A fantastic carvery is available every day at Country Cousins, and the traditional touches make it a very special place for a meal out.

Why it’s on my list

Sunday carveries are great family food, ideal for everything from celebrations to relaxed lunches. I have been before and it was very good, but it was a long time ago. So I was delighted to hear that we would be going there for my Nan’s birthday.

Restaurant Information

Website: www.countrycousinsrestaurant.co.uk

Location: 3 Westbourne Terrace, Westward Ho!

Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner; Sunday 12 noon – 8pm

To book: call 01237 476989

Overall verdict

Country Cousins certainly do a fantastic carvery. For tasty, filling comfort food in a family-friendly and welcoming restaurant, this surely has to be up there as one of the top restaurants in North Devon.

We went to Country Cousins for a birthday celebration and they were very accommodating, allowing us to bring a homemade birthday cake and serve it for dessert. They kept it all a surprise and lit the candles, and the owner’s little girl even came and sang happy birthday. Some of the other diners joined in too, which was lovely. It was a very special birthday and the staff were a big part of making it special.

What I had

I went for a traditional carvery, a Country Cousins classic. I had a bit of each meat (turkey, beef and pork), which included a piece of crackling.

Then it was time to choose sides – I had roast potatoes, herby roast potatoes, dauphinoise potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, parsnips, cauliflower cheese, cheesy leeks, carrots, peas and sweetcorn. It was all topped off with gravy, and I added a bit of cranberry and apple sauce on the side.

The best

The crackling was delicious – it was crunchy, not too hard or chewy. Absolutely perfect!

The gravy was fantastic as well, it was thick and flavoursome, I mopped it all up with the Yorkshire pud.

It was also quite a treat to have three different types of potato to choose from, all very tasty.

Not the best

I’ve seen more choice of vegetables at other carveries, so if you want variety you may want to look elsewhere. However, everything was delicious at Country Cousins.

The venue

Country Cousins has such a welcoming atmosphere, it’s a place where you can feel really relaxed. It’s decorated nicely but informally, and there are some traditional touches that make it really quite special.

Once you’ve loaded up your carvery, staff will take your plate back to your table for you, which makes it much less stressful when you pile it as high as we do.

And then there’s the dessert trolley. It’s loaded up with a variety of desserts and the staff do a fantastic job listing every single item. They have impressive memories!

Top tip

Save room for dessert so you can have something from the trolley. We had homemade birthday cake this time, but next time I am definitely having a dessert, even if it’s in a doggy bag.