Whilst in South Devon for a mini-break I visited a few of our lovely teapigs stockists…..
The first stop was Kingsbridge…. The Mill Street Kitchen is a new shop at the bottom of the town stocking lots of yummy local products such as chilli chocolate from the South Devon Chilli Farm, locally made fudge and organic Heron Valley juices, they also have a brilliant tasting table which is set out with different things every day so you can try before you buy – fab idea! I tried some wild nettle fizz which I bought back to the office, along with some peppermint flavored chilli chocolate, this got the thumbs up! (although teapig Valerie turned a little red during our weekly meeting at the shock of the chilli – I don’t think she quite knew what to expect!) They have just introduced our tea to their pub The Seven Stars around the corner - hopefully they might give some tea cocktails a go this month! Next stop was The Art Café, a ceramic studio who serve a good selection of teapigs to keep their creative customers hydrated, they are even running a special ‘Buy 1 tea get 1 free because we like you’ deal! – I love picking my god daughter up from school and taking her here to paint some pottery, I normally chose a teapot and seem to be gathering a small collection at home! You can never have enough teapots!
I also called in at Darts Farm in Topsham, this is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m home, they have a great display of our tea in the farmshop and it is set in lovely grounds which have enjoyable walks around the ponds and fields where they grow lots of the produce they sell, including the above friendly cows! On the way to Exeter I stopped off in Totnes, a very unique market town bursting with character, it has a reputation for handmade shoes, bespoke furniture, unusual boutiques, crystals, complementary therapies and crafts. I popped into Rumour Restaurant and Wine Bar who are one of our newer stockists and it seems the people of Totnes are loving our tea which is good news! – love Totnes!
Whilst in Totnes I couldn’t resist a visit to the UK’s first Cat Café, what a great idea!! – this originated in Japan and was aimed at people living in high rise flats and apartments who were unable to have pets, but has fast spread to other parts of the world and has now reached a little town in Devon! – Everyone looked so happy and the cats were certainly lapping up all the attention!! I’m definitely going to find one in London to visit for some feline therapy
In between long walks around the coast and popping into teapigs stockists I had a paddleboarding lesson! … and survived!! Stand Up Paddleboaring is becoming one of the UK’s most popular watersports; it is lots of fun and great for all ages. If you’re visiting Devon over the summer, I recommend a trip to Waterborn SUP based in Kingsbridge, the lessons last for two hours and teach you the basics from getting onto the board without falling in, to standing without falling off and if you’re feeling adventurous some tricks! Tom our instructor for the morning was brilliant, we were a group of six beginners so he had his work cut out! Especially when I saw a ferry coming towards me and totally freaked out, went into panic mode and didn’t know which way to paddle! – thank you Tom for saving me (twice!!) Before the lesson I was very nervous and didn’t think for a minute I would actually be able to stand up, I did! Then there was the thought about falling in and not being able to get back on the board, I did that too and managed to get back on! Give it a go; it’s both exciting and a good work out!
