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Taste Trail - South of Wiltshire

DEVIZES - the name comes from the Latin "Ad Devizas" meaning "boundary" probably because the town is on the edge of the vast area now known as Salisbury Plain - much of which is owned by the Ministry of Defence - is the home of Wadworth's beer. You may see Wilt, Royal, Buscot and Tom, the current shire horses, on any weekday morning, pulling their drays at a leisurely pace through the town. There are several pay and display car parks around the town that will allow you to spend time exploring the local shops.

Drive south from Devizes on the A360, through Potterne, which has a wonderful medieval porch house on the left. At Littleton Pannell take the B3098 and after a few miles you will have a view of the Westbury White Horse. The original horse, carved in the ninth century, was probably a likeness of King Alfred the Great's charger, although the present horse is much newer. The reason that horses were chosen so frequently for carvings in chalk was that they were often worshipped in prehistoric times, and in battles only a soldier with a good horse had any chance of winning. Just off the A350, not far from Warminster, there is a sign to Upton Scudamore. Go into this pretty village, and you will find the Angel Inn.

The Angel is a beautifully restored 16th century inn, with open fires, imaginative and innovative food, locally produced wherever possible, prepared by an award winning chef. The Angel has ten pretty bedrooms available as well.

The vineyard is on the left on the main road as you enter the village. The vines were planted in 1989 and are now capable of producing 15,000 bottles a year. The site is glorious, sloping gently down to the river Wylye. Three different wines are produced and each is named after a fishing fly: "Watson's Fancy", which is a refreshing wine with a fruity finish, "Teal and Green", and "Coachman", which is dry without being sharp and has a subtle fruit character.

This country pub offers good wholesome food at very reasonable prices, such as Cumberland Sausage and Champ and Shepherd's Pie and Crushed Peas. Crockerton's Choice beer is extremely good and is brewed only a mile away. This pub provides good hearty nosh after a walk along the river!

The next village you will reach is Longbridge Deverill (Deverill is from the Celtic word meaning "stream beside a hill"). "Purely Organic" sells beautiful rainbow trout, trout fish cakes and pate, and organic fruit and vegetables. On the "Food Programme", in March 2002, it was said that Purely Organic's trout was the best ever tasted. It has been applauded by Anton Edelman of the Savoy and also Rick Stein, and others! There is a huge, wonderful watercress bed outside the shop where you can buy the freshest possible watercress and also watercress soup, which is excellent.

Keep going on the A350 towards Shaftesbury. This is the very west of Wiltshire, bordering Dorset; undulating dairy country, well wooded, well watered and prosperous! Cross over the A303 and almost immediately take the B3089 to Hindon and Chilmark. (If you want a diversion, turn right onto the A303 and very shortly you will see signs to Stourhead House and Garden, both bursting with treasures!)

There are many good pubs along this very pretty road and one of the best is the "Black Dog", particularly for its fish and game, and they serve excellent light snacks. Local produce is used whenever possible. The atmosphere is wonderful and it is a very popular pub with the locals. The village is made from Chilmark stone, quarried since Roman times and used in the building of Salisbury Cathedral.

The lane is muddy sometimes but it is not long and it is well worth any effort getting to the shop! It is run by Liz Crossley, and is a traditionally run family business whose fame has spread. They sell excellent meat, over 20 farmhouse cheeses, cream and butter, cakes and puddings, cooked dishes such as game casserole, salmon fish pie and Moroccan lamb. The shop will be very useful if you are self-catering in this delightful area away from the tourist trail.

The Boot Inn is just before the Farm Shop, on the left. It is considered to be one of the best pubs in the immediate area of Salisbury. It serves very good food, all freshly produced, from a very imaginative menu. Their sandwiches are to die for!

The pub is at the end of the village on the right-hand side. This is a lovely traditional pub with an extensive menu, including fresh ingredients and offering a good vegetarian selection. The beer garden is lovely.

Turn right out of the Wheatsheaf and at the end of the valley follow the signs to Salisbury. The city is justly famous for its cathedral, frequently painted by Turner and Constable; it has the highest spire in England and is built on the shallowest foundations; the longest nave ending in the glorious modern stained glass window by Gabriel Loire; and the most exquisite Close. The city was founded before 1220, before that it had been at Old Sarum to the north and if you visit Old Sarum you will get a spectacular view of Salisbury. Or you can take a "Tower Tour" in the cathedral; it is quite a climb but the views are again superb and you can see the 13th century spire from the inside; a 'not to be forgotten' experience. Salisbury is a small city and easy to walk around, visit the market square where the market has been held every Tuesday and Saturday since medieval times. Fresh produce from all over the region is sold in the market and if you get there late in the day you will find extremely good bargains!

This new and very contemporary building is stunning; the ceiling is glass and you look upwards to the spire, and the food is really good as well! Everything is made on the premises; lovely salads, sandwiches, soup and other hot dishes and excellent scones and cakes.

Reeves Bakers is near the Market Cross, close to the centre of the city. It is a family run chain and has been in business since the sixties; there are eight shops in the area all committed to producing good quality produce. They make lots of good bread, and many of the cake recipes are local including Dorset Apple Cake and Ginger and Apple slice.

Leave Salisbury on the A360 and follow signs back to Devizes; this is a lovely drive, over Salisbury Plain. This will take about half an hour. As you get nearer Devizes watch out for yellow and black signs which mean tanks have priority! (At the roundabout turn left onto the A303 if you wish to see Stonehenge.) Alternatively, if you are driving up the A36, take the road signed to Boyton. Turn right at the T-junction in Boyton village, and you will leave the village round the Z bend. Take the first left immediately after the bend. Under the Union Jack you will see a board with the Boyton logo on it, pointing to the cutting room of the Farm.

Thomas and Caroline Wheatley-Hubbard believe passionately in the
preservation of old English breeds and the countryside on which they are reared. Pork from their herd of Tamworth pigs, the oldest herd of pig in Britain, beef from their Sussex cattle, reared on the conservation downland andreverted water meadows of the Wylye valley, and, new for 2005, lamb from their Hampshire Down and Suffolk x sheep. Food is milled on the farm, using home-grown wheat and barley without growth promoters or anti-biotics.

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Taste Trail - South Wiltshire

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