Thanksgiving is almost upon you …
and I was very thankful for this delicious stop over …
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| The welcoming sight of The Old Inn |
... if you’re ever tempted
to visit Dartmoor … this is one place you should visit …
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| This picture (not the dog) may be the one that visited Vancouver |
… historically very interesting,
after your delicious dinner your health will improve with long walks on the
Moors, or hikes up the Tors … dog loving trips ...
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| A Beloved |
...the stone below could well refer to John Hore, Church Warden for Sir Hugh Chagford,
who owned the nearby manor of the same name, in the reign Henry III (1216 –
1272).
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| This was done by John Hore, Churchwardon ... March (obviously the rest of the story has been lost over time) |
Jenny and I tried to visit the
Church dating from the 1400s … but it shuts at dusk and was duly closed up for
the night … so we had a brief wander before going back to prepare for drinks at
7.00pm. My previous post shows some details re the Church.
You will be satisfied with the
company of the owners and their Golden Retrievers, Tyne and Teign, and the
subsequent array of delicious dishes forming dinner …
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| Brent Tor |
... they greeted us again …
one with a donation of firewood for the wood burner … the other ‘collopsed’ on the warmed flagstone
floor.
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| Just ready for us to have a drink ... |
There are art works around the
Inn … of Dartmoor, animals, Chagford Pony Sales, and Golden Retrievers, who
have left us … one painting had even been to Vancouver and back … Jenny, who lives on Vancouver Island, was
amused to hear.
The small restaurant was full,
but we had booked in for the night … so didn’t have far to go.
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| Our aperitivo |
We were settled in front of the
wood burner, dogs nearby … glass of Verdicchio to hand – to find an aperitivo presented
to us … Herb Risotto on a slice of local hog’s pudding (Devon sausage) with
tomato topping …
Our starters came with three
breads (looks like I had a blank here and forgot to post the photos!! - they were delicious too ... I'll give them light of day soon!)… one I remember was onion flavoured – I’m not good with breads, as I rarely eat them – but these looked so good … still I resisted.
We both had meat ... Jenny had
the local Grilled Loin of Venison with Black Pudding and assorted vegetables ….
While I had Roasted Calves
Sweetbreads (not something I’d do for myself – and a dish I hadn’t eaten in
decades, which took me back to my roots of cooking) with oxtail, smoked bacon and port - so it was a real treat …
Desserts were just as good … a
Puff Pastry Cream and Strawberry Balsamic with basil ice-cream ...
... while I had
Vanilla Crème Brulee with a tuile, or round pane of lightly burnt-sugar topping
it off, with a basil sorbet on some sugared apple slithers …
We thought that was it … we had
enjoyed more Verdicchio … Jenny was looking forward to her coffee – then the
Petit Fours arrived, I let Jenny have them both … they did look very delicious, but I had
had an elegant sufficiency.
Now to bed for a good night’s
sleep and happy remembrances of our busy first night away ...
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| The sheep from my bedroom |
...we seem to have found out lots of interesting things … and were very well satisfied with our restaurant style Old Inn.
… but I had cheekily asked to snap a
couple of other diner’s main dishes … these, a saffron lasagne and grilled
fillet of sea bass, which I will post later on …
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| Chagford Pony Sales late 1800s |
We were contented souls … one blogger was rife with ideas! This post as you will have gathered is dotted with lots of pictures …
A review of The Old Inn – by TheGuardian food critic, Jay Rayner … it’s rather good … you can drool some more!
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| Tors on Dartmoor |
You may wonder why Tyne and Teign
are the names for the dogs … Duncan Walker, the chef and owner, comes from the
north-east of England, while he spent time in Chagford on the Teign … both are
rivers … before joining up with Anthea at The Old Inn.
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive
Letters Inspirational Stories
56 comments:
It would have been worth the visit to me just to meet the dogs.
The dogs and the scenery look lovely. Food? Not until dessert...
It looks so cozy! And those desserts...mmm!
