Cuisine Of Devon
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Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
in England has influenced, and been influenced, by other
British cuisine British cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom, including the regional cuisines of English cuisine, England, Scottish cuisine, Scotland, Welsh cuisine, Wales, and Northern Irish cuisine, Nort ...
. Its tradition of dairy farming has resulted in several dishes, some of which have made both it and Cornwall famous, such as cream teas and junket. Because Devon is largely a rural county, it likewise has a strong reputation for excellent pasture-raised beef and lamb. Orchard fruits are also important, particularly apples, used both for cider as well as for apple-based desserts. The long coastline supplies the county with a wide variety of fish and seafood.


Food

As a predominantly rural county with a temperate climate, frequent rains and fertile soils,
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
has for centuries been a net exporter of high quality dairy produce, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, particularly after the nineteenth-century expansion of the railway network which enabled the fast transport of fresh goods to large cities. This tradition continues, and many food products, such as premium fish and crab landed in
Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish in the borough of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. As of the 2021 census, Brixham had a population of 16,825. It is one of the main three centres of the borough, along with ...
remain highly regarded, particularly in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. , Devon boasts a
Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...
two-starred restaurant at
Gidleigh Park Gidleigh Park is a 5-star hotel and restaurant located in Gidleigh, near Chagford, Devon, England. The restaurant currently holds 1 Michelin Guide, Michelin Star and three rosettes from The AA. The hotel belongs to Andrew Brownsword Hotels which ...
and three other one-starred establishments. Several high-profile restaurant owners have relocated to Devon, to take advantage of its high quality produce, including Damien Hirst, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mark Hix with a particular cluster in East Devon around Axminster,
Ilfracombe Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs. The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay towar ...
and nearby Lyme Regis on the
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
border. Another gastronomic cluster in the
South Hams South Hams is a non-metropolitan district, local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Totnes, although the largest town is Ivybridge. The district also contains the towns of Dartmouth, ...
centred on Totnes, Dartmouth and Modbury, results from these communities pioneering of the Transition Towns concept to develop a sustainable relationship between producer and consumer in the rural economy, while the historic towns of Tavistock,
Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 7,313, which was slightly more than the 7,104 recorded at the 2011 census. Th ...
and Widecombe-in-the-Moor remain well known for their ancient seasonal markets. In October 2008, Devon was awarded Fairtrade County status by the Fairtrade Foundation. A monthly county magazine, ''Devon Life'', regularly publishes articles on the food and drink of the county, and the '' Cornish & Devon Post'', a newspaper published in Launceston, also publishes ''Cornish & Devon Farming Diary'' and a yearly eating and entertainment guide, ''Country Cuisine''.


Meat and fish

The pasty is as popular in Devon as it is in Cornwall, and the earliest known record for the recipe was from the city of
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
in 1510, on the Devon-Cornish border. This is one of the principal sources of rivalry between the two counties, which in fact form a cultural continuum across the Westcountry; however, pasties made in Devon lack
Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
. White pudding is a highly spiced pork dish still popular in Devon and Cornwall, where it is known as hog's pudding; versions are also known in the West Midlands, Scotland and elsewhere. A variant version containing oats is known as "Groats pudding" and is found on Dartmoor and parts of Cornwall. Both Dartmoor and
Exmoor Exmoor () is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simons ...
are well known for their production of wild, free-grazing beef and lamb from regional breeds such as Red Ruby Devon Cattle, South Devon cattle, the Greyface Dartmoor and the Devon Closewool sheep.
Fish and chips Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...
also remain particularly popular in the many coastal fishing ports.


