South Devon Fish Restaurant – The Cricket Inn, Beesands

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The Cricket Inn, tucked away in the fishing village of Beesands, South Hams, Devon is the place to visit for delicious fish dishes and real ales.

The tiny, sleepy fishing village of Beesands can be found on the Devon coast a few miles to the east of Kingsbridge and a few more miles south west of Dartmouth. It is not a place that will be discovered in passing as it lies at the dead end of a narrow, steep and twisting single track Devonshire lane. However, it is home to one food outlet of interest to the culinary traveller.

Try Gourmet Battered Cod and Chunky Chips at the Cricket Inn, Beesands

The Cricket Inn is a pub which first opened its doors in 1867. It serves real ales, including brews from the Otter Brewery at Honiton, Devon. It also serves excellent food and is locally renowned for its dishes made using locally sourced fish, crap, scallops and mussels.

From traditional fish and chips (though the huge fillets of cod served in a deliciously light, but non greasy batter, nestling on a bed of freshly cooked chunky chips are a gourmet version of that served by most high street chip shops) to more exotic epicurean dishes such as wild black bream on a bed of sliced peppers with a sweet chilli sauce, there's something to tempt any fish lover's taste buds.

The lunch menu includes a choice of sandwiches including locally caught Start Bay crab or prawns. Main meal first courses are imaginative and tasty. Pan fried pilchard fillets layered with warm vegetables, chicken liver parfait, served with a delicious dollop of red onion marmalade and a hot toasted slice of the lightest of brioche, and soup of the day (e.g. tomato and chilli) which make a delicious lunchtime snack on their own.

Eat a Delicious Seafood Pancake or Fish Pie at the Cricket Inn

The main dishes on the menu may appear to be the same every day – a vegetarian option (e.g. wild mushroom risotto), Devonshire sirloin steak, the Cricket Inn's version of seafood pancake (filled with a medley of fish and shellfish in a light white sauce) but on closer inspection, there's usually one or two extra dishes slipped daily in depending upon the season and the catch of the day (e.g. plaice or wild black bream).

Advance table reservation for dinner is strongly recommended. Even out of high season, the restaurant is extremely popular with local people and is often full.