Drewsteignton is not somewhere I've been, but it looks, and sounds, idyllic. The Old Inn looks great too - though I confess to finding the way food is sometimes served these days a tad pretentious. anyway - great series of posts - thank you!
No snow for us yet, but soon, I can feel it.
I love dogs!! This place is perfect for me and I applaud you for resisting the bread because I wouldn't have been able to do it. That whole plate would've been gone...along with all the other food. Such a wonderful place to visit.
What a lovely visit you had. I'd love to walk on the Moors. Loved the pictures of the dogs I think it would give a nice feel to the inn.
We had our first dusting of snow on Saturday--big fluffy snow flakes fell and as it warmed up that morning the snow melted. I'm not at all saddened by that either. I am not ready for snow. :-)
Sia McKye Over Coffee
Too bad about the church, but dinner looks like it made up for it. Such pretyt presentations too!
We have no snow yet, and not one person in miles is sad about that!
Oh, that inn is adorable. Love the featured pups, too.
I used to love sweetbreads, my mother made them but I never have done so. Your food looks great. Delightful looking inn and the pictures are quite something.
Love the dogs.
There's nothing quite like those Moors - stunning. Unless, of course, you're 13 and on a geography field trip, and having to stand knee high in a stream to measure the depth :-(
The dogs are just wonderful! And the food looks really good too. It looks so cozy there.
A warm hearth, good company and delicious food... What more can one ask for?
We simply love Dartmoor. A particular favourite of ours is Chagford. We were there only a few weeks ago. Love the dogs and the food looks delicious.
sumptuous visit. I'm stuffed full of scenery, history, and rich food. And yes, I would have eaten my petit fours, full or not. You showed excellent control. Very fun post
Looks like a delicious array of food! And dogs to keep you company. Judging from all the paintings of them, they are well-loved animals.
Looks like a beautiful and very cosy place !
@ Bob - I must remember to post more photos of dogs - to get you to visit!! I now remember how much you love them - the photos of the art work aren't too bad.
@ EC - It was a gorgeous place ... a bit grey, but fewer people around. I forgot the starters! Still they will be shown and might be more to your taste.
@ Elizabeth- it was a very homely setting ... and the desserts were too mmmmm! as you say.
@ Mike - I hope you can get down there sometime ... it's an excellent place to stay and visit. The food is good - as the chef loves his food - see the review ... so it's good quality and not pretentious in the pretentious way I'd describe ... but then I ate it!!
@ Elsie - it's definitely chilled up - London was really cold, and now I'm back on the south coast - it's warmer!
The Inn just satisfies all round .. laid back, relaxed, helpful, good food and generally caring for the dogs - long walks for them! Resisting the breads was sad, but a good thing for me ... they did look good though.
@ Sia - so good to see you ... and it'd be lovely to meet you down there sometime and have that walk ... but the dogs are special and are part of the team, from what I could gather!
@ Holly - we saw the Church the next day and I'd posted about it in the earlier post. The whole deal was a delight and we were so well looked after.
It's cold here now - but they had snow further north ... our flurry just flurried and melted away! No - I don't think we're too keen on the snow and ice arriving just yet.
@ Hart the Inn is a delight, while the dogs enjoy having guests around!
@ Jo - I had sweetbreads for my 21st! We did have other courses too. I'm not sure I made them - but wanted to ... I expect they appeared in the Cordon Bleu magazines and I was always emulating some of the dishes in them - I do love my cooking (did perhaps ... one day I'll get back to it).
@ Annalisa - oh how I feel for you .. how very unpleasant - that water is freezing up there ... and it's surprising that the Moors are quite boggy. I totally understand your antipathy to the Moors after that experience!!
@ Christine - it's cozy alright and the dogs make the scene ... we were very happy for our one night.
@ Beste - yes, a warm hearth, good company and delicious food, with some pets around - or a baby in your case! - we can't ask for much more.
