Regional & Seasonal: Periwinkle Cottage Tea Room, Somerset
A thatched, picture-postcard Exmoor tea room, brimming with history, serves delicious home-made bakes
shafts of winter light shimmer through the early morning mist as it lingers over Porlock Vale in Exmoor. Gentle hills rising above its opaline cloak are traced by trees of oak and birch, creating stark silhouettes. Beneath the haze of leafless branches, a quaint, limewashed cottage sits, bathing in the morning glow. Curling woodsmoke drifts languidly from its thatched roof, while evergreen leaves and slumbering wisteria cling to its golden walls. Beside the entrance, a handwritten sign welcomes those who stumble upon it, offering warmth and respite from the frost-laden air.
Inside sits an ornate sideboard, brimming with a selection of freshly baked cakes. Plates of clotted Devon cream teas are served alongside steaming cups of tea; the soft hum of chattering customers mingling with the occasional clink of a teapot lid. This is Periwinkle Cottage Tea Room: a refurbished cottage with its origins in the 17th century. Along with an adjoining gift shop and gallery, it opens its doors each February to welcome visitors and furry companions alike.
Nestled on the edge of the Holnicote Estate, the tea room lies in the picture-postcard village of Selworthy Green, with views towards Dunkery Beacon. The village is threaded with history. It was originally owned by the Acland family, and used as almshouses for the retired staff of the estate. In 1944, both the estate and the village were gifted to the National Trust.
The tea room is now run in partnership with tenants Paul Gibbs and David Pollard. “We viewed the cottage on a wet November day in 2016,” says Paul. “The building was empty, cold and damp, so was in serious need of a refurbishment. We wanted to maintain the ambience of a quintessential English tea room, but with a fresh, contemporary feel.” In March, they were handed the keys, and by April, the first customers arrived.
Local artwork decorates the sea-foam-green interior, while exposed beams reveal the tea room’s long history. In one corner, a flickering wood burner is flanked by two intricately carved spinning chairs. “They were made by my great-great uncle, Frederick Blackmore in 1907,” says Paul. “He was apprenticed to the carpenter of the Acland family.”
Paul has a deep connection to the area and has been visiting since he was a child. “I found a photograph of my mother standing outside the porch. On the back was written: ‘Back at Periwinkle Cottage for a cream tea; wouldn’t it be wonderful to live here.’ So that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he muses.
David and Paul make all the sweet and savoury dishes from the cottage kitchen. “We try to create recipes that reflect the best of the season,” explains David. “Our two main suppliers are based in North Somerset and Devon, and all our meat comes from a family-owned butcher in Minehead, less than five miles away.” Traditional cream teas also come with a selection of local berry-filled jams, including whortleberry and chuckleberry.
Seasonal specials include the spiced butternut squash soup, Somerset apple cake and the parsnip and orange cake.
After a month’s break spent redecorating and relaxing, the tea room becomes a hive of activity again in February. “It’s the start of a new year and another chance to share our story and the history of this wonderful building,” says Paul. “We love it.”