Hele Corn Mill & Tearoom, Ilfracombe, Devon
Oh, you'll like Hele Corn Mill & Tearoom at Ilfracombe, we know you will, because it's so charming, how could you not? Everything on the menu is baked by the miller's wife, much of it using stoneground flour from the mill, but what you should do, particularly if you're on holiday in North Devon is to have the cream tea - big fat homemade scones with a gurt dollop of jam then cream - or is it the other way round?? Who cares, it tastes the same whichever way you do it and life's too short to argue about such things! They also serve light lunches like sandwiches, soups and pastries. Bear in mind that the tea room is small, but there's more room in the garden and space for children to play and enjoy the games and challenges. All good provided the weather is behaving itself!
You can also have a guided tour of the water mill with none other than the miller himself. The building dates back to 1525 and flour has been ground here for centuries, he'll tell you things like that and much more besides. Children can even have a go at making flour with the hand quern (a simple tool used for grinding) and they can do the 'Find the Mice' quiz. You can't help feeling very relaxed when you've been to Hele Corn Mill & Tearoom, it just has that effect on you, probably because it's a bit like stepping back in time to more peaceful days when there was less of the push and shove and no one seems to be dashing hither and tither like they are nowadays...
Check the website for the latest opening times as they vary throughout the year.
T: 01271 863185 All information correct at the time of writing