’s most renowned country house hotel and restaurants (and just a stone’s throw from HH HQ in Chagford), walked off with three awards including that of overall winner. Run by the Michelin starred chef Michael Caines, Gidleigh won Gold for the Taste of Devon award as well as a joint Gold award for the Hotel of the Year together with Bovey Castle – a luxurious country hotel on a stunning estate where we let a number of self-catering lodges. Organic Riverford Farm Foods picked up Gold for Producer of the Year.

Pennywell Farm

Pennywell Farm, near Buckfastleigh in south Devon, won the Gold Award for Visitor Attraction of the Year, and farm founder Chris Murray was presented with an award for his Outstanding Contribution to Tourism. Other Devon attractions praised were The Big Sheep, Bideford and River Dart Adventures, Ashburton. All can be found on our ‘Explore the Area’ map to help you spot the places to go and things to do near each of our cottages.

In the Tourism Activity, Sport & Experience category, Gold went to the Calvert Trust Exmoor, which offers a wide range of adventurous outdoor activities to people of all ages with physical, sensory and learning difficulties.

Dartmoor Farmers

The winners were also recently announced at the Taste of the West Awards, which celebrates the region’s exceptional food and drink industry. Amongst the winners in Devon were Dartmoor Farmers, who produce free range, slow grown West Country beef and lamb from family farms within Dartmoor National Park.

Another worthy winner was the Sharpham Partnership, producer of classic English wines and a range of English cheeses on the Sharpham Estate on the banks of the River Dart near Totnes in south Devon.

Too many winners to mention, but congratulations to them all!

Browse through our holiday cottages in Devon and come and enjoy all this glorious county has to offer.

Enjoy the authentic taste of Dartmoor…

Farming in the heart of Devon is all about a passion for food, from the landscape it comes from to the way it is nurtured. That's why Dartmoor Farmers Association is the proud owner of three new awards, praising its methods and results in authentic beef and lamb production.

The association was recently crowned Gold and Silver Winner at the prestigious Taste of the West Awards and was given the inaugural ’Business of the Month Award’ from Dartmoor First. To receive the latter, entrants must demonstrate high regard for ‘a sense of place’, relating to landscape and diversity, for ‘a precious resource’, which covers waste, energy and water use, and for a ‘living landscape’, relating to the economical, social and transportation impact of their work.

The association’s 50 individual hill farms produce high quality beef and lamb, available at local butchers and in many of the pubs and restaurants throughout the area. Dartmoor Farmers ‘real beef and lamb’ can also be delivered straight to your front door throughout the UK by a courier meat box scheme.

For Dartmoor visitors wanting to sample a variety of tasty local produce, the Moretonhampstead Food Festival on 5th March is an unmissable showcase. Highlights include support from celebrity chefs Michael Caines (from the two Michelin star Gidleigh Park) and Jane Baxter from Riverford (author of many books and regular columnist in national newspapers). There’s also a 'Ready Steady Cook' event involving chefs from local restaurants and cooking demonstrations, including a children’s event in the 'Riverford Kitchen'. Click here for a list of exhibitors.

If you’re inspired to watch life on a farm, Weddicott Barn (pictured) in Chagford is perfect. It sleeps ten, so bring family and friends to enjoy the 70 acre traditional Dartmoor farm with its wildlife, wild flowers and half-acre pond. The indoor heated pool is an added bonus! You can take sourcing local food to the extreme with private brown trout fishing on the river Erme included in the price of a stay at lovely Clock House, near Ivybridge. Or how about a spot of classy dining-in after a shopping spree at the local farmers’ market? The ornate dining area and well equipped kitchen at luxurious Maristow Barton in Milton Combe are ideal for self catering in style.

We’ve over 80 holiday cottages on Dartmoor and good food is never far away.