River Cottage in East Devon

The food was okay, however, the bread was quite overdone and there was a lack of gluten free options and these were not discussed with us when we came. We did put this into the booking beforehand, therefore we expected some sort of welcome and direction of what was gluten free.

Bucket list moment for me. Followed avidly in the 90s and have never had the opportunity to visit. Luckily for us our hotel couldn't do a cooked breakfast this morning (no chef) and booked river cottage HQ on the spur of the moment. I had the Kedgeree. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten! Pearl barley, chard (I think) smoked haddock and poached egg. Absolutely magnificent. My wife had mushrooms on toast and was equally smitten. Jasper dog loved the treats and sneaked some sourdough toast crusts. Little details like a generous portion of butter, ready at ambient temperature to spread generously on toast make such a difference. Thank you so much it was wonderful.

Nice setting. Good ambience in restaurant, pleasant staff, healthy lunch choices. However, thought portions a bit mean for the price. Nice coffee. Main lunch and coffee £20.00.still hungry though.

Disappointing beyond belief. Website says they don't do reservations for lunch, yet arrived at lunchtime to find almost every table reserved. Got one of the few tables free and ordered drinks. Order was wrong and we were overcharged. Food hugely overpriced for what it is. Shop underwhelming - and that's a generous description. Wanting to see River Cottage HQ? Ensure that you've packed the Hubble telescope, as that's what you'll require to see it. Save your money and go elsewhere.

RCHQ. What a disappointment. Overpriced and underwhelming. Trading on the owners name. Wouldn't go again and wouldn't recommend

Our daughter chose River Cottage HQ for her wedding in Mid August 2024. There were 70 guests and everyone had a fantastic time. The ambiance perfectly suited a lively group of 30 something friends with a scattering of older people like me and my 92 year old sister. Everything about the venue is perfect, and planning and logistics were very well handled by Lucy, the wedding coordinator. The families stayed in the main house which is extremely comfortable and well equipped to a simple but luxurious standard. Fresh milk and River Cottage foods and drinks were supplied in profusion. The weather was kind to us so the wedding took place in the lovely herb garden. The main function room is perfect for 70 guests. It was furnished with masses of beautiful wild flowers and fragrant herbs. The food (and wine) was delicious ...one of the guests was a Michelin starred chef and he was full of praise . The menu featured ingredients from the farm and tasted fresh and natural, and service was friendly and very efficient One of the best things about the venue was the staff. They are clearly dedicated to the place...unusual in hospitality. They were friendly, helpful, easy to talk to, and just totally normal. All in all it was a perfect weekend. Special thanks are due to Lucy the wedding coordinator and Connor and Claira (and their staff). You were brilliant. The couple hired a photographer called Emma Stoner who really went out of her way to get some great shots...she stayed right to the end and even sorted some sparklers! SO. If you are looking for a wedding venue you should seriously consider this place. It was perfect from our point of view

Came here on a whim on the way down to the coast as we were fans of the show and it was incredible. Service was outstanding, food is unbelievably fresh and delicious, the view was beautiful. Ordered the special (mackerel with pickles, potatoes and dukkah crumb) as well as the mushrooms on toast with some kombucha and everything was beyond delicious. Absolutely lived up to expectations and would recommend! (no pictures of the food unfortunately as we ate it too quickly!)

Cashless business. We went to enjoy a coffee but left when we realised our money wasn't wanted. Why Hugh? Imagine your journey to self sufficiency if you couldn't barter goods for few 'real' pennies. Very disappointed.

Best part of this visit was the view.Staff excellent. Coffee very insipid, only choice of two cakes, think we will give it a miss for another visit. Disappointing

Fabulous staff , food and place .. great little shop , can’t recommend the food enough it was lovely and so was the lemon and poppy seed cake . Definatly be back , it was a day when Hugh was visiting too . Value for money too . Welldone staff for making it a lovely lunch xx

We visited River Cottage expecting top quality food and service, both were non-existent. Serving small amounts of cake off pitted wooden platters that harbour any amount of ecoli. Yuck!, never ever again, ripped off to the tune of £17. This was supposed to be a lunch treat for my wife.

