Veggie in Devon, UK: What I Found

Jul 6, 2015
3 min read

I recently traveled to Devon whilst back home in England, and here is what I found as a vegan.

Devon may not seem the most likely place to cater for a vegan diet. When we think of Devon we think of scones, cream teas and dairy farms. However, there is one town in the South West of England that everone should be aware of which is Totnes.

Totnes attracts a hippy, creative, nature-loving and holistic living kind of crowd and despite the negative effect that the closure of Dartington College of Arts had on the town in 2010, this vibe has remained. I was a student of Dartington and lived here for three years which is why this particular place is very close to my heart. It was the food that I ate here, at the age of twenty, that inspired and encouraged me to go vegan.

Unfortunately, there is no eatery that is completely vegan in the town but there are some exceptional places for vegans to eat. Here are just some of them.

Willow (87, High Street, Totnes, TQ9 5LW)

Willow is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant at the top of the high street which particularly shines because of the long opening hours until 10:00PM, this is quite unusual as most of the others shut much earlier in the evening. Willow sells a very good range of salads, hot dishes, vegan desserts and organic beers and wines. The food is not particularly cheap but the dishes taste great and a large percentage of it is vegan. They have a nice atmosphere and this place is not short of customers. Wednesday night is curry night.

Seeds 2 Totnes (40, High Street, Totnes, TQ9 5NP)

This place has a very reasonably priced buffet which is only £7.50. The buffet ranges from a huge cold salad selection, a hot curry and stew selection and finally another bread and olive type starter selection. You can go up as many times as you want and the very wide spread on offer makes it really amazing value. Everything is vegetarian of course and only a few dishes were not suitable for vegans. We were disappointed they weren’t open in the evening.

There are many more pubs and restaurants in Totnes that serve vegetarian and vegan food including a place that even sells vegan scones. I didn’t get to try all of them on my two day visit but I did get to try another restaurant before boarding my train.

Herbies (15, North Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3QS)

This place is a vegetarian restaurant but caters much more towards vegans since everything is either vegan or can be made vegan. My fellow vegan friend and I were both spoilt for choice. The meals here are particularly cheap as you get a very generous portion for your money. They also have some good deals such as a free cake with any drink before 12, and there is also a lunchtime soup and roll special which is a huge portion for a light meal. You will not be left hungry or broke after a meal here.

Here I have included almost every page of their menu:-

There were several more vegetarian restaurants listed on HappyCow in Exeter but this one got the best reviews and was the only one I had time for. We definitely felt it was the right choice!

Should you get down to Devon be sure to visit Totnes not only for the perfect picture postcard scenery, quaint country pubs and of course the amazing vegan food. Also, be sure to visit Dartington Hall, home to the former university campus which really is the town's grandest feature (of course, I may be somewhat biased.)