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5/5 Paws
Stay at this restored dairy farm, set within 66-acres of farm and meadowland with your dog at your side. Coombeshead Farm is the brilliant collaboration of two chefs – Tom Adams (London barbecue joint, Pitt Cue) and April Bloomfield (The Breslin Bar & Dining Room in New York).
An authentic farmhouse-guesthouse, it’s made up of a wholesale-bakery, restaurant and farm shop, close to the Devon border in the village of Lewannick, between Bodmin and Dartmoor.
The chef-led set up offers all the charm of a working farmhouse, designed as an open-house where guests are invited to treat the space as their own – relax, walk and eat delicious food, with an opportunity to take some learning back into daily-life. There is plenty of space to unwind and savour Tom’s homegrown-produce; Mangalitsa loin from pigs – bred and reared onsite – swede, kales and freshly-baked sourdough – before retreating to simply styled bedrooms, with garden views and treats of homemade-fudge and earl grey gin.
Downstairs, there’s an open living-space; log-burner, kitchen-with-range, wine-cellar, snug library with boardgames and honesty bar – help yourself to seasonal-fruit-gin-infusions, strawberry liqueur and kombuchas. Wake up to a memorable breakfast; granola, bircher, yoghurt, jams, curds, fruit, local-juice and a hearty hot-offering – Coombeshead’s bacon, sausage and eggs, to set you up for exploring, a bread-workshop or cosying by the open fire.
Dogs are welcome to stay in the self-contained cottage, as well as the four Grain Store bedrooms, located opposite the onsite bakery – all of which are well insulated and double glazed with doors that open out onto courtyard. Your four-legged fiends are permitted on the grounds of Coombeshead Farm, though please bear in mind that as it is a working farm with livestock kept throughout the year, guests are asked to keep dogs on a leash at all times.
There are no televisions on-site and phone signal is questionable, allowing time to read, talk and enjoy the space, whether curling-up in the light-filled living room, sampling a gin from the honesty-bar or exploring the bountiful grounds, where your dog will enjoy wandering the many paths with their countryside sniffs.
Located close to the Devon/Cornwall border, Coombeshead Farm sits in the charming village of Lewannick, between Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, offering an ideal base to explore the surrounding countryside; take your pal on one of the recommended circular-walks through acres of woodland, home to ancient trees or wander into the village with its traditional pub.
Further afield, visit the dog friendly Lost Gardens of Heligan and National Trust houses – Lanhydrock and Cotehele, both within an-hours’ drive. Situated just off the A30, five-miles from Launceston, 40-minutes’ drive will take you to both Cornwall’s north and south coastlines where you’ll find a host of dog-welcoming beaches for your pals to run free and play in the surf.
Due to the open kitchen, dogs are sadly not allowed in the restaurant or Farmhouse at Coombeshead Farm, though weather permitting, they’re welcome to join you at one of the outdoor tables within the courtyard space.
Guests eating at the farm will be treated to farm-to-fork dining with a seasonality; A serious food set up, trailblazing much of the foodie scene across Cornwall – principles of sustainability and seasonality govern everything, with complete transparency of where produce comes from.
Evenings begin with pre-dinner-snacks (Coombeshead ham, celtuce and crème fraiche) and drinks, followed by insanely good sourdough. There is one set-menu, allowing for flexibility depending on what comes into the kitchen. Seasonal-plates include confit wet garlic, deliciously fresh broad beans and crunchy hazelnut, pork terrine, super-tangy rhubarb and farm pickles, after this there’s a surprisingly flavoursome tomato water and courgette soup (served cold), a wholesome and tasty main of chicken pithivier, broad beans, grilled marinated courgette, kohl rabi, garlic and herb salad, followed by a zesty blackcurrant sorbet and a delightfully moreish honey and Rosemary choux bun.
Breakfast is laid up in the restaurant, using the farm’s produce, as well as some great local suppliers; apple juice from Smith Hayne in Devon and red grape juice from Trevozah in the Tamar Valley. Everything is made onsite, from the yoghurt, made using milk from Trink Dairy in St Ives to the delicious bread, jam and sausages – the latter all the better for sharing with your pup!
If you prefer to dine out, there’s the village pub – the Archer Arms – which welcomes dogs and is either a 15-minute walk from the farm through the village, or a four-minute drive. There’s nothing niche about the food here, but it’s cosy spot to enjoy hearty pub classics and local ales and gins with your canine pal resting at your side.
There’s a £30 fee applied per dog per stay.
I would have happily stayed at Coombeshead Farm and couldn’t get enough of the super-sniffy smells in and around the site. With lots of walking routes to explore from the doorstep, as well as dog-friendly pubs to enjoy with my humans, it was pretty much the pawfect spot. I was comfortable in our Grain Store room with direct access into the courtyard, and enjoyed lots of fuss and extra treats, including the farm’s own reared meats – yum!
5/5 Paws
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