@ Suzanne - it was wonderful to see a little of Dartmoor ... we didn't see much ... but it's opened my eyes to the area ... having always rushed through.
Now you've mentioned Chagford - I must go there next time ... lots of history too.
@ Joanne - yes I'm afraid this trip will be lots of history, landscape, interesting snippets and at times delicious food ... I thought Jenny would enjoy them ... I think she did!
@ Alex - yes the owners are a cultured pair ... I loved the artwork around, while their pictures of their previous dogs are special. The dogs were rather well loved I suspect!! We enjoyed the food ...
@ Gattina - it was a wonderful stop off point and I'm so glad Jenny wanted to visit the area ...
Cheers to you all - after a cold day in London, it's now warmer down here on the south coast ... Hilary
Hilary, you sure do get out and visit great places, especially restaurants. We don't have anything like that where I live.
Mmmmm - you've made me hungry again. We'll be down the West country ourselves next month - hope our food is just as delicious.
Wow. What an awesome adventure. I feel like I'm there.
I've only met one Golden Retriever. I was doing volunteer work and the owner told me that his dog only had eyes for him, but I knew a secret. No dog has EVER said no to me. So I waited, didn't call her, just waited and soon she was begging me for scratches. I obliged. Her owner said deflated (and I thought that was silly) "that's a first".
Teresa
Love the dogs and this looks a delightful stopover. I am feeling quite hungry looking at the delicious food :-) Keep well Diane
Yum lots of good food.
My mom used to cook sweetbreads for us when I was young. I don't much remember how they tasted. Thanks for the journey. Looks like a lovely place to stay. Loved all the pictures of the dogs.
Sounds like a lovely time and lots of good eats. I love to try new kinds of bread. They are my weakness.
What a lovely place to share with us, Hilary. And YAY on the innkeepers keeping dogs! Those two look fabulous, and I'd have a blast spoiling them—and, gosh, taking them for walks... Those surroundings look wonderful. Great names, too, by the way... Good creativity on Mr. Walker's part. (One of my dogs—my favorite, actually, but don't tell anyone—is named Duncan, and I bet Mr. Walker would like him.)
Fabulous post, Hilary! Not sure if you're already back home; if you're not, I hope you're enjoying your travels, and if you are home, I hope you had a great time.
Guilie @ Quiet Laughter
What a yummy post, Hilary. I, too, would have had an "elegant sufficiency" but would probably have eaten the petit fours...and the bread, too.
@ Stephen .. this was such a fun trip to plan around Jenny's itinerary - everywhere has been luck and we've had some great visits ... one or two interesting ones to say the least!
@ Patsy - oh dear .. I can make us all hungry so easily! Have a wonderful time for your trip ... and I'm sure your food will be just as good ... lucky you - can I join you both?!
@ Teresa - it was a fun trip ... and now I'm enjoying writing it up.
Your dog stories are wonderful ... and I can quite believe you beguile! That poor chap must be insecure ... I'm glad the dog got that extra attention though ...
@ Diane - the dogs were a delight .. and it was an excellent stop over - but it was exactly where Jenny wanted to be - so I hadn't deviated off her beaten track! Your French food always looks so good ... but this was delicious ...
@ Steve - yes and I bet they do lots of trout in summer too - straight from the rivers .. which would suit you.
@ Paula - I'm not sure that I didn't only have sweetbreads when I was in a restaurant .. but for some reason I was hooked. Those I had for my 21st were lightly fried in breadcrumbs ... always remember! Glad you enjoyed the dog photos ...
@ Susan - it was a glorious time and with some days of good food - others not so clever! I love bread too - but it's not happy with me .. so I usually steer clear, especially if I'm eating lots of other dishes ..
Lucky you enjoying breads ...
@ Guilie - we were lucky it was a lucky strike - food and Inn a happy find on my part (I was very happy!). The dogs kept everyone amused - but they were well behaved and it's always good to come home to animals ..