This restaurant and cafe provide beautiful ingredients farmed by themselves. Freshly prepared and presented for a quality experience this place is a must for those travelling to the coast or on a day off to relax. Peaceful setting overlooking green fields. Cute gift shop. Friendly Down to earth people.

My first wedding at River Cottage and I truly hope it’s not my last. Lucy and her staff were simply the best wedding team I have worked with. Everyone was happy to be there even working under pressure. The chefs were involved not locked away, they invited guests to come and see what was happening in service, such a refreshing change. The outdoor ceremony in the cottage garden is amazing and unique. Keep an eye out for the setting sun in the meadow, simply one of the best wedding venues around.

Having amazing friends who love food as much as I do, meant that I was recently invited to spend time away to stay at The River Cottage for a night to attend one of the dining experiences. I was not that familiar with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his TV work before I went to stay, but knew we shared a passion for seasonal produce and sustainable food. The River Cottage looks like an awesome set up and I am keen to go back to do some of the cookery classes, and if I didn’t embarrass myself too much during the dinner, I would love to go back for more of the dining experiences. Other people might describe me as a “foodie”, although I would never use the term, but I do love good food and I love it when a meal is well planned, well considered and well executed and all three are true of the dinner we shared. The chefs come out and explain the courses to the guests in attendance, and told us at the start that if you want to come out and talk to the chefs during the evening, that you can. I may have taken liberties with this offer, but in my defence, each course was so well done, I felt compelled to go and ask questions to try and understand exactly what it was I had just enjoyed. The amazing wines might have also helped me as the night progressed. The fish course had an elderflower and buttermilk sauce that was so well balanced, it prompted my first visit to the kitchen. That and the agretti and peas. The peas were local and so fresh, even on their own they were spectacular. I’m not sure if I have had agretti before - but what I would normally try and do with a dish like this, using chives and dill style flavours, they did with this ingredient, but 1,000,000 times better. We paired this course with a River Cottage “Low Intervention” Sparking Wine as suggested by the staff and it worked exceptionally well as a pairing. The second course was mushroom driven and had flavours of miso and a spice mix that created satay style flavours, and I wish I had better comprehension of the world to explain just how clever and considered it was. We transitioned into the Davenport Vineyards Horsmonden Dry as a pairing recommended by the chef, and it was a tremendous suggestion. The next course starred asparagus and radish and a smoked ricotta - it felt deceptively simple but worked brilliantly. We had a Meinklang Prosa, a biodynamic wine from Austria. Meinklang is renowned for its commitment to sustainable farming and natural winemaking practices, which matches the River Cottage ethos and their food. I like when I can trust the kitchen to recommend wine pairings, as an Australian living in Uk/Europe, I am not familiar with wine varietals and regions here, so am learning through experiences like this. All of the wines in this review are worth seeking out and enjoying. The Venison course was tremendous, and I had enjoyed too much wine to photograph the red we paired with this course. The way the herbs and sides cut made each mouthful dynamic and I felt by this course the kitchen were just showing off their talents, expertise and experience in ways that made me feel blessed to be there. The sweet courses were Rhubarb Sorbet and a Rhubarb dessert, and some delicious mignardises that showed a passion and focus from the kitchen from first course to the last plate. Connor and the team working the night I attended showed infinite patience and humour each time my laconic, increasingly intoxicated presence emerged from the dining room into the kitchen to ask how they managed to think of and execute what I had just eaten. I may not have done much to improve the reputation of Australians as boisterous, lively and enthusiastic when attending eating and drinking establishments. But I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, the conversations I had with the people I met, and genuinely felt it was more than a meal, what my friends and I experienced was a gastronomic and culinary symphony.

Really enjoyed the tour around River Cottage

Spent the weekend here for a wedding. The attention detail and care from the FOH staff was fantastic. Food matched these standards.

Good food, great service, stunning views. I could quite happily sit there all day looking at the view!

Lovely place and views, but very limited menu and food overpriced and pretentious. Worth a visit for a coffee though.

