Twenty-seven restaurants have been newly selected for the Trencherman’s Guide, joining the prestigious ranks of an independent guide that has been celebrating exceptional South West dining since 1992. The new additions to Edition 34 stretch from Cornwall to Gloucestershire and encompass acclaimed restaurants, destination hotels, ambitious dining pubs and independent neighbourhood favourites. Among those joining the guide are Outlaw’s Guest House and Bistro in Port Isaac, Counter Culture in Newquay, Glebe House in Devon, Restaurant Roots in Dorset, The Ox Barn and The Swan at Thyme in Gloucestershire, The Great Bustard in Wiltshire and La Terra and The Scallop Shell in Bath.
The new additions join an established collection of leading South West restaurants, each of which must meet the Trencherman’s Guide’s quality criteria before being invited to appear in the guide. The guide is overseen by a committee chaired by chef Michael Caines MBE.
Founded by hoteliers Paul Henderson and Kit Chapman in 1992, the Trencherman’s Guide was created to demonstrate that exceptional dining was not solely a London phenomenon. More than three decades later, it remains dedicated exclusively to the South West and continues to champion the chefs, restaurateurs and producers shaping one of the UK’s most distinctive food regions.
Michael Caines MBE, chair of the Trencherman’s committee, said: “This year’s new members capture the confidence and variety of the South West dining scene.”
The Guide’s editor, Abi Manning, said: “What’s particularly exciting is the breadth of the list. There isn’t one blueprint for a great South West restaurant. Exceptional cooking is happening in brilliant pubs, independent restaurants and hotels, in our cities and in tiny villages – these are places people will make a journey specifically to experience.
“Being selected for the Trencherman’s Guide has always meant joining a collection of restaurants we genuinely believe are worth seeking out. It’s a privilege to welcome these 27 new members to that community.”
Edition 34 was unveiled at a launch lunch at Àcleàf at Boringdon Hall near Plymouth, bringing together chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, producers and partners from across the South West food scene. The lunch was led by Àcleàf chef Scott Paton alongside Pete Murt of Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and Hywel Jones of Restaurant Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park near Bath. Read more about the event here.
The new edition also sees the Trencherman’s Guide broaden its editorial scope, exploring the people and ideas shaping South West dining now, from the chefs choosing to build their careers closer to the source of exceptional ingredients to English wine, fire-led cooking and the relationship between the region’s restaurants and the sea.
It also marks the launch of Trencherman’s Suppers, a new collection of dining events designed to bring together chefs and restaurants from within the Trencherman’s community, spark collaborations and give diners new ways to experience the region’s food scene.
Abi Manning added: “The guide has always been about more than individual restaurants. There’s an extraordinary community of people behind South West hospitality and one of the great pleasures of Trencherman’s is bringing those people together.
“Trencherman’s Suppers is a natural extension of that. We want to create opportunities for chefs and restaurants to collaborate, but also to see ideas develop organically within the community. If a connection made through Trencherman’s leads to a dinner or collaboration, we want to help bring it to life.”
The Trencherman’s Guide Edition 34 is available to buy at trenchermans-guide.com for £14.99.
Launch event images credit and copyright: Guy Harrop.
