A 16th century pub in an East Devon Village has appointed its first female head chef.
The Five Bells inn, in Clyst Honiton, has won awards for its food - and now with the addition of Charlotte Vincent, things can only get better.
Charlotte, 40, has an impressive cooking career spanning 20 years; it has included a decade as pastry chef at both Gidleigh Park in Chagford and the Royal Clarence Hotel.
The grade II listed inn was saved from closure in 2013, with owners James and Charlie Garnham taking over in December 2017.
Charlotte, who was raised in Exeter, had dreams of working back at home.
She said: "Our family also used to come to the Five Bells in my early teenage years so I too have very fond memories of the pub in its heyday," she said.
"After a career break to raise my family in North Devon, it’s great to have this vote of confidence and to at last be able to run the kitchen of my favourite pub.
"‘Classic contemporary’ is how people describe my cooking and I’ll be looking to build on the great reputation that’s already here as well as cultivating the veg patch and growing my own herbs and soft fruit. Expect some small tweaks but nothing too radical – there’s a good infrastructure already in place so it’s a case of helping to take things to the next level.”
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The pub has won awards for its Sunday lunches and was a recent finalist in the 海角视频’s Rural Business Awards. It is now Cask Marque accredited and supports the village primary school, open air swimming pool and cricket club.
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Owner James said: “Having grown up in Clyst Hydon as a young boy and then working around the country managing pubs and restaurants, my dream was always to one day return home and run the Five Bells.
"Charlotte shares our passion and our ethos for creating another golden era in the pub’s long history and her pedigree as a chef speaks for itself. To have our first female head chef is something Charlie and I are really proud of – there’s not many out there and we’d love to help encourage more women to head up successful Devon kitchens.”