Another superb meal at River cottage quality all the way Recommended to a friend who coincidentally turned up as we did and thoroughly enjoyed as well

Probably the best poached eggs on toast, and the best Americano, I’ve ever had! Lovely staff too :)

This is an experience I will never forget... reception staff was attentive... Room was very homely and comfy.. The dinner however was out of this world!!!! Connor [head chef] Chiara [Sous Chef] and Shawn planned and prepared the most amazing gastronomic evening... the courses were paired with extremely complimentary wines... everything cooked to perfection and paced impeccably... Would recommend 100% if any fancies pampering their pallette... Thank you River cottage

We have just had dinner at River Cottage. It was amazing! The food was fantastic , seasonal, locally sourced and at a very high standard. We were so impressed 👏

The finest food at reasonable prices Staff are attentive and friendly Location is picturesque

The most beautiful magical New Year’s Eve ever. Thankyou. Food was absolutely outstanding

Amazing lunch, fantastic staff, comfy nights sleep, phenomenal breakfast

Superlative experience staying three nights in the River Cottage farmhouse. As a fan of the show, it was fun to see up close how the place works. From the delicious breakfast menu to the beautiful gardens and pastures, it feels true to Hugh's philosophy throughout. The staff was excellent-- I especially enjoyed talking to the head gardener John about organic gardening. I would love to come back for one of the cooking classes.

Looks nice - restaurant closed in winter but web site does not show it - leaving you with dodgy roads in Waze to pay over the odds - tried to phone in advance, pointless.

First timers, had to be done while we are on holiday in the area and so glad we did, fantastic tasty food that’s not pretentiously overpriced, service and atmosphere wonderful, had lunch, liked it so much booked for breakfast

We stayed the night recently (twin room in the farmhouse, B&B) and had the most fantastic time - and food! The farmhouse is very comfortable, beautifully renovated and atmospheric. The kitchen is big and well equipped to put together a dinner (if you arrive without a car and need to eat on site, as we did). So we spent the afternoon, evening & following morning enjoying the buildings, farm, kitchen garden and wonderful views. Breakfast was AMAZING: roast garlic mushrooms and perfect poached eggs on sourdough and good (strong!) coffee. My friend had granola, fruit and yoghurt (might sound ordinary, but it was so good). Thank you to everyone at River Cottage, including Shaun & Inka, the welcoming cafe staff and the lovely woman who cleans the B&B rooms. What a fantastic place and very good value.

Absolutely lovely, great meal couldn't fault it. We will return when in the area for sure

Excellent food and beers. Manager really nice and friendly,loved Inka his dog. One female waitress making the coffee's could make an effort and smile. However, we were all impressed and will definitely recommend and visit again . Thank you

We stayed in the Gardener’s Cottage and ate at the Chef’s Table experience. It is an excellent opportunity to taste new dishes prepared to a very high standard by experts. The ingredients are locally sourced and so fresh that we saw the picking some of them on the day. At seven courses it is filling so don’t fill up on the sourdough bread. Some of the paired drinks had ‘unique’ flavours and I wouldn’t buy it if I was choosing for myself. Well worth the cost.

Excellent shop /canteen stocking a range of river cottage products. Friendly helpful staff

Excellent breakfast using unusual ingredients. Worth a visit.

A lovely rustic relaxed lunch with great quality food. The fish pie was excellent and the gnocchi was amazing.

We supplied a band called The Stereo Jacks for Sarah and Ian’s wedding at the venue. The staff were super helpful and the location is perfect for a wedding! The views are stunning and it’s a great place to get married. We will be recommending it to our clients in the future

Great place to go if you want to leave hungry. Seriously, the food is absolutely delicious, but the portion are incredibly small. Overall too expensive for what you get.

Beautiful views good food and coffee.lovely staff and service.

Had a lovely lunch which despite being very heavily vegan and vegetarian was as expected, and hoped very tasty so meat and cream not greatly missed. Although, the crumble would had been heaven rather than just delicious if served with real cream instead of sunflower cream. Sorry Hugh I know this is your point but cream tastier. Everyone cheery, polite and helpful but rather slow, not really bothered because longer to enjoy the views. However, extremely disappointed by the lack of a real dog friendly vibe as they were only allowed in restaurant not to the viewing platform. Very disappointing, understand that not all dog owners watch dog and so could be in the field and up to mischief . Maybe build a fenced walkway dog lovers like to visit and see things too! Vegan and vegetarian friendly but not dog friendly enough. Reason for low service award and not five stars for atmosphere. Go here for food and view though.

