Riverford Field Kitchen
Buckfastleigh Devon TQ11 0JU
This relaxed and convivial eco-friendly restaurant is based at Riverford’s organic farm, in a modern wood and glass building that fits in beautifully with the rural Devon landscape. Meals are predominantly organic, and you eat in one sitting at shared farmhouse-style tables. The chefs, led by head Rob Andrew, work with whatever seasonal veg has been picked from the fields that day, adding simple but interesting twists to cook them in ways that diners may not have tried before. As such there is no menu to choose from, but instead every table is given a main meat dish and around six creative veg dishes to share. On our visit we enjoyed a tasty barbecue chicken with cannellini beans and salsa verde, carrots and fennel with tarragon and lemon, a beetroot, orange and ricotta salad and (delicious) new potatoes cooked with spring onions in a bag. For after there’s a heavenly array of indulgent and unusual puddings to choose from, so make sure you save some space. Enjoy European wines, soft drinks from Heron Valley, Luscombe and Fevertree and a range of cider, beer and spirits from independent suppliers. Coffee is made with beans from the Café Femenino Coffee Project, which supports women producers overseas. The whole set-up is very family-friendly – there are at-table high chairs available for babies and a giant wooden toy box for children to delve into, and on sunny days, you can have drinks outside on a large terrace. Parking is a walk away; disabled drivers can follow the signs to park right outside. Always book ahead, and aim to arrive at 12.45pm for 1pm lunch, and at 7.30pm for 8pm supper.