Dairy produce

The county has given its name to a number of culinary specialities. The Devonshire cream tea, involving scones, sometimes known as Devonshire Splits, jam and clotted cream is considered to have originated in Devon (though claims have also been made for neighbouring counties); in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand, it is known as a "Devonshire tea".Mason, Laura; Brown, Catherine (1999) ''From Bath Chaps to Bara Brith''. Totnes: Prospect BooksPettigrew, Jane (2004) ''Afternoon Tea''. Andover: JarroldFitzgibbon, Theodora (1972) ''A Taste of England: the West Country''. London: J. M. Dent
Ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
is also made by many Devon creameries and is known for its rich full cream taste. Typical flavours may include summer berries such as blackberry or blackcurrant and a local favourite is 'thunder and lightning' made with sugar
honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and stores of honey and pol ...
and golden syrup. Ice cream is also often served with additional Devon clotted cream which changes texture when frozen. Curworthy, Sharpham and Vulscombe cheeses are all made in Devon. Devon Blue and Beenleigh Blue are made at a dairy on the Sharpham Estate. The
Ambrosia In the ancient Greek mythology, Greek myths, ambrosia (, ) is the food or drink of the Greek gods, and is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it. It was brought to the gods in Mount Olympus, Olympus by do ...
creamery, with its famous tagline "Devon knows how they make it so creamy", best known for its custard and creamed rice pudding, has been based in the village of Lifton since 1917. Fudge, often made with Devon clotted cream, can be found all over Devon.


Fruit and vegetables

Potatoes feature prominently after presumably having been introduced to Devon and the rest of Europe by
Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...
of East Budleigh; they formed a major part of the agricultural labourer diet in the nineteenth century. An example dish is Homity pie, which traditionally is made with
potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es,
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
s and
leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...
s. An exceptional number of traditional varieties of apple are specific to Devon's ancient orchards, which share a history of cider production with Westcountry neighbours along with rare varieties of many other fruits including the Dittisham plum, a dessert variety grown there. The Tamar Valley was historically famous for early season production of soft fruits in its sheltered south-facing valleys which were exported to London by rail.


Drinks

Cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
, known as 'Cyder' or ' Scrumpy' is the traditional drink of Devon. Labourers were often given an allowance of three pints per day. One of the most famous cider producers of the 20th century was Whiteways of Whimple, East Devon. They produced many internationally famous ciders and also some non-alcoholic variants including Cydrax and Peardrax. During Whiteway's heyday they boasted the largest cyder orchards in Britain. There is now a Whiteways museum and heritage centre next to the New Fountain Inn in the village of Whimple. Three Hammers is a brand of strong white cider made in Tiverton by the Devon Cider Company. There are still a large number of cider producers in Devon Devon has a large number of beer breweries; two well known ones being Otter Brewery (located at Luppitt near Honiton) and Dartmoor Brewery, which, being based in Princetown on Dartmoor, is the highest brewery in England at above sea level. The Heavitree Brewery was a local brewer, located in Heavitree; its history can be traced back to 1790. It was the last brewery in Exeter to cease production, continuing until 1970; the brewery buildings were demolished in 1980. The name continues in use as the owner of a chain of pubs in south west England, and Heavitree Brewery PLC continues as a quoted company with its address in Exeter. The Plymouth Gin Distillery has been producing Plymouth Gin since 1793. During the 1930s, it was the most widely distributed gin and has a controlled term of origin. There are now a number of vineyards in Devon producing white wines, the oldest being Yearlstone Vineyard which was started in 1976 at Bickleigh in the valley of the River Exe. Others include Sharpham Vineyard, near Totnes, and Pebblebed Vineyard near Topsham. The monks of Buckfast Abbey still produce Buckfast Tonic Wine which has down-market cult status in Scotland. Devon has a strong association with the old Westcountry tradition of alcoholic cordials such as Lovage, Grenadine and
Shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
.


See also

* Cornish cuisine * Cuisine of Dorset


References


Further reading

*Clark, Philippa, comp. (1968) ''Exeter Cooking: a collection of recipes''. Exeter: he compiler(includes a few from other countries and a few for drinks) {{Authority control Culture in Devon Devonshire cuisine