Wonderful place to eat or just have a drink. The views are outstanding, staff great and attentive. The food we had was so lovely, will definitely visit again

Love this place, great food, great atmosphere and if your lucky you may even get to see Hugh himself... good prices as well

Beautiful elevated location, amazing food, friendly staff, and they are dog friendly. Just love this place to visit with friends. .

We had spent the evening at a function in the river cottage farm which was sensational. The food, atmosphere and staff were fantastic. In the morning we came back for breakfast. The food was delicious, a variety of mushrooms on toast, with a very rich coffee. I couldn't have been happier and all for a very reasonable price. It's well worth a visit, and buy yourself a couple of cans of the river cottage hempathy ale to take home with you. You won't be disappointed!

Amazing food. We sat outside. Brilliant views. Do take the detour, you won't regret it.

Limited menu, but something for everyone and freshly prepared. Reasonably priced very tasty meals. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly helpful staff.

We stayed at the cottage and had dinner at the chefs table event. The food was so fresh, beautifully presented and delicious. Produce homegrown or locally produced. The menu is decided on the day. The Fennel blossom ice-cream was so good. I loved the courgette and crab starter too. Beef cooked perfectly with a hint of smoke. The fire beetroots sweet and delish. It wouldn't be an every day treat but as a special occasion fab. The breakfast in the cafe was great, good choice too. Our Chef and his sou chef were great company, informative and knew their onions.. 😁

Visit for breakfast, beautiful surroundings, beautiful cafe, lovely coffee, stunning sausage bacon and egg plus the extras, wonderful experience, Highly recommend

Wonderful food! Organically grown and lovingly prepared and cooked. Healthy and good portion sizes. Staff are engaging and helpful. Good merch in the shop. Dogs welcome in the kitchen restaurant but not in the grounds.

With all the hype of Hugh's name this might have gone either way. Luckily it was the right way! Lovely service, great food, nice location. Definitely worth a visit if only for the views but really the food is the winner!

We booked the Long table lunch and spent the weekend at the River Cottage HQ, and we loved the experience. The house and room were lovely, breakfasts with the freshest ingredients, and a very kind crew. The Long table lunch was definitely an experience we recommend. Thank you for a lovely stay!

Did the 4 day cookery course. Just utterly perfect, so much fun, food and learning. All the staff are brilliant and incredibly knowledgeable.

We were really looking forward to this visit but sadly it was underwhelming. The food was very average, just didn’t have the flavour we were expecting at all and portions were not generous with some of the meals, namely the fish pie. The special pan fried whiting was very tasty though. Coffee was good, flapjack was awful, brittle and dry with little flavour. The view is incredible on a good day so I think this place’s strength is in coffee and a view.

Cakes were excellent but took a long time to arrive. We had already finished our coffees before they were bought out.

Had Sunday lunch here for 1st time. Leasurely service despite not being busy. Lack of shade on outdoor terrace. Leuttice & cauliflower dish lacked volume/substance. Fish pie was top notch.

Excellent setting and if the weather is good you have spectacular views over the valley if you sit outside. The staff are really friendly and they make you feel welcome. The food was nice and tasty. (We were just hoping for a wow factor) We will return for one of there shindig events in the near future.

Ha nincs szállás foglalásod, felesleges ide eljönni, a farm közelébe se mehetsz. Egy kávézó-üzletben fogyaszthatsz, mint bárhol...

We love this place for a cheeky lunch....wonderful staff, food and location xx

We were very much looking forward to our Sunday lunch here as my husband had visited the original cafe years ago and loved it. I’m sad to say our experience was not good at all. The menu was very limited and the dish I ordered (gnocchi) was hardly edible. Basically dry cut up pieces of sweet potato, no spinach or sage as was listed and I couldn’t even eat it. A real shame considering we drove over an hour out of our journey to eat here

We did a seasonal feast here and it was simply magnificent! The chef shared some great insights into the food preparation methods and what she foraged that day. Everything was really unique and delicious. Highly recommend visiting & doing a dining experience here.

Went with my mum today for lunch - had a wonderful 3 course meal - everything was delicious. The service was fabulous and resident lab Inca was an added bonus. Great thing to do on a rainy day

Great location and relaxed environment.

