Following on from last week’s post about another great spot in Ashburton, Creamo’s, I wanted to share with you my latest Ashburton foodie find.

Arthur At Taylor’s is exactly my kind of place. Think vintage furniture, white and embroidered tablecloths, mismatched crockery and silverware, retro art and just an all-round homely feel. In fact, Arthur At Taylor’s is decorated just how I would like my own house to be. I guess I’m halfway there with all of my own vintage tableware and linens. I’m pretty sure you have seen my carefully curated bits numerous times on here and on my Instagram feed. Well, Arthur has done, dare I say, better!

I arrived last Saturday at lunchtime into a rather drizzly Ashburton just after noon and made my way to Arthur At Taylor’s via a few of my favourite vintage and second-hand shops. I had a booking at 12.45 and when I arrived I was pleased to see there were already lots of tables taken with people enjoying brunch, light lunches and coffee and cake.

That’s what’s so great about what Arthur offers. You can go for a cup of coffee, a bite to eat or a glass of wine at any time. There is a cute little courtyard outside with a few tables perfect for a couple of small plates with your friends to enjoy alongside a bottle of something lovely from the wine list. If it hadn’t been quite so grey I might have asked to sit outside. As it was, and flying solo, I was more than happy being seated indoors to watch the differing ages of clientele come and go.

I ordered a glass of Picpoul de Pinet and sat as elderly couples ordered coffee and cake, youngsters came in for takeaway goodies and those in between like myself ordered from the brunch/lunch menu. Luckily for me, Arthur delivered my wine personally and suggested he make a selection of dishes for me to try that were off his evening menu too. I felt very lucky indeed as it took the pressure off ordering when dining alone. Normally I have a friend as a companion when I go out to eat but on this occasion, I was flying solo. I always like to have something different from my friend so I get to see and sample more off the menu. Having Arthur pick some of his favourite dishes made me very happy indeed and meant I could sample more of what was on offer. What joy!

Arthur tells me that opening Arthur at Taylor’s is a childhood dream of his. It took years to find a suitable venue but now he has he can fulfil that dream by serving simple food where the ingredients speak for themselves. His inspiration for his dishes stems from all over the world with no set theme but I would say there is a definite nod to the Mediterranean in the flavour profiles.

That being said on a Friday evening Arthur hosts a South African curry night which brings the flavours of home to Devon. I have been following the menus through his Instagram and would love to get down to sample one Friday evening. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I love Indian curries but have never tried South African curries before and imagine the flavours to be quite different. I guess I shall have to visit to find out.

Another special of Arthur is his family-style Sunday roasts. I am hearing wonderful things from my local friends about these and will be getting a group of friends together to visit once the summer turns to autumn and I shall be craving some hearty fair. You can always sign up to my mailing list for up-to-date information because when I go I shall be sure to tell you all about it. Booking is strongly recommended for both Friday night and Sunday lunchtime so I hear.

Arthur has a few plans in the pipeline for art events, cocktail nights and wine tasting and pairings so do keep an ear out for those. They have a well-updated Instagram page so if you have access to Instagram it’s worth giving them a follow to keep up with all the current news.

Arthur At Taylor’s is currently open Thursday, Friday and Saturday for brunch, lunch and dinner and from 12.30-4 on Sunday for lunch. They are planning on opening more through the summer months but have yet to confirm so recommend calling in advance to check.