The Cridford Inn and Vanilla Pod Restaurant, Devon.

A couple of weeks ago I was a very lucky lady and whisked off to Trusham in Devon for a meal and night away at the Cridford Inn. The bar area, restaurant and accommodation are all set within an old Devon longhouse believed to date back to the 14^th Century and the whole place oozes luxury and character. There is a perfect partnership between stylish interiors and finishing touches and the character of the old building with exceptional original features, slate floors, roaring fires and so much charm. We are always on the look out for hidden gems and this ticked all the boxes.

We stayed over as part of the winter stay and dine offer (£49.95pp) which included dinner, bed & breakfast. From the moment we arrived the staff we encountered were friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. Our bedroom (the Dart room) was cosy and warm but en trend with modern neutral décor sympathetic to the age and style of the building, as was the theme throughout. You know you’ve fallen in love with somewhere you are staying when you are taking inspiration to use in your own house! Another bonus (for me more than fiancé) was that the Inn is only a 15-20minute drive from Exeter… so a bit of shopping to complete the pampering experience.

We ate in the bar area which still allowed for intimate uninterrupted dining that you would expect from an exclusive restaurant and may not always get from a pub, and the set menu included ample variation and choice with meals comprised of locally sourced ingredients, cooked to order and executed superbly. (A “perfect steak", which is praise indeed from my steak-obsessed fiancé!). Ian’s famous desserts were also amazing.

The service was prompt and the staff attentive throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing but exciting dining experience in perfect ambiance which continued through, after a peaceful and very comfortable night’s sleep, to breakfast the next morning. Local produce cooked well, fab surroundings and lovely staff who appear to genuinely care and take pride in customer service and high standards. The Cridford has also recently launched a takeaway menu offering a taste of their gorgeous traditional food to go. If we were local, we would definitely be taking advantage. But then, if we were local, we would probably just take up permanent residence in front of one of the lovely wood-burning stoves. I am already trying to plan our next visit.

For more information you can visit their website.