The day started pretty early with breakfast at Tara’s Busy Kitchen! I had prepared a simple breakfast for my chums Rebecca, Jemma and Catherine as we were going out for lunch at Riverford Field Kitchen. I had prepared some roasted autumn fruits with cinnamon and honey. I served it with some thick and creamy Greek yogurt. Alongside that I toasted some doorstop slices of bread served with homemade rhubarb jam and orange marmalade.

My favourite red teapot and matching teacups from The Caravan Trail sat beautifully beside all my vintage pieces. The pink of our apple and raspberry juice, the burgundy of the plums that were roasted and the rhubarb jam set off the pinks and reds to perfection.

After breakfast we hopped in Jemma’s Range Rover and headed down the dual carriageway towards Buckfastleigh.

We were welcomed by a lovely lady who showed us to our table. The table settings were right up my street.. Vintage flatware with beautiful wild flowers.. Simple but stunning.

We sat down at our table and ordered some drinks. A glass of prosecco for me and apple Bellini’s for the girls.

The menu was perfect for me. I had requested the vegetarian option and wasn’t disappointed with the option for the non-meat eater. There wasn’t a single thing on there that I didn’t like the sound of. You don’t get to choose a dish from the menu. It is a set meal of three courses all for the reasonable price of £23.50. The only choice you do have is whether you have the vegetarian or meaty option.

Out came the starters..I was blown away by the vivid colours and the wonderful flavours of the produce.. All of the dishes are served on vintage platters and placed in the centre of the table for you to help yourself. I serve most of my food like this at home too so was very happy serving myself. You have control of your portions that way and can pick and choose what to have.

The main course arrived soon after. Once again all served on vintage platters and plates. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my fritters. They were light and airy and not at all greasy. The carrots cooked in cider with kale was another stand out dish. All the vegetables were beautifully cooked and the flavours really shone through.

For dessert each table was called up to the front and presented with a rather wonderful choice of cakes, puddings, tortes and tarts. There was a choice of steamed puddings with custard, cheesecakes .. To be honest there must have been about eight or nine different desserts to choose from. There was a rumour that if you asked nicely you could get a smaller slice of two of the desserts which is exactly what I did. I had a small bit of baked lemon cheesecake and some of the apricot and almond pudding which I would say was a little like a bread and butter pudding with a drizzle of custard. Jemma and Rebecca both had a a small bit of treacle sponge and then a little bit of pavlova too. All were delicious but at lunchtime after two courses beforehand it was difficult to finish it all!

After hoisting ourselves up from the table and feeling rather full we got back in the Range Rover and headed to The South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh. Jemma was particularly excited to have the opportunity to travel on a steam train. She was like a little girl as her excitement levels began to rise. We purchased our tickets and took our seats on the train.

The journey along the River Dart was truely breathtaking. We were blessed with absolutely stunning weather. The skies were so blue. When mixed with the golden hues of the autumnal leaves on the trees it really made the journey exceptional. We did the round robin trip to Totnes and back and it cost £7.00 for the return. It was about a 90 minute round trip.

When we returned from our train journey it was beginning to get dimpsy so we decided to head back to Exeter. These early dark evenings tend to play havoc with outdoor activities don’t they? 
We had the most wonderful luck with the beautiful weather for our day trip though. The sunshine really does makes everything so much better. I would highly recommend a trip down to the Riverford Field Kitchen. I certainly want to go again and take my boyfriend Steve. He would love it.. Plus if I threw in the South Devon Railway trip in too I would be “the best girlfriend ever!”