Restaurants in South Molton

We had an excellent meal at The Masons Arms on August Bank Holiday Sunday with my sister, neices and partners. The menu is short but well formed with enough variety to tempt us all (although none of us could manage their famed cream tea dessert which just means we'll have to go back!). Each dish had a tasty combination of ingredients impeccably cooked. Also, the staff were tremendously accommodating throughout the booking process when our party numbers were rising and falling by the week and had no need what so ever to apologise for sitting us in the bar area as it was an ideal space and table shape for our group. We will go back but this time staying locally over night so that we can enjoy the wine menu as well!

The Mason's Arms was recommended by a work colleague when we told him we were staying in east Somerset. A bit of a trek to find it but thanks to sat nav we made it in good time. It's basically an ancient village pub in Knowstone, to the south of Exmoor, that has been taken over by a Michelin-starred chef (from the Roux brothers' Waterside Inn at Bray, I believe). There's a small public bar which retains its character (as well as the odd local), a lounge-cum-waiting area and the small restaurant to the rear which has great rural views and a slightly bizarre mix of plain wooden furniture and a ceiling straight out of the Sistine Chapel. Still, it’s not at all stuffy here and you really don’t want stuffy dining rooms in the middle of Devon, do you? There’s a good wine list and a simple menu choice of five or six starters, mains and desserts. The food was top quality and beautifully presented – as you would expect from a Michelin-starred venue. Didn’t break the bank either. The only downer is that unless you are staying very local, one of you has to drive.