Incredible places to eat out in the South West
The very best restaurants and dining experiences in the South West have been shortlisted for a prestigious awards ceremony - and you can have your say now about which ones are your favourites.
The Trencherman's Guide celebrates the best of food and drink in Bristol, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and beyond, awarding the best restaurants, pubs, hotels, and chefs in the region, as well as celebrating creativity and innovation.
The Trencherman's Guide has been lauded by celebrity chef Rick Stein himself, who won the Trencherman's Special Contribution Award in 2021, and described it as a "guide with teeth", owing to the strict criteria restauranteurs must meet in order to be included.
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Ahead of this year's glittering awards ceremony in March, which will be held at the Homewood Country House Hotel in Bath complete with a champagne reception and a multi-course supper, a shortlist has now been released including eight categories such as Best Restaurant, Best Pub, Best Chef, and Best Newcomer.
The shortlist for each awards category contains the top 10 contenders from around the South West - with restaurants like BANK Bristol, OSIP in Bruton, Somerset, and Barnaby's in Padstow, Cornwall, each being nominated in three categories.
Other popular dining establishments at this year's awards include Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, in Padstow, which has been shortlisted for Best Restaurant and Best Chef.
And modern British restaurant PURO, in Clevedon, Somerset, is also in the running for two accolades - the Award for Creativity and Innovation, and a Best Chef nomination for chef Tommy Thorn, who became Head Chef at the restaurant after making it to the finals of MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC1 in 2023.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the Best Pub, Cornwall takes the lead, with four nominations in this category - The Gurnard's Head in Zennor, Harbour House in Flushing, The Rising Sun in Truro, and The Tartan Fox in Newquay.
However, Somerset comes out ahead in the Best Bar List category, with Corkage and Flute, both in Bath, shortlisted for this award, as well as Roth Bar in Bruton, and The Queen's Arms in Corton Denham, near Yeovil.
The full shortlist for The Trencherman's Awards 2025 is below, and you can vote for your favourites until 11pm on January 22, by visiting this website.
Best Trencherman's Restaurant
BANK, Bristol
Barnaby’s, Padstow
Bybrook, Castle Combe
The Clockspire, Sherborne
Gather, Totnes
Kota, Porthleven
The Olive Tree Restaurant, Bath
OSIP, Bruton
Paul Ainsworth at No6, Padstow
Yak Yeti Yak, Bath
Best Trencherman's Chef
Paul Ainsworth, No6, Padstow
Jack Briggs-Horan, BANK, Bristol
Adam Handling, Ugly Butterfly, St Ives
Dorian Janmaat, Ardor, St Ives
Carla Jones, The Idle Rocks, St Mawes
Isabel Joscelyne, Prawn on the Lawn, Padstow
Ayesha Kalaji, Queen of Cups, Glastonbury
Merlin Labron-Johnson, OSIP, Bruton
Eddie Thomson, Barnaby’s, Padstow
Tommy Thorn, Puro, Clevedon
Best Trencherman's Pub
The Barrington Boar, Ilminster
Bearslake Inn, Dartmoor
The Chagford Inn, Dartmoor
Chequers, Bath
The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor
Harbour House, Flushing
The Rising Sun, Truro
The Sheppey Inn, Lower Godney
The Tartan Fox, Newquay
The Woolpack Inn, Slad
Best Trencherman's Hotel
Bovey Castle, Dartmoor
The Headland Hotel, Newquay
Hotel Endsleigh, Dartmoor
Lympstone Manor, South Devon
The Manor House, Castle Combe
Mill End Hotel, Chagford
The Priory Hotel, Wareham
The Queensberry Hotel, Bath
St Michaels Resort, Falmouth
Tewkesbury Park, Gloucestershire
Best Bar List
Bovey Castle, Dartmoor
The Castle Inn, Castle Combe
Circa, Totnes
Corkage, Bath
The Farm Table, Topsham
Flute, Bath
Hive Beach Cafe, Burton Bradstock
The Queen’s Arms, Corton Denham
Roth Bar, Bruton
Sign of the Angel, Lacock
Best Front of House Team
The Alverton Hotel, Truro
The Bunch of Grapes, Bradford-on-Avon
The Clockspire, Sherborne
The Farm Table, Topsham
Hooked on the Rocks, Falmouth
Iford Manor Kitchen, near Bath
Number Eight, Bideford
Salumi Bar & Eatery, Plymouth
The Seaside Boarding House, Burton Bradstock
The Sheppey Inn, Lower Godney
Award for Creativity and Innovation
Àclèaf, near Plymouth
The Angel, Dartmouth
Ardor, St Ives
Circa, Totnes
Ogo at Bedruthan, Mawgan Porth
OSIP, Bruton
Puro by Tommy Thorn, Clevedon
The Queen’s Arms, Corton Denham
Reef Knot Restaurant at The Idle Rocks, St Mawes
Robun, Bath
Best Trencherman's Newcomer
Ardor, St Ives
BANK, Bristol
Barnaby’s, Padstow
The Chagford Inn, Dartmoor
The Farm Table, Topsham
Harbour House, Flushing
Hotel Tresanton, St Mawes
Iford Manor Kitchen, near Bath
Roth Bar, Bruton
The Woolpack Inn, Slad