The Cotley Inn

Field‑to‑fork dining in the Blackdown Hills

Spend an evening on The Cotley Inn’s lavender‑fringed terrace and you’ll get the pleasure of dining on delicious seasonal fare while also drinking in the views of the fields in which it was grown and reared.

The contemporary country inn is a Grade II‑listed former farmhouse and sits in the heart of the Cotley Estate in the Blackdown Hills. Being part of the estate provides head chef Dan Brown with an abundance of ultra-fresh produce, including veg from the kitchen garden, Ruby Red beef, rare-breed pork and chicken.

With the help of sous chef Danny Baker, Dan puts this bounty to fantastic use in modern interpretations of classic pub dishes such as the Cotley Estate Ruby Red beef burger, and a chorizo and Cotley Blue mac ‘n’ cheese. Those looking for something a touch more refined will find it on the à la carte line‑up which includes the likes of seaweed‑crusted brill with pea and house‑pancetta fricassee, and Cotley Estate venison haunch with confit tomatoes, venison ragu and rosemary polenta.

Since taking over the dining pub in 2018, Ben Porter and Maddie Beaumont have been steadily renovating the building – the latest addition being a quartet of country‑chic bedrooms. Book one so you can fully explore the wine list and wake up to the sound of birdsong and the cows in the field next door.