🎁The best of Devon’s food and drink gifts! Forget socks this Christmas, Devon's many talented artisan producers have lots of outstanding food and drink gifts that will win you serious brownie points. Read our selection of some of the tastiest gifts around at the link in our bio.

Meet the brewer and the distiller! NEW in our Christmas chalet at @exexmasmarket and not for long, and both offering tasters today… Friday! 🍻IVYBRIDGE BREWERY Devon’s disability-led brewery with an important social mission. @ivybridgebrewingco changes the lives of people with learning disabilities by providing them with training in brewing and retail. It’s GREAT BEER - CHANGING LIVES! Come and meet founder, Simon. 🍸THUNDERFLOWER GINS are award-winning, small-batch, contemporary craft gins made in the London Dry method with botanical flavours extracted by vapour infusion. Only Dartmoor spring water is added to the final spirit. Come and meet the maker, Anicca.

NEW MEMBERS SHOUT OUT #8   Onto our next four new members… welcome to these fabulous businesses who have joined Food Drink Devon recently. ✨OTTERTON MILL Café restaurant, farm shop, artisan bakery, gallery, music venue and working watermill nestled beside the River Otter in prime East Devon walking and cycling country. Run by the Wright Family and crowned Best South West Cafe/Tearoom 2023 by Taste of the West, Chris and Carol’s food philosophy is simple… top quality, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, simple recipes cooked to perfection. @ottertonmill 🌱DEVON MICROGREENS Based in Stoke Gabriel, Ben and Clare have an ambition to normalise the consumption of these miniature veggies as more than just a 'garnish' on a meal. Microgreens are exceptionally tasty, but more importantly they are packed full of nutritional value - significantly more than a mature vegetable. With more than 25 varieties, the couple provide a service for delis, and restaurants such as The Elephant and The Angel. @devon.microgreens ✨SOCIAL BAR AND KITCHEN A brand new place to eat, drink and socialise. This welcoming Newton Abbot bar and eatery serves quality produce, sourced locally with a diverse menu ranging from breakfast, tapas, steaks, fries, pizza, desserts, and more. Owned and run by locals Kane and Lia, it boasts one of the largest freshly-made cocktail menus with over 30 different creations to try. @social_bar_kitchen ✨DARTMOUTH FOODS Devon-based processor of premium, slow-cooked roast-on-the-bone shredded, pulled and diced meats and a range of refined fats. They are specialists in providing innovative cooked solutions through a unique steam and roast process, which delivers a succulent, full-flavoured product with roasted notes. More tomorrow! (Yes, it really was a bit of a backlog!)

Sharpham Dairy’s happy accident ‘Rushmore’ was crowned Champion Cheese at the Taste of the West Awards this month. The top cheese was serendipitously created when goat’s milk was mistakenly poured into the same tank as cow’s milk. Determined to avoid waste, the @sharphamcheese team made cheese with the milks that had been mixed… and after some cheesemaking magic, invented Rushmore and it’s been winning awards ever since! Congratulations team!

NEW MEMBERS SHOUT OUT #7   Onto our next four new members… welcome to these four fabulous businesses who have joined Food Drink Devon recently. ✨WAVI COFFEE A female-founded, speciality coffee van serving damn good coffee and allergy-friendly bakes from a converted Landrover 110. Wavi grew out of the belief that eating and drinking what we enjoy shouldn’t compromise on taste, health or wellbeing. An idea brewed by the sea, by Amy and Alison, and one you can now find at many festivals and events around the south-west. Inc. The Dartington Great Hall Craft Fair this weekend! @wavi.coffee ✨MANY HANDS BREWERY
A microbrewery based on Dunkeswell Airfield near Honiton, Many Hands brew excellent quality beers for the adventurer in you. Led by Head Brewer, Tom they brew beers that excite them, that they want to drink, and that showcase a range of modern styles and techniques. They’re also beers with tremendous names! Sock Puppets, Thumbwar IPA and Shadow Puppets. Worth tracking down for the names and label artwork alone! @manyhandsbrewco ✨FIKA EXETER A Swedish artisan micro bakery, Fika Exeter is a one-woman show. Annika creates her authentic Swedish buns, delicious pastries, rolls, biscuits, rye bread and sourdough using organic stoneground flours. She brings ‘a taste of Sweden’ to the community, using ingredients which are locally sourced, sustainable and ethical - supporting local farmers and millers. Find Fika at markets around Exeter - and in Topsham on 16 Dec. @fika.exeter ✨THE BLUE BALL SANDYGATE A fine 17th century thatched pub and restaurant at Sandygate, Exeter. One of the prettiest pubs in the area, the Blue Ball is an ideal location for a pre-match pint - it’s the closest pub to Sandy Park Rugby Stadium afterall - or an enjoyable meal created with local, seasonal Devon produce. Bask in front of a log fire in winter and in an excellent beer garden in summer and say ‘hi’ to Doris the pub pooch. #blueballpub More tomorrow!