Duncan would be chuffed to read about your dogs and ok I won't let on about your favourite dog! I'm sure Duncan and Anthea would be delighted to meet your beloved dogs ...
Yes I'm back home and have been a while - trying to catch up ... and we had a great time - just lots to tell!
@ Linda - so happy you're drooling ... I was quite restrained .. but the food was so good ...
Cheers to you all - it's a great place for a break ... Hilary
I love Golden Retrievers! You had my mouth water with all of that delicious food.
the pups would endear me to any place.
I've never done a proper Thanksgiving. One year I want to hang out with my friends in the US and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner :)
@ Chrys - they were beautiful dogs .. while the food had my mouth watering!
@ Theresa - yes, you too would love the dogs ..
@ Trisha - I agree it would be fun to hang out with friends enjoying a thanksgiving weekend and the dinner!
Lovely to see you all - Happy thanksgivings .. Hilary
Thanks for letting us see the Inn and the food within. I like lots of images if it suits the post, and with food, a visual is preferred. Love the look of that Inn.
Such fun to read this Hilary thank you and oh my goodness all that goodness of food and dogs and photos!
Keep warm .. interesting that snow has now fallen ...
I'm sure your post is excellent, but I only have eyes for the Golden Retrievers.
Love,
Janie
Would love to sit in front of that fireplace!
A charming inn with an inviting looking bed. You must have had a very pleasant slumber with visions of
of that lovely meal still dancing in your mind. I've really never walked on any land that was officially called moors, although the mountain range behind us has some of the elements I would associate with moors. Although if I were really walking on the moors, I would want Heathcliff beside me. I adored the passion of that gypsy man, as no doubt does every woman who becomes acquainted with his character.
You always have the most interesting and delicious adventures. And of course, it's always a pleasure reading about them. The golden retrievers sure are beauties.
Reading this post makes me feel as though I am on a lovely and much-needed vacation. I'd reach out to pat those dogs (they do look delighted when they bring a 'gift', don't they?) and lift a fork to sample just a little of that risotto and the sausage. *Sigh*
Love that you took pictures of the food, lol!! I'd let someone take pics of mine too, it makes me laugh when I get odd requests like that... :)
Sorry to not visit so often, big transitions going on in my life, but I'll be back. :)
What a fascinating post! The old inn sounds like a fabulous place to visit that will leave memories for years to come!
Another great post with some amazing photos. I love all the photos. Helps me to appreciate what you describe much better. The food sound very interesting, glad you enjoyed it.
Bloggers like yourself put so much time and energy in your posts and i get to read them for free and at my own time too. I do not have to worry about when and what time they will get thrown away like magazines do. I am really thankful to people in the blog world. Cheers !
The Old Inn looks, and sounds, amazing. I feel like I now must go on a quest for basil ice cream. I've enjoyed reading about your road trip. Such a beautiful country you live in. Thank you for sharing. :)
@ DG - yes I sort of got used to using lots of photos to describe things and food photos certainly help. The Inn is a great place.
@ Susan - so glad you enjoyed it ... dogs always bring warmth into the 'house' even it's an Inn. Snow's gone from down here .. but it's around.
@ Janie - yes I expect many only have eyes for the Golden Retrievers!
@ Lisa - I too would have liked more time to sit there too .. it was a welcoming sight.
@ Manzanita - the rooms were very cosy and I certainly slept well - probably just very glad the first day was accomplished - Jenny collected and we were on our way. The moors are more gentle ... but very rugged and prone to thick mists coming down ... Heathcliff would be an interesting companion as you walked the moors ... 'gypsy man' describes him very well ...
@ Murees - I'm glad you can get to read and see what I'm posting about .. the Golden Retrievers were very laid back too.
@ Diana - well that's great to read. It was a lovely time .. and Jenny is a fascinating lady to be with. The dog's gifts were fun to see - what size stick we'd be brought .. the risotto with the sausage was exceedingly good! I *sighed* too!!
