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Enjoy chocolate created in Devon this World Chocolate Day with the region’s food festivals

28th August 2019

Categories: Visitor News

Chocoholics rejoice for World Chocolate Day (aka International Chocolate Day) is taking place on 13^th September and what better way to celebrate than by eating copious amounts of chocolate? Luckily for you, this event takes place twice a year depending on whose calendar you’re looking at, so if you missed out on visiting the county in July, now is your chance! Another stroke of luck is that Devon is home to several incredible chocolate makers using the very best local ingredients, so now is as good a time as any to head to the county and grab yourself a slab (or two!).

September’s World Chocolate Day is really a celebration of the birth of Milton S Hershey, the founder of America’s Hershey’s Chocolate Company, but for us Brits, it’s an excuse just to celebrate chocolate in general, and honestly, considering it is one of the nation’s favourite snack foods, we don’t need much of a reason. However, as this is an official holiday, we feel like it’s the ideal time to introduce you to some of Devon’s chocolatiers.

Of course, the best place to get some locally made confectionary are the various markets and food festivals that take place in the region. During the autumn months, Devon is full of incredible food festivals (so it is rather fortuitous that World Chocolate Day falls into this season too…).

The Powderham Food Festival is an annual celebration that takes place at Powderham Castle.

Image: Powderham Castle

As well as there being ample stalls offering a whole range of local produce (including sweets and chocolates!) the event also has live music and trained chefs all onsite! If you’re planning to incorporate a visit to the Powderham Food Festival as part of your holiday, you can find plenty of accommodation in the area including the family friendly Cofton Holidays where you can enjoy 80 acres of stunning South Devon countryside or Amberley Bed and Breakfast, which is far enough out of Exeter that you can enjoy some peace and quiet in the countryside, but also close enough that you can easily hop in and out of the city. If you need a few other things to do during your stay, The Paint Hub is ideal for families and is a great way to make the kids feel included too.

Image: Dartmouth Food Festival.

The Dartmouth Food Festival is also returning this year with a huge mix of food and drink from the region, as well as demonstrations from a whole host of top chefs. This three day event is hugely popular and there are often around 20,000 people attending, so if you want to visit, you’ll have to get your accommodation booked soon. As it’s a food festival, you’ll want a self-catering property so you can really fill up on all the treats from the event, so why not take a look at Cladda?

Image: Cladda.

This award-winning property is set on one of Dartmouth’s glorious narrow streets where you can find several historic buildings now with modern twists such as boutiques and galleries. SnapTrip also have a variety of self-catering properties in the area for you to choose from, they have a wide choice so for those of you who need more space or have any special requirements, they’re an ideal choice. Dartmouth is a great location for exploring the South Hams area of Devon, so when you’re done at the festival, why not do a spot of exploring? There are loads of family friendly attractions in the region too including Woodlands Family Theme Park, don’t forget to check our attractions page to find out what else is in the area.

As you might expect from somewhere with an impressive coast, many of the food festivals that take place in Devon have a focus on sea food.

One of the most well-known is England’s Seafood Feast, which is held from 20^th September until 6^th October and can be found all over the English Riviera. The main draw of the festival is of course the world class fresh seafood, but there are plenty of other things too including wine tastings and the chance to sample a few other tantalising treats. As its held in the English Riviera, you’ll find yourself in one of Devon’s top resorts where there is plenty to see and do including Kents Cavern in Torquay which has its own calendar of events as well as being a heritage tourist attractions and Babbacombe Cliff Railway, where you can catch sight of some amazing views as you travel up the side of a cliff.

Image: Babbacombe Cliff Railway.

That isn’t all, this area of Devon is well known for its array of water sports organisations that offer the chance to get out into the sea, take a look at Jet Set Go! Jet Ski Safari, Sea Kayak Torbay and Reach Outdoors. All of them make great use of the water and landscape around Torbay and have activities for all abilities. As for somewhere to stay, there are loads of options for you here, The Imperial Torquay is a magnificent 19^th century Victorian four-star hotel which sits on a cliff top, whereas Heathcliff House B&B is exclusively for adults and can be found right in the centre of Brixham. Wherever you want to be in the English Riviera, you’ll never be short of places to stay.

Similarly, the Taste of the Teign Food Festival is in nearby Teignmouth and is a celebration of the amazing seafood and other produce that is sourced from Teignmouth, Shaldon and the surrounding countryside. Teignmouth is easily accessible from Torquay, Paignton, Dawlish and Brixham using the local rail network.

Alternatively, Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium is a shop dedicated to all things chocolate of all different flavours. They also offer a range of gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and vegan options so everyone can partake! Also in North Devon is Affinity Devon, a unique outlet shopping centre where you can find a whole selection of chocolatiers from the indulgent to the brand name to the independent. Plus, there are a whole host of shops for you to browse which will make you feel a lot better about visiting purely for the chocolate!

Are you going to be in Devon over World Chocolate Day? Make sure to grab some local chocolate and let us know how it tastes, you can get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.