If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to try new things or eat more adventurously, you’re in the right place! Not only is Devon home to some of the very best food and drink producers that the UK has to offer but we also have a couple of traditional delicacies that everyone needs to try at least once while visiting! Here are five of our favourite Devon delicacies that need to be top of your list.

 

  1. The Devonshire Cream Tea
    We all know what a cream tea is and we all know what Afternoon Tea is, but for a truly traditional Devon experience make sure to get a traditional Devonshire Cream Tea. These come complete with Devon cream (some of the best in the UK!), home made jam created with locally grown fruit and of course fresh scones. If you’re somewhere that truly offers the traditional experience, you might even be given a Devon Split! Just make sure to eat it the Devon way – cream first!

  2. Cider
    Known to the locals as the nectar of the Gods, Cider is a staple all across the West Country and here in Devon it is no different. With plenty of varieties to choose from and lots of pubs, restaurants and bars offering locally produced ciders on tap, there really is no excuse to not go for a Devon brew. Not only that, but January is the time for Wassailing, another West Country tradition, where local people ward off evil spirits from their orchards to ensure a good apple harvest. Every town has their own version of this celebration, but it isn’t uncommon to see people literally toasting the trees with cider!

  3. Pasties
    Look, don’t give us any of that “Pasties are from Cornwall” nonsense. The oldest known pasty recipe was actually found to have come from Devon! Not only that, but a traditional Devon pasty is slightly different, the key is to look for the seal along the edges.

  4. Gin
    While gin has had a bit of a resurgence in recent years, it has been consumed in Devon for centuries. In fact, the oldest working distillery in the UK can be found in the county – bottles of gin from there were even sent off on the Mayflower when it made its voyage to the New World!

  5. Hog’s pudding
    This one might be a bit harder to find, but at one time, it was a hugely popular food from the Devon region. The best way to describe it is that it is sausage like, but flat and round rather than the usual shape. They’re made with either left over pork meat or offal, suet and pearl barley or oatmeal and stuffed into a gut casing. Nice.