@ Rosey - I know people think I'm cracked .. but there you go - people usually agree and give in with grace and let me take photos! No worries re the visits .. I hope things sort themselves out for you ...
@ Monti - yes and I'd love to go back sometime fairly soon - it's on my list!
@ Jeffrey - so pleased you enjoy all the photos - I put them in to describe what I'm talking about - and you 'prove' to me it's worth it ... I did enjoy my dinner.
@ Munir - you make such a good point ... that if we enjoy reading someone's blog - it will be there and we can come back to it whenever we want. It doesn't as you say clutter the landscape of one's home up ...
@ Sara - Basil ice-cream was a great addition to our dishes. We are lucky to be in England ... even if it's grey it can still be beautiful - though I'd love to see Sweden sometime!
Cheers to you all - so glad you're enjoying the tour ... Hilary
Everything looks lip-smacking good! Went for dinner at my neighbour's Indian cuisine restaurant last night. First time ever for Indian food. She had her first restaurant in Liverpool.
On your various trips throughout UK, I'm there with you in spirit, Hilary. Thank you for the privilege.
Eating some delicious pub grub by the fire sounds ideal to me, especially after a good day's walking. It all looks lovely!
Beautiful post, although I must admit that the first photo creeped me out a bit. Plus, it's Dartmoor and if I should arrive at night... :-)
Cracking three parts. I enjoyed them very much.
Greetings from London.
Hi human, Hilary,
I loved your informative pawst and I sure like looking at those doggy pictures.
This might not surprise you but my alleged human, Gary, has been to Dartmoor and Vancouver Island.
Stay warm, my human friend.
Pawsitive wishes,
Penny!
Beautiful. I marvel at the dishes served in England, lol. What's wrong with a pork roast and potatoes and carrots. I would have tried the deserts though.
Have a great weekend Hilary.
@ Joylene - that Indian restaurant must have been a treat ... and really your first time for Indian food - it has some delicious delicate flavours ... I'd love to learn to cook it sometime: I enjoy eating it!
This is another part of England to visit .. but there are so many, as you found out when you visited your son recently.
@ Nick - this was most definitely more than pub grub ... but we loved the ambience and the setting, and the food!
@ ACIL - and I thought that first photo was lovely! But a dark Dartmoor night could bring out all sort of ghosts, ghoulies or monsters .. so can see your thought process - I just enjoyed. So pleased you've enjoyed the journey so far ...
@ Penny - I remember your friend, he can't be an alleged one, has been to Dartmoor and Vancouver Island ... as well as us. I thought you might enjoy Tyne and Teign's relations ... for some reason I just talked to them, but never took a photo.
@ Donna - We have roasts too .. some coming up - but it's good for a change having this sort of food ... and we cook roasts quite often at home.
@ Ana - just glad to read you're enjoying the story lines of my journey ..
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all who participate ... and have a quiet day away from Black Friday tomorrow ... I am! Cheers - Hilary
This is a tasty post, Hil. I love your blog posts so much. NOT good with bread? I LOVE bread. I would have fit right in. :-) The dessert sounds luscious. Thanks for taking us along on your trip. xoxoxoxo
Hi Robyn - good to see you back. I know the bread story is not helpful .. but I feel better for avoiding it! Though am happy to have you tuck in ... all the food at The Old Inn was brilliant ... so delicious, so fresh, and just a real treat. Am very happy to have you along for the ride around the west country ... cheers Hilary
This sounds like the most delightful inn. I am so glad you shared your experience with us. Love the pictures and your explanations. The food looks amazing! Enjoying visiting with you, as always. :)
~Jess
Hi Jess - it is a most wonderful place to stay and experience. Delighted to read you're enjoying coming along with me and 'seeing' what we did as we travelled. Cheers Hilary
Love those welcoming dogs! And I always love your description of your dinners.
Hi Lynn - they were welcoming too ... and so pleased you enjoyed the 'food, glorious food ...'! Thanks - Hilary
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