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Topsham, near Exeter, is a waterside town awash with award-winning cafés, pubs, food shops and restaurants.
Marc Millon tracked down the best. Photographs by Kim Millon.
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Georgian Tea Room
Broadway House, 35 High Street.
Tel. 01392 873465. |
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A really good Devon cream tea is hard to find these days, but the Georgian Tea Room serves just about the best anywhere and has awards to prove it (South West Tea Room of the Year 2004.) Heather Knee bakes scones fresh daily, the strawberry jam is homemade, the cream is thick and good. What more do you want? Endless pots of Twinings tea...
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Il Giardino
6-7 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 877878. |
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Chef Angelo Lenarduzzi and partner Jo Butler have created a warm and genuine corner of Italy in this welcoming and attractive restaurant. Foods are well prepared and authentic, with regional influences from Angelo’s native Friuli region mixed with Tuscan. Excellent fresh pasta made daily, local fish and meat, and an interesting, reasonably priced wine list - try the wines from Friuli.
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The Café
76 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 877827. |
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The Café is the place to come to just hang out and relax over a well-made cappuccino, read the newspapers or chat with whoever else might be there. Everything is homemade including brilliant cakes (the chocolate is legendary) and other baked goods. Try the delicious, simple lunches and mid-morning or afternoon snacks.
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La Petite Maison
35 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 873660. |
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The ‘small house’ is just that - an intimate and cosy little restaurant where it feels like chef-proprietor Doug Pestell is cooking just for you. Doug’s background is classical French, and he uses exclusively fresh, local ingredients (organic where possible.) The small dining room is attractive with attentive, friendly service.
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The Galley
41 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 876078. |
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Paul Da-Costa-Greaves is a truly original and creative chef. The Galley offers fresh-off-the-boat local fish, painstakingly and precisely prepared. Dishes can be enjoyed ‘tapas’ style for informal and convivial dining. The atmospheric dining room is located on the Topsham quay and service is friendly and informal.
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The Bridge Inn
Bridge Hill.
Tel. 01392 873862. |
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For lovers of beer and truly unspoiled pubs, the Bridge Inn is not to be missed. In the Cheffers family for more than a century, and famous as the only pub HM the Queen has ever visited, Caroline Cheffers-Heard continues to offer a truly outstanding range of well-kept, mainly local cask-conditioned ales (Pub of the Year – Good Pub Guide 2005.)
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The Fish Shed
Darts Farm, Clyst St George.
Tel. 01392 878206. |
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Fisherman David Kerley has made The Fish Shed at Darts Farm both a wet fishmonger’s and a superior fish and chippie. Any fish available for sale can be fried or grilled to order (cod remains most popular, but deep-fried sea bass is sensational,) and there are also regular specials such as diver’s scallops (picked off the seabed by David himself,) moules marinières or medallions of monkfish with new potatoes and salsa verde.
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Turf Hotel
Turf Locks, Exminster.
Tel. 01392 833128. |
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You’ll find the Turf Hotel on the other side of the river from Topsham, but easily accessible by the Topsham-Turf ferry that leaves from Trout’s Boatyard from Easter to October. Turf is a very special place, where the Exeter Ship Canal enters
the Exe. It can’t be reached by car, so people come by boat, on foot or bicycle.
Sit out in the massive waterside garden and enjoy good, freshly prepared local foods together with mainly local beers and a great selection of wines.
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Topsham Community Market
Matthews Hall.
Tel. 01392 873616. |
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Saturday morning general market in the town hall, with some good food stalls, notably the Olive Branch for olives, olive oils, and other Mediterranean foods.
Also visit the stall selling outstanding freshly roasted coffee. Vegetables, breads, pies and more.
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Topsham Wines
36 High Street.
Tel. 01392 874501. |
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Jim Kingston offers everything you want from a good independent wine merchant. The small shop is stocked with wines Jim himself loves best and which you won’t find elsewhere. Whether you are looking for inexpensive, quaffable wines for everyday drinking, or something very special; wines from classic regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy, or from the New World, Jim will be happy to advise you.
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Derek Thorman’s Mobile Fish Van
Matthews Hall.
Tel. 07977 795406. |
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Fisherman Derek Thorman brings local fish and shellfish to Topsham on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 1pm. In season, the sea bass, crab and lobster are his own, and everything else is local, and always very fresh.
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Richard’s Greengrocers and Florists
64 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 873116. |
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Richard Tucker has been supplying Topsham residents with fresh fruit and veg for more than a quarter of a century. In fact, Richard’s great-grandmother used to bring in farm produce from nearby Clyst St George in a pony and trap. Richard offers friendly personal service and free local delivery.
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Arthur’s Butchery and Delicatessen
67 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 875481. |
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Arthur’s is an outstanding local butcher supplying mainly Devon meats, homemade sausages and home-cooked roast beef, ham and turkey. Try the homemade pasties, quiches, breads and freshly made sandwiches, and check out the delicatessen, too, with cheeses, meats and salads. Arthur’s is definitely the place to pick up foods for a picnic by the river.
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Darts Farm
Clyst St George.
Tel. 01392 878200. |
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Darts Farm, located just outside Topsham on the road to Exmouth, is a phenomenon. Formerly a small Pick Your Own farm shop, it has evolved into a high quality food shopping emporium that offers a real alternative to the supermarkets. Includes a high quality butcher (Gerald David); fishmonger
(The Fish Shed); delicatessen; sale of local ciders, Devon and other wines; greengrocer and shop stocking many award-winning Taste of the West products. There is a café in addition to fish & chips, plus gift shops and an excellent florist (Trugs.) You can even come here to buy an Aga, or tiles and home furnishings from Fired Earth.
A foodie destination in its own right.
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Cooks Aweigh and Storm in a Tea Cup
25 and 22 Fore Street.
Tel. 01392 876337 and 879723. |
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Helen Mottershead has created a great small cookshop offering a comprehensive range of cookware and small electric appliances. A few doors up at ‘Storm’ she offers good quality seconds of primarily English and some French china and glassware - at bargain prices.
This feature first appeared in the Spring '05 issue of Devon food magazine.
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