Masons Arms

A thatched, 13th-century inn tucked into a hamlet in the foothills of Exmoor may be the sort of place where dogs fall asleep in the middle of the road & it's certainly not where you would expect to find a Michelin-starred chef cooking some of the best food to be found in a pub. But Mark Dodson used to be head chef of the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn. Now he’s sourcing top-notch produce from local suppliers & delivering a short daily menu of, say, ballotine of foie gras teamed with quince chutney & pickled beetroot, or Devon beef fillet with oxtail, parsnip puree & red wine jus. The cooking is technically brilliant – flavours shine through & presentation is stunning – & the setting’s lovely. There’s a magnificent beamed bar with huge, log burning inglenook, a sofa-filled lounge, & a separate restaurant with views extending to Exmoor.