When I think of Devon, I think first of cream teas (scones served with clotted cream and jam and perhaps topped with a fresh and juicy strawberry) with a pot of freshly brewed tea served in bone china tea cups and saucers, probably flowery ones, like my Grandparents used daily!
I also think of beautiful blue water beaches, blue skies and sunshine, cute thatched cottages, fishing boat trips, sand castle building, family trips to the seaside, fish and chips out of newspaper, with squawking seagulls over head trying to steal said fish and chips.
Also the word Devon conjures up thoughts of rolling green fields with sheep and cattle grazing peacefully in the sun shine (or wind and rain!) depending on the season!
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Devon food and drinks
I am going to write first about food and drinks, as this is the thing that I think of first and foremost whenever I think about Devon! I do love my food and drink!
Pasties – I recently discovered that the earliest pasty recipe was found in Devon in a book written in Plymouth in Devon in 1510. I always thought that pasties were a Cornish invention before that.
They are made from a circle of savoury pastry, traditionally filled with meat (usually beef skirt), potatoes, swede and onions and seasoned with salt and pepper – a whole meal really! The pastry is folded over at the edges and crimped. The tin miners used to hold the pasty by the crimping while they were eating it (like a handle) to prevent their poisonous, arsenicy hands touching the pasty which they were eating. The pasties were quite often made by the wives of the miners.
Much as I love sweet things and have a sweet tooth I do love savoury food a lot too and Devon has no shortage of other savoury mouth watering delights in its list of traditional foods.
White pudding is slightly less popular than pasties but devon – itly worth a try! It is a large, pork sausage seasoned with salt and pepper as well as cumin, basil and garlic.
Devon sea food is incredibly mouth watering and delicious and especially so if you purchase it and eat it near to one of the coasts where it was caught. There are some fantastic places to eat local seafood all over South West England. Crab sandwiches are a must too and a delicious picnic to be eaten on a sandy beach somewhere with stunning coastal views.
Fish and chips – A visit to Devon would not be complete without fish and chips. Fish wrapped in crunchy, tasty batter with a good sprinkle of salt and splash of vinegar. My personal favourite is still cod and chips but there are several options to choose from. I prefer to eat fish and chips out of newspaper or at least white paper, but these days many places are serving it from recyclable cardboard containers. There are loads of cheerful chippies to visit for your fill of this delicious Devon delicacy but I recently discovered Krispies in Exmouth and would rate it highly!
Devon Cream Tea … The Devon Cream Tea is made up of the same elements as a Cornish Cream Tea – freshly baked and warm scones, (sometimes plain and sometimes with dried fruit in) with lashings of clotted cream and usually strawberry jam (home made strawberry jam is best!) and a steaming hot pot of freshly brewed tea. In Devon it is correct to put cream first and top it with jam, if you want to do things properly. There are no shortage of places all over Devon to get a cream tea, but nothing can beat a home made cream tea! This year I celebrated National Cream Tea day at home with some delicious home made scones made by myself and served using a bone china tea set that I inherited from my Gran!
Devon Drinks
Plymouth Gin
I went to Plymouth recently for the first time and while I was there I saw the Plymouth Gin distillery in the beautiful Barbican area of the city. You can take tours around the Gin Distillery and I hope to do that soon. When I do, I hope to write and article for this site telling you all about it.
Plymouth Gin is a brand of gin that has been distilled in the same place in Plymouth in Devon since 1793.
It is described as being an earthy taste with some citrus notes. I hoped to try Plymouth Gin at the distillery bar in Plymouth, but it was closed the day that I visited so I went across the road to a fantastic place across the road from there. I forget the name of the place, but it was directly opposite I had a Plymouth Gin Garden Cocktail.
Devon Beaches
Devon beaches are numerous and vary from tiny coves to beaches that stretch several miles in length.
I have visited a number of Devon beaches for my YouTube channel. Have a look at these beach videos to whet your appetite for what you might discover at Devon beaches. Some Devon beaches are sandy, some are surrounded by giant jurassic cliffs and others are small and shingly.
Exmouth is a wonderful, sandy family beach at the start of the Jurassic Coast. The Jurassic Coast is a world heritage site in South West England. The Jurassic Coast starts at Exmouth in East Devon (and finishes in Studland Bay in Dorset). Exmouth beach is one of my favourite beaches to visit with lots of ice cream shops, lots of fish and chip shops and lovely seaside strolls. Beach wheel chair hire will soon be available too from a unit near to the beach on Queens Drive. More details to follow soon, once it is up and running.
Watch my YouTube video about Exmouth Beach here:
Woolacombe is another of my favourite beaches in Devon. I made a YouTube video there too! Woolacombe beach is in North Devon and stretches for over 2 miles and is vast and sandy. Around the corner, a few minutes walk on the coast path is Barricane Beach. This is a small cove and a lovely retreat from the main beach at Woolacombe. One of the main draws to the beach is the brilliant beach cafe, which sells Devon Cream Teas, home made cakes, ice creams, sandwiches, salads etc by day until 4pm and serves great tea and coffee. By night (from 5pm until 7pm) it serves raved about Sri Lanken curries. I am still to try one of those. I will let you know how good it is when I try it one day! If its bad weather the cafe will not be open in the evenings. Check their facebook page for up to date information. Please be aware that due to poor signal in the area, this cafe is CASH only. Here is my YouTube video showing Woolacombe and Barricane Beach.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.