Review: Coldharbour Field Kitchen restaurant, Ottery St Mary

It’s both a ‘destination restaurant’ with a string of visitor awards, and something of a ‘best-kept secret’. The Field Kitchen – which began as a spin-off from the Coldharbour Farm Shop during pandemic restrictions – has become a favourite meeting place for locals, and has also attracted glowing praise from holidaymakers on TripAdvisor. It's completely dog-friendly, and very popular with owners. Yet it’s still relatively new and a bit off the beaten track, so it retains that feeling of ‘specialness’ that you don’t get with the more high-profile venues.

I went there for a solo lunch on a chilly December day in the run-up to Christmas –  and I can tell you, it’s well worth a visit.

Everyone raves about the view from the Field Kitchen site, but it still took me by surprise. As you drive up the hill away from Ottery town centre along a narrow country lane, the high hedges screen the countryside spreading out below you. But as I walked across the car park towards the restaurant and outdoor decking area, it was ….’wow’. You’re higher up than you think, and you can see for miles across the town of Ottery and the surrounding countryside.

The wooden restaurant building perched on the decking area had a welcoming feel, even on this grey December day, and the atmosphere inside was cosy with a quirky rustic charm – the star-shaped wall lights are a particularly lovely touch, and there’s a wood burner in one corner. There were quite a few people eating lunch, and the staff were being kept busy, but they were friendly and chatty.

The lunch menu was fairly short but there was something for everyone, with a choice of meat, fish and vegetarian/vegan options. It’s all home cooked using fresh produce, free range eggs, and meat from the Coldharbour Farm; most other ingredients are sourced from local suppliers and farmers.

There’s also a good choice of wines, beers, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks – again, locally produced, including Ottery’s own Flaming Barrel gin.

I chose a free-range duck burger served with hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onions, a side salad and crisps. The burger was delicious – chewy yet tender, and bursting with flavour, complemented by the fresh tastes of the cucumber and onion. It was the ideal lunch, satisfying but not too heavy.

Having said that, I was too full for dessert, but if I’d wanted one, I could have chosen from locally made gelato ice cream or a range of home-made cakes and puddings – some of them temptingly on display on the counter.

Afterwards I had a wander outside to take a proper look at the decking area and those amazing views. Shivering slightly in the grey December air, I imagined sitting outside here on a warm summer evening, enjoying a plate of the restaurant’s famous tapas and a glass of wine, watching the sun go down over the fields. I decided I must make this a reality when the weather gets warmer. 

The verdict? All those awards (Devon Tourism Gold, South West England Tourism Silver, and a TripAdvisor 2023 Travellers’ Choice listing) are well deserved. This place is special, and I can’t wait for my wine-and-tapas evening this summer.