NEW MEMBERS SHOUT OUT #6   Onto our next four new members… we’re delighted that these fabulous businesses have joined Food Drink Devon recently. ✨FROBISHERS JUICES From a freshly-pressed apple juice back in 1969 to a range of drinks available in pubs and restaurants across the country, the Frobishers brand has always stood for quality. Acquired by a new team in Exeter in 2009, it has evolved now offering 20 products across juices, pressés, sparklers, cordials and fusions. Create your own bundle or shop their curiously curated discovery boxes, all sustainably packaged. @frobishersjuices ✨BEST DEVON TURKEYS Turkeys at Rosamondford Farm, Aylesbeare are allowed to roam the pastures and are fed on the finest locally-produced ingredients. They’re dry-plucked and hand finished and fully prepared for the oven complete with giblets. This traditional method of rearing and preparing helps to deliver a good old fashioned flavour and texture, a world away from mass produced birds. @bestdevonturkeys ✨FARRS FARM Farrs Farm, in the Taw Valley, has been in the May family for three generations. A family run micro dairy, it has a herd of 18 mixed-breed dairy cows which are milked just once a day and spend the rest of their time on species rich grassland, or rape and kale fields. Cows keep their calves until weaning at around 4-5 months old. Milk is pasturised on site, and bottled in glass bottles which are collected and reused. #farrsfarm ✨RUSTY TRACTOR FARM CAFE Cafe at the Countryman’s Choice Farm Shop, just off the A38 near Ivybridge, serving Voyager Coffee and delicious meals using local ingredients. They boast some of the best (and possibly the biggest!) breakfasts around using meat from the butchery next door. Taking the kids? Visit their play park and friendly farm animals and learn all about their pigs, sheep, alpacas, pygmy goats and chickens. @rustytractorfarmcafe More tomorrow!

COSY ROAST ALERT | Sunday roasts are back at Bayard’s Cove Inn so you’ve a whole week to book a table - and maybe plan a long walk to earn your hearty lunch at this beautiful, waterside Dartmouth eatery. @dartmouthbayardscoveinn

✨This week’s TASTERS in the Food Drink Devon Christmas Chalet at Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market! Meet the makers and sample delicious Devon artisan food and drink, perfect for a special gift or your festive table… with lots more to browse and buy. We’re also welcoming to our line up from Mon 27th ✨New beer… @ivybridgebrewingco. ✨New gin… @thunderflowerltd Don’t miss out. Come and find us along the side of the Cathedral. Mon-Wed 10am-7pm Thurs-Sat 10am-9pm Sun 11am-5pm . . #madeindevon #christmasgifts #devonfood #devondrinks #fooddrinkdevon #exeterxmasmarket #exeterlife #exeterchristmas #giftsfromdevon #supportsmallbusiness #supportlocal #supportindies

SUNDAY SAMPLES from Lucy of @huxbear_vineyard and Nicky of @sharphamcheese. Open until 5pm in the Food Drink Devon Christmas Chalet at Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market. Come on down a taste some wonderful produce, and explore everything else in the shop from @figgyspuddings to @bluegoosecoffee, @salcombedairy to @bfkdevon sauces and @ebbtidesseaweeds to @inyamabiltong and more besides!

🏆 CHARITY PRIZE HAMPER | The lovely team at InkREADible Labels have put together a very special festive hamper, with donations of treats from their many food and drink customers. YOU could win this amazing hamper in the grand @inkreadiblelabels’ prize draw simply by donating to Rowcroft Hospice before 13th December via the special JustGiving page. 🎩 Each person who donates any amount (where details have been provided) will go into a big InkREADible hat and the lucky winner will receive a hamper worth over £200! @rowcrofthospice helps over 2,000 people living with life-limiting illnesses in South Devon every year and relies heavily on donations to provide vital services. Visit @inkreadiblelabels for the JustGiving link. Good luck!

NEW | Flapjackery SIDMOUTH opens its doors. Boat crew from Sidmouth Independent Lifeboat officially opened Flapjackery’s new shop in Sidmouth this month, its ninth shop. Located at 14 Fore Street, the new store offers sweet treats including its signature chunks of flapjacks, chocolate clusters, fudge, chocolate bars, honeycomb, chocolate beans, and Turkish delight.

NEW MEMBERS SHOUT OUT #5 Our next four members who we’re delighted have joined our community. ✨GREENDALE FARM SHOP Family-run farm shop between Exeter and Sidmouth with in-house butchers, fishmongers, deli and café. Greendale is bursting with fresh, locally-sourced produce. If they can’t grow it on their farm or catch it from their fishing boats, they buy from carefully chosen suppliers. Browse the Greendale food hall and you’ll many Food Drink Devon members’ products. With pop-up shops, free tasting events and even a summer fete and dog show, there's plenty going on. @greendalefarmshop ✨COUNTRY CHEESES If you love cheese and live in Devon, the chances are you’ve come across this legendary cheesemonger with shops in three of the county’s most beautiful towns – Tavistock, Totnes and Topsham. Established more than 30 years ago, it is now owned by long-time staff member, Bex Jenkin. Country Cheeses is a huge supporter of local cheesemakers, with 150 different varieties, varying with the seasons. Their ethos?Appreciate what’s created on the doorstep and minimise the miles from dairy to cheeseboard. @countrycheeses ✨SOUL PIZZA TRUCK Soul Pizza was created out of a love for human interaction and damn fine pizza. Sam and the team serve fresh, hand-stretched, log-fired Neapolitan-style sourdough pizzas from a converted Vauxhall Movano and 1978 Chevrolet pick-up at sites around Dawlish, Buckfastleigh, Bovey and Chudleigh - with pop-ups, weddings and parties in between. See Facebook for locations. Putting people, product and environment ahead of profit, they’re proud to be slowly navigating business the way they want to do it. @soulpizzatruck ✨SMALLACOMBE ORGANICS Certified by the Soil Association for over 20 years, Smallacombe organic farm in Dawlish produces delicious milk from their happy ‘Coastal Goats’, kefir and organic high welfare chickens, plus slow grown lamb and hogget – all of which you can order online for delivery. Stay on the farm in a secluded luxury bell tent and dine during summer months in the Meadow Kitchen, a unique outdoor organic dining experience in a wildflower meadow. @smallacombe_organic_farm Believe it or not… more tomorrow!