the masons arms
knowstone, devon
This is a magic place we've just discovered wandering around Devon's lanes.
Firstly, there's a beautiful village of pastel-painted thatched cottages with gardens tumbling out over stone walls and cheery locals standing outside nodding at passers-by.
Knowstone is very cute and worth a stroll at any
time of year. There's a small rather nice B&B at Rosemary Cottage but no weblink available, sorry. Other than that there's a church, a mossy well and high-hedged lanes leading to the Exmoor foothills.
find it...
If you're heading west, it's just north of the A361 North Devon Link Road between Tiverton and
South Molton.
That's a photo we took of the village above. See what we mean? It's the sort of place that makes you want to have a little stroll... and that even applied to my wife and daughter.
contact them, mention us
The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon EX36 4RY
www.masonsarmsdevon.co.uk
01398 341231
what about
the pub?
Best of all, the village pub is one of the best we've ever seen.
There's a lovely old beamed bar with an enormous fireplace the size of our office at The Best Places and a restaurant with a quirky ceiling mural painted by a young artist from South Molton.
From your table or from the garden there are great views. We saw pheasants cavorting outside - they scampered off towards Dulverton. Perhaps Ranulph Fiennes will shoot them. The worst bit is probably the smallish garden that's not particularly colourful - but there are tables out at the front too.
m-starred food
But the food is simply as good as anything you'll ever find in a pub. It's the most relaxed Michelin-starred restaurant we've ever found. We still can't stop thinking about the sauce with the sea bass and sugared fennel...
Drinks are normal pub prices - but food isn't. See their menus on the website by clicking their name below but beware that starters are around £10, mains £14-£18.50, and sweets about £7.50.
let them eat bread
Pie and chips this ain't - it turns out that friendly chef/owner Mark Dodson was Michael Roux's head chef for 13 years at The Waterside restaurant in Bray. It's pricey for a pub but I got by with just a brilliant main course and lots of the free homemade bread.
So let's hear it for The Masons Arms at Knowstone in Devon (click for direct links). This pub and its village are the first things anywhere to be recommended as a Best Place.