The pig in a day course was an amazing experience. The knowledge shared was immense and the food delicious.

We had the “Seasonal Feast” with our excellent host, Hugh! Really beautiful experience that we both thoroughly enjoyed, we had the chance to ask a few questions, sample the delights cooked by his team, which was just amazing and share the evening amongst some wonderful guests. We are no looking to come again, whilst Hugh made our evening memorable the food tasting experience was just so pleasurable, thank you to all involved.

Delicious lunch and a delightful young man looking after us

Lovely food and great service. There were 9 of us and they moved tables together to accommodate this. Would definitely go again.

Just popped in for a coffee, met by very friendly staff. A little pricey, as expected. Didn't venture into the farm, expect it to be good.

We enjoyed an excellent meal when we came to the festive feast at the weekend. Our stay afterwards at the Farmhouse just added to a superb weekend. A big thank you to all the staff who were all so helpful without exception!

A great breakfast experience - service was faultless and friendly. Food was absolutely delicious as was the coffee (the best we've had). Will be returning for lunch soon! Thank you.

Excellent coffee, the barista can actually foam the milk according to the drink, we had a flat white, latte & cappuccino and all were in the same size cup but the milk frothed accordingly. Lunch was also delicious and the puddings topped it all off. The only negative was the slow speed of food to the table, we arrived at noon and the place was only half full at that point and a lot of the other customers only had drinks, we were here an hour & a half, whereas at other places that we normally stop at only require for an hour for lunch and they also cook to order, which I was surprised at because they had one member of staff at the door, 3 waiting staff, a chef and one other employee that popped out from the kitchen every now and then, with possibly others in the kitchen. Overall a good experience priced as I expected. I don’t think it fair to rate at only a 4 for the slow service, so marked as 5.

Food was tasty, the setting is stunning, the service however is poor. We waited over an hour to be served after ordering our lunch.

Had breakfast, spot on, fantastic location, very friendly staff.

First visit to River Cottage for lunch, great, friendly service, the mackerel nicoise salad was absolutely delicious, and Chelsea bun bread and butter pudding, and chocolate torte excellent, plaice was fresh but the cauliflower puree not quite so tasty

Wir hatten ein sehr leckeres Frühstück genossen und haben uns sehr wohlgefühlt. Der Service war sehr aufmerksam und freundlich. Wir haben zum ersten Mal Kedgeree probiert und waren begeistert. Obwohl wir unter der Woche da waren, war gut besucht. In den Sommermonaten wäre es bestimmt besser zu reservieren, obwohl ich nicht weiß, ob das für 2 Personen möglich gewesen wäre.

Truly lovely location, with superb people working there. I was there for a Wedding Ceremony and the it was truly enchanting setting, with delicious catering.

Lovely views of Devon from the coffee shop

Visited the River Cottage Kitchen on a hot, sunny day for afternoon refreshments. No shade outside, just hot furniture; nothing against windows to create shade indoors and warmer indoors than out. The cakes were in full sun and very dry on serving. The table tops are repurposed and uneven meaning a drink split. This could all be forgiven, but not easily when it's this expensive. I have been looking forward to visiting as we attended a family wedding here, but I was sadly disappointed. Perhaps we'll try again when we're local next year when there's been time for improvements.

Fresh produce with delicious flavours. Unfortunately, it was the beginning of the heatwave when we got there and we sat under the blazing sun on the deck. No parasol were setup. Couldn’t enjoy the food under the heat cause it was very unpleasant. Plus, the service was rather slow. Not sure if it’s worth coming back to try again.

Really good breakfast. The kedgeree was generous and delicious. Beautiful spot. Good staff.

Significantly overrated, woke food served in a bland environment. You can do so much better for your money. “a celebrity chef doesn’t always make a great meal” Try Millside in Lyme - if you can get a table.

We popped in for coffee/brunch, right towards the end of breakfast. A friendly, helpful and attentive staff, and perfectly done food. Really interesting bookshop and goodies. Hope to come back another time for a proper meal. So sad about the central Axminster location, but the VIEWS here are delicious.

