A few weekends back Liam and I hopped in the car (packed full of snacks, wellie boots and cardigans) and headed off for a relaxing weekend in Crewkerne in Somerset.
I love Somerset – it’s only a couple of hours from us and it’s perfect for a long weekend of dog walks, nosing round farm shops and drinking cider in country pubs. When I found Fords Croft Cottages I knew it was the perfect place to celebrate Liam’s birthday, so I quickly booked up one of their cottages and counted down the days until his surprise getaway. (They also do rather idyllic looking Shepherd’s Huts with hot tubs but sadly they were all booked up for a wedding that weekend). We stayed in The Old Workshop (which I’ve just seen has a hot tub if you book from two weeks time, I’m disappointed I missed that opportunity!) When we arrived at the cottage we were greeted with a bottle of wine, biscuits, milk in the fridge and a very, very comfortable bed which I could barely wait to dive into.
For the first evening we had a few drinks in the Lord Poulett Arms – a stunning country pub in the pretty little village of Hinton St George. Sadly it was fully booked for food so I’m not ashamed to say that we visited the local shop and had a feast of local cheeses, crackers and chutney for our tea! We couldn’t resist lighting the wood burning stove and having an early night in that gorgeous bed, ready for a day of exploring the next day.
The following morning we visited The Trading Post farm shop and Pip’s Railway Carriage (attached to the shop) for breakfast. The railway carriage is not only a beautiful restored carriage, but also has a large yurt attached to it, a vintage bus and a lovely garden. It was so quirky and original and the menu, and food were amazing (I was eyeing up all of their amazing cakes but I didn’t have room after my delicious breakfast….)
Of course we couldn’t resist a visit to the farm shop next door – the Trading Post. They sell a range of organic veggies, goodies and natural products. We stocked up on yet more cheeses, chutneys, pates, ciders and lots more (including the best lemon curd I’ve ever eaten).
After that it was time to burn off that breakfast by doing some exploring. We had a wander around Hinton St George (where the pub is) – which is such a stunning little village with so many pretty houses. I couldn’t help but snap some of the dreamy thatched cottages, trailing plants (and the village cat). It definitely made me yearn for that idyllic village life – I could definitely see myself walking the dog to the village shop for a pint of milk and a loaf of locally baked bread (and probably some local cheeses) and then whiling away an afternoon pottering around the garden and tending to my hydrangeas .
That evening we went back to the Lord Poulett Arms for a three-course dinner (just look at the food photos on their website – it’s making my mouth water all over again just looking at those scotch eggs…).
The next day we took the long route home and stopped off in West Bay and Bridport (which I might save for another blog post as we did our fair share of eating and exploring there too!) Within easy reach of Crewkerne as well as the places we visited is the River Cottage Canteen, Perry’s Cider Museum, or wine tasting at the Furleigh Estate.
Have you visited Somerset? Where are your favourite spots for eating and exploring?