There are some great places for a Sunday carvery in North Devon, but The Thatched Inn in Abbotsham has truly got to be one of the best.

Why it’s on my list

I’ve enjoyed a fair few carveries locally, but I tend to go to the same places again and again. One day, some friends recommended The Thatched Inn in Abbotsham for dinner, and I spotted whilst perusing the menu online that they do a carvery. Keen to try something in an entirely different location away from my regular haunts, I thought we would give it a go.

Restaurant Information

Website: www.thethatchedinn.com

Location: The Thatched Inn, Abbotsham, EX39 5BA

Opening times: everyday, 11am (food from 11.30am) – 11pm

To book: call 01237 471321

Overall verdict

I was absolutely blown away by this Sunday carvery, it has got to be one of the best in North Devon. Great food, great service and a lovely location, and it’s clearly very popular. Get your friends and family together stat – and book a table.

What I had

I had the adult carvery, which included a very generous helping of all three meats (pork, turkey, beef). 

A selection of sides were available, including roast potatoes and parsnips, cheesy leeks with a hint of wholegrain mustard, cauliflower cheese, cabbage, peas and mashed carrot. There were also stuffing balls, ginormous Yorkshire puddings, and little squares of pork crackling that were clearly made separate to the joint of pork to make sure everyone who would like a piece, gets a piece. 

The best

I loved so many things on my carvery plate, but I think the stand out has to be the meat. There were two joints of roast beef you could choose from, one rare and one well done, which was a really thoughtful touch. We were lucky enough to have a new joint of roast pork come out when we got to the front of the queue – it was divine. The turkey was also excellent.

Not the best

It was very busy when we had our Sunday carvery, so we had to wait about 20 minutes before we were called to go up and queue. Most carveries I have been to allow you to go up straight away. Thankfully the queue is short – the layout of the building means the queue can never be very long at all. Saying that, the staff were apologetic and really friendly about it, and it meant our party could talk for a bit rather than digging straight into our lunch straightaway. Much more social.

The venue

One of the wonderful things about this place is how  welcoming it is. As soon as you walk in the door it’s really clear where to go, and the bar where you tell them you’ve arrived for your booking is the same place you pay (does anyone else get anxiety from trying to figure out where to go to pay?)

The Thatched Inn is a bit of a maze, which I love about it. There are little pockets of rooms with a few tables in each, plus a couple of fairly large function rooms. The overall impression is that it doesn’t feel too loud or busy, but it still feels lively. Plus it has nice touches that give it that pubby feel.

There is also some excellent outdoor seating – proper booths and outdoor heating too! Whilst clearly an investment during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s great and looks set to stick around.

Top tip

Please try your best to car share. The Thatched Inn’s Sunday carvery has got to be one of the best and people know it. The pub is busy and it doesn’t have a car park, except for one space that I imagine is for disabled drivers. The result is that the residential streets around The Thatched Inn are packed with cars. The neighbours (and anyone else looking to park!) will thank you for car sharing as much as possible.