Food & Drink in North Devon

High quality local produce

The food and drink scene in North Devon is an exciting place to be, with our reputation spreading further every year. Take a culinary tour of North Devon and you’ll encounter a huge range of cuisines and food styles, ranging from award-winning local produce stocked at delis and farmers’ markets to Michelin starred restaurants, exotic street food to wonderful country pub classics. 

Ilfracombe in particular is becoming a real foodie haven and with the number of food festivals and famers’ markets that take place regularly in the region, you’re never too far away from some tantalising, tasty treats.

The North Devon Foodfest which is held every year in Barnstaple is one of the region’s most popular foodie events and has everything from live food demonstrations and stalls offering you the chance to pick up a whole range of goodies.

With breweries, distilleries, farms, fresh sea food and an abundance of award-winning chefs, you’ll find plenty to tempt you here. The secret to the quality of the local produce is the landscape and the climate, North Devon is blessed with temperate waters, warm weather and fertile soil so it is able to produce some of the best vegetables, fruit, sea food and meat in the country. The many food producers in the region are passionate about the quality of the food they produce so make sure they work hard to gain accreditation and awards confirming the freshness of the food they create.

It isn’t just the usual food that you’ll find in this region either, there are a number of rare breeds producing some incredible meat dishes.

Top chefs and fine dining

North Devon has a range of fine dining establishments as well as several Michelin Starred restaurants guaranteeing you a top quality meal, whatever the occasion. More and more big name chefs are coming to the area because of the quality of the ingredients, so keep a watch on the news to see what new restaurants are being opened up around North Devon. Many of the restaurants, cafes and bars in this area have won awards on both a regional and national level due to their popularity and the quality of their menus.

Wherever you are in North Devon, make sure you have time to sample some of the amazing local produce on offer.