It’s high summer here in Devon and it is WONDERFUL. The sun is (mostly) shining and the lanes are hemmed in clouds of cow parsley with fern umbrellas unfurling almost by the minute. Seemingly suddenly it is light until late into the evening, all meals are eaten outdoors at the slightest hint of blue skies, lambs are gambolling around everywhere we look and the scent of honeysuckle and rose wafts from the hedgerows. It is when living in Devon really comes into its own, after enduring what felt like 3,235 solid days of rain and mud, this time of year makes all those potholes worth it.
Here's a little peek into our world here in Devon at this time of year – a seasonal recipe we love to eat on warm days, somewhere to go, a couple of things do and something to read in a lounger in dappled shade.
A RECIPE
Tomato, Peach & Blue Cheese Salad - see here
SOMEWHERE TO EAT
If you are in Devon at this time of year then we would highly recommend going to get a burger up on the moor. The Tors pub in Belstone opens up ‘The Shed’ for highdays and holidays - they serve up the most delicious burgers right up on the moor, with views for miles over the common and beyond. There’s picnic benches and various granite boulders to perch on, but always a good idea to take a picnic blanket too just-in-case it’s packed. The Shed is right up on the moor, so there are lots of walks you can do pre-burger that take you up out onto the open moor and loop back. And always a Dartmoor pony or two to accompany you on your way.
*Note - The Tors is less than 10 minutes from the A30 so makes a perfect pitstop en route to or from Cornwall*
SOMETHING TO DO
We are very lucky to live close by to Chagford and its wonderful fresh-water swimming pool. Open only from May to September, it is a total gem. It’s the largest open air freshwater pool in the Southwest and was originally dug by hand by local residents back in the 1930s. The perfect spot to end up after a stroll around the village (there’s a footpath that does a loop through the village and along the river, you can’t miss it) and then enjoy a hot mug of tea when you’re finished from the Pool’s own tea shed. (Picture above lifted from their website, and below one of our son Milo with a post-dip hot choc).
SOMETHING ELSE TO DO
In Devon over the summer you'll be hard-pushed to find a weekend where there's not a local village show going on. Some are huge affairs with ferris wheels and steam engines, some are tiny fetes with coconut shys and tombolas. The village fair closest to our workshop is a wonderful happy medium between the two - there's great shows to watch, delicious food, a dog show and lots of games for the kids to do. There's also a raffle with some mug-shaped prizes amongst other really fantastic ones (a year's subscription to Create Academy! Exploding Bakery cookbook and cake!) - see poster below and come along if you're nearby next Saturday, it's a great day out.
SOMETHING TO READ
At this time of year I like to have a stack of novels lined up incase there’s ever a moment to lounge under the oak tree and read. Running our own business with three small children and a giant dog means that these moments are rare and fleeting, but it’s always good to be prepared. I’ve recently finished The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, and it was so good I’m now reading exclusively Maggie O’Farrell books for the foreseeable. Her memoir 'I Am I Am I Am' is extraordinary. An excellent one to while away the hours (minutes) with…
