The best restaurants in Stour Valley North Dorset South West

We found this hidden gem a few months ago and absolutely love it here. The food is all fresh local produce and the homemade treats are always so tempting. They serve lovely coffee (the best tasting around) and the fresh tea serve in your own pot is perfect for any time of day. We have been to most of the local cafes and this is bar far the best and the one we would pick over and over again. Margo and her team are what makes this cafe different to others in the area and unique. They always take the time to have a chat and are invested in making you feel so welcome. Would recommend to anyone, they even do takeaway. What more could ask. We will be back again very soon xx

More than just a leading Tea House, Comins Sturminster Newton is a very coeliac friendly café.  Full 5* review at CoeliacwellNES.com.  They have soft doughy GF gyoza, gluten free sweet treats and obviously phenomenal tea.  A lovely place to watch all the comins and goings, will try out the Bath branch soon!

Arrived in Sturminster Newton on a Monday to find many eateries were closed! Luckily Joshua's was open and the food really good and service excellent. The coffee was exceptional!

Fantastic pub, great food, beer and people (ex-Forester in Donhead St Andrew). We shared scallops in shell with garlic, asparagus, leek and mushroom filo tart, taramasalata, smoked halibut and pollock with various vegetables. All of it was great quality. I washed mine down with a pint of Rare Breed and then a glass of pink. We both had dessert (great sticky toffee pud) as well, and all for £100. Blimey. Recommend!

Good food. Decent prices. Great and friendly service

Couldn’t fault one thing everything was perfect , hot plates , lovely ingredients , local sausages reasonably priced and friendly staff would highly recommend

Although we are local first time in the Olives et Al shop. Good choice of olives either in jars or loose to buy in plastic containers. Nice selection of local made treats eg cheese etc. Some "different" food ideas. Great place would visit again. No cafe available at the moment.

Excellent food at a reasonable price

This alehouse never fails to deliver. The beer is extremely well kept and the general vibe in the pub is great too. Happy hour during the week.

Fuming! Got all the way home to okeford. Spent £70 on whole crispy duck and a couple of other dishes which they reluctantly agreed to shred the duck for us. Actually it was 4 quarters. Anyway can you imagine all set up with a nice sav blanc and NO PANCAKES OMG A DISASTER!. Tried to phone and no reply Dissapointed doesnt even touch it and no prawn crackers. Were devastated

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: oh dear… Everything about this place now screams: ‘lack of enthusiasm and care’. First off, in this day and age to serve soft drinks from a big bottle is unbelievable. Flat soft drinks from a pub is just not acceptable. Secondly, the Sunday roast is maybe the worst I’ve ever had. School dinners are better than this. Rock solid veg, water disguised as gravy, thrice reheated potatoes… actually impossible to say anything positive about the roast. And I’ve now seen the pictures of the roast dinners served here in 2023 before the new management came in and they looked fantastic. Several steps back. Also we were sat in a cold, echoey barn conversion which doesn’t feel fully converted. All of which is a massive shame as it looks great from the outside and the main little pub building is full of character.

Have eaten many times before but feel the food is bought in processed and not as good quality as before. My wife had the jacket Potato with coronation chicken some months previous which was so nice with pieces of chicken in a nice thick sauce however this time it was thin with small squares of chicken like the processed food seen in supermarkets, my daughters quiche was also a bought in processed quality product will avoid in future

Nice place to stay when I went to Sturminster Newton United Football Club

Super nice fish, very fresh and delicious. Quick and easy to order and pick up with a very vide variety. Annoyingly when I went they weren’t selling any drinks which was a bit disappointing but the food made up for the drinks.

I visited The Fiddleford Inn twice in the same week, which is unusual. The first was with family, and the second was with my husband. On both occasions the food was excellent. The pork belly was amazing and my Mediterranean Tart was really nice. The children's meals were excellent. They really enjoyed their food. When I came on Good Friday our meals were just as excellent. The burger was great and so was my fish and chips.