My partner and I were recently married at RCHQ and we had the most amazing day. We booked the venue for exclusive use with the wedding ceremony onsite. Fortunately the weather was gorgeous as it is predominately 'outside venue' although there was a wet weather plan in place. We were assisted in the process by Lucy who was our wedding coordinator, although initially at booking the communication was sparse by the time of the Wedding we were confident that everything was in place for a stress free day. The food was superb. We had discussed the menu with Gelph, the culinary director, and our desire to have a seasonal and local menu was fully achieved. The quality and quantity, freshness and taste of the food was as expected from chefs with this sort of pedigree. We had innovative dishes that utilised produce directly from the gardens and our guests thought the food amazing. Throughout the day the staff were attentive, polite and kept our glasses filled and our plates full. There were a couple of minor flaws, however. The beef for part of the main course was perhaps a little tough and the availability of vehicular transport up the hill to the car park at the end of the day was not as plentiful as promised. However, all in all we had the most amazing day with all our guests commenting on how much they enjoyed visiting this iconic venue.

Fantastic, as expected! Fresh beautiful food grown locally. No flavour enhancers, no emulsifiers, no E numbers or other nasties so frequently used in our so called 'food'. The whole approach is honest, sustainable and ethical. My only wish is that more food producers and restaurants adopt this approach

A brilliant wedding venue with so many options for beautiful wedding photographs. The team at River Cottage are such wonderful hosts. We're looking forward to photographing there again! Many thanks, Craig and Kez ( hellopictures.co.uk )

Really great food, fresh, local ingredients. Just a shame we went on an overcast day as the view must be amazing in the sunshine.

Nice breakfast price high made welcome with dog 🐕

Amazing! Delicious food, full of flavour!.

So good we went twice while down on holiday! Great quality, tasty food and doesn’t cost the earth either. Friendly, attentive staff and dogs are welcome indoors and outside. Def recommend a visit plus you can combine with walks at Trinity Hill just up the road.

We visited River Cottage Weds 18th May and can highly recommend to anyone thinking of going. The views were amazing the staff couldn't have been more helpful and the food was fantastic.

Lovely views, professional, friendly staff and the food was tasty and beautifully presented, though only one gluten free option, which is limiting for a coeliac.

Great location and great quality. stopped in for tea to check out new cafe, will definitely visit again and try out brunch or lunch next time.

We called in yesterday for lunch. I had a delicious soup with yummy sourdough bread and my partner had the goat tagine, also extremely good. We came away very satisfied. Attentive and cheerful staff and lovely views. I'd definitely go again.

There is a new casual dining area by the car park above the River Cottage Farm/HQ. This has taken over from Hugh's canteen in Axminster. Worth dropping in for a taste of River Cottage. Great views too.

Dropped into the new River Cottage venue for coffee and cake and all up to the standard expected. Great views from the patio area and worth the visit. Very welcoming staff, even though it was end-of-day. Just a pointer, it would be better to keep the cakes out of the sunlight by shading the display area, or just moving it; my cake was warm and served on a serviette, on the plate rendering the serviette unusable. Why do so many cafés and restaurants do this, is it just a presentation thing? Oh, the cake was fine and tasty and the coffee very good. Best not complain about the sun that was shining! 😉 The menus are interesting, as before, and quite varied, suiting most tastes and dietary needs. Prices are fair for the area and standard of cuisine. It is modern and well appointed; it looks a little smaller than Axminster but with a large outside space for dining or just taking tea in good weather. One star docked for the parking area that has always been an issue here, with traipsing white chalk dust or mud into your car and onto your clothes. On wet days it may be an issue for the bistro too. I will miss the Axminster setup and the town has lost an important attraction but I appreciate the economics that may have caused the move. Nice one Hugh!

My favourite place to eat..going there for lunch soon

Great food and good atmosphere. I had the kedgeree as main and kambucha to drink. Only issue I would say is portions are quite big - smaller would be better.

Wonderful food. Great service. Staff so helpful. Would recommend this. Great choice available for a Saturday Lunch

An amazing evening with fantastic food .

Lovely lunch, very friendly staff. Will be making this a regular thing as we always enjoy our meals here, whether evening or lunch.

Great all enjoyed meal polite staff

Food was great and dog friendly. Toilets needed a bit of a clean. Service great.