by In a cream tea house, you are never far away from a good scone. But how to tell the good from the bad? The perfect scone is crumbly, feather-light, warm, and served with fruity jam and clotted cream so thick it sticks to your spoon. Stay clear of anywhere that serves scones with butter, or toppings in little packets – they don’t know what they’re doing.
This Devonshire teatime ritual is so important that science has been dedicated to working out the perfect formula. The ‘hedonic break’ – the best level of sweetness – is a 4:3:3 ratio of scone, cream and jam, with cream applied first to ensure an even spread of toppings.
For more Devon inspiration, check out our guides to the best hotels, restaurants, pubs, beaches and things to do in the city.
Endsleigh Hotel, Bull Abbey
For absolute decadence, nothing beats Hotel Endsleigh, the English Elizabethan mansion on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Fresh finger-cut sandwiches, delicate pastries, just-baked scones, mounds of clotted cream and glass jars of Tiptree’s fruity jam come with fragrant loose-leaf tea served in bone china cups. Enter by the open fire in the wood-paneled lounge, on the sunny terrace or parterre overlooking the Tamar. Work off the calories and stroll around the hotel’s Grade I listed gardens.
Top treatment: Blood orange macaroons and the fund financier
Contact: hotelendsleigh.com
Prices: £££
Otterton Mill, Budleigh Salterton
The scones at this cafe-cum-music venue are made daily with organic flour in the on-site working watermill, which dates back to 1068. Free tours offer a taste of the flour as it comes fresh and hot from the chute . The cafe is situated on the banks of the peaceful Otter River, so the keen-eyed may spot kingfishers, otters and beavers, recently reintroduced as part of a reintroduction programme.
Top treatment: A rare West Country beef sandwich or crab wrap, served on a huge selection of organic handmade breads, including tangelo, rye or spelled
Contact: mill otterton.com
Prices: £
Fingle Bridge Inn, Drewsteignton
Cream teas are best enjoyed after a walk in the countryside, and there are few walks that work up a better appetite in Devon than at Phoenix Fields in Dartmoor National Park. Perfectly placed for hungry visitors, the family-run Fingle Bridge Inn sits on the banks of the River Teign, with a sunny terrace making the most of the riverside views. It’s not gourmet, but it’s excellent value and the lovely location next to an old cable-stayed bridge more than makes up for it.
Top treatment: The homemade scones
Contact: finglebridgeinn.co.uk
Prices: £
Dartmoor Llama Walk
Devon’s rarest cream tea is carried by llama and eaten on a bush (granite-topped hill) in the wilderness of Dartmoor National Park. Dartmoor Llama Walks run guided cream tea circular walks for groups during the summer. Hikes take three hours. Book in advance.
Top treatment: The homemade scones
Contact: dartmoorllamawalks.co.uk
Prices: ££
Rosemoor Kitchen Garden
Set amongst the rose beds, orchards and trees of RHS Rosemoor near Torrington, the RHS Rosemoor Wisteria tea room is in the home of Lady Anne Palmer, who donated the house and garden to the RHS in 1988. Jam is made from fruit picked in the award-winning kitchen garden, scones and cakes are baked on site and the tea is grown in Tregothnan in Cornwall. Admission to the restaurant is free.
Top treatment: Earl Gray lemon drizzle cake
Contact: rhs.org.uk
Prices: ££
Eat on the Green, Exeter
It’s a hot spot for tourists, and for good reason – this half-timbered Tudor restaurant and tearoom has the best view in town from its first-floor terrace and restaurant, overlooking Exeter Cathedral and the green. . Traditional scones are baked daily and served warm with Dorset clotted cream and strawberry or blackberry fruit jam. Gluten-free versions are available, as well as vegan and gluten-free cakes. Look out for the original bread oven and the ship’s floor.
Top treatment: The carrot cake is legendary
Contact: eatonthegreenexeter.com
Prices: £
Heil Corn Mill
Situated just 300m away from stunning Hele Bay Beach, the owners of this mill and tea room must be Devon’s most experienced scone makers, with 75,000 under their belt. Everything is baked daily by the miller’s wife, who often uses stone flour from the on-site water mill, which dates back to 1525. The seats are in a nice covered courtyard overlooking the mill. Gluten-free and vegan options are available.
Top treatment: The Devonshire split – the basic scone, made with a soft brioche-style bun and served with black pudding and clotted cream.
Contact: helicornmill.com
Prices: £
How we choose
Each restaurant on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighborhood favorites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to suit all types of travelers – and consider food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.
