Angels Tea Rooms, Babbacombe (Paignton Zoo and Broadsands) by Hannah

Heaven is a paradise many spend a life time searching for.  

However, strolling around the sheer cliffs and rugged coast line of the aptly named English Riviera in Devon on a sunny day and you may think you have found your heaven, right here on Earth. 

There were two things I insisted on during our trip to Devon: cream tea and the seaside so Elliott took us for a drive and we ended up at Babbacombe in Torquay.

We decided to have an adventure and took a ride on the Babbacombe Cliff Railway which takes you steeply down to the beach so you can explore the coast and gawk at the massive landslide which must have happened as a result of the winter storms.  

After a good hours stroll along the shore we were parched and headed back up to the promenade to find somewhere for a cream tea.  That is when we discovered that there are actually angels here in Devon too. 

Angels Tea Room to be precise! 

Sometimes the very best meals are eaten at places you only stumble upon by luck and this was certainly the case where Angels is concerned.  We hadn't made a reservation and the warm interior was fully booked but given the great weather, we were very happy to sit outside under reams of bunting and overlooking the bay. 

As I had been looking forward to it all day, we ordered a cream tea.
But not just any cream tea, oh no!  The special Angels cream tea for two is the mother of all cream teas. 

First, they brought us out fresh tea in a teapot served on quaint crockery, as is the law.  You know the experience will be good when it's the proper kind of loose leaf tea you have to strain in order to catch the tea leaves from falling in your brew! 

Then they bring out a three tiered cake stand full to the brim of goodies.

We started this epic cream tea journey at the bottom tier with a choice of two sandwiches.  We opted for traditional ham and mustard and a wonderfully fresh mozzarella, pesto and tomato. 

Above that were four slices of doorstop toast covered in cinnamon that Elliott soon polished off. 

Right at the top were two scones; one plain and one chocolate chip. both shaped in the form of a heart and accompanied by clotted cream, strawberry jam and a special bumbleberry jam (raspberry, strawberry and blueberries).  Truly the most scrumptious scones we have ever consumed.

Then back down at the bottom was a chocolate brownie the size of a house brick. 

To say that my cream tea desires were satisfied would be an understatement and both of us agreed that it would be hard to find a better version of this old English classic.

The area has loads of great family days out too, so after demolishing our incredible lunch, we met up with my family at nearby Paignton Zoo.  I was a bit skeptical about the place but it really took me by surprise and is certainly worth a trip.

To end our day I needed another dose of the seaside so we ended up on Broadsands Beach which is situated between Paignton and Brixham.  

It was gorgeous. Flat and sandy with brightly coloured beach huts lining the promenade. I couldn't resist having a cheeky paddle even if it was a bit nippy out.

There's nothing better than your traditional English day out at the seaside, it really does warm the cockles of one's heart. 

Pure heaven!

The Church House Inn, Marldon

Good service is just as important as good food.

Personally, I think every eatery should live by those words.  The dining out experience is as much about the way you are treated by the staff as it is about munching on memorable grub.  You want a special experience everywhere you go.

Just like the quality of the food, a rude waitress or unhelpful manager can ensure you never return to that establishment ever again.  

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have just returned from a family holiday in Devon where I had some memorable meals out.
Sadly, not all of those meals were memorable for the right reasons...

As a family we decided to have a celebratory meal out at the beginning of the week and set about finding a good pub somewhere close to where we were staying in Compton, near Torquay.  

Close by we found The Church House Inn, Marldon which, according to their website, has won multiple awards including 'Country Pub of the Year' as voted by readers of 'Devon Life'.

However, if I learnt anything from the trip it was that not all restaurants with 'awards' live up to the hype.

The first thing which took us aback about the Church House Inn was the price of the drinks. A cider and southern comfort and lemonade came to £8.

When we rang to book a month in advance, we were advised to come at 2pm. However straight after ordering drinks, we were rushed to our seat and rudely advised whilst browsing the menu that the chef was awaiting our order as the kitchen was about to close. Everything from then on was hurried and it soon became clear that the staff were hovering, eager to get us out.  

I ordered the Roast Beef which was of a decent standard but Hannah's portion, which I tasted to confirm, was as tough and dry as old boots.  The veg was also looking sorry for itself but at least they gave a decent, 'northern' amount of gravy.

My Brother-in-Law ordered the Seafood Platter which looked pretty good and had several small portions of fish from the coast, including smoked salmon. 

In fact, The Church House Inn seems to do seafood much better than they do other dishes. My Father-in-Law had a pleasant prawn curry dish which he really enjoyed.

This meal was not ruined because of the food though, it was the poor service.  

The accolade for 'worst service I've ever encountered' goes to the staff at the Church House Inn who started hoovering around the restaurant as we ate. It was only until we mentioned this to the Manager that they turned the hoover off.  When I confronted them about these issues, I was informed that the reason for the rushing and cleaning up around us was because the chefs and waiting staff wanted to go home and were waiting for us to finish our meals.

Determined not to let this spoil our family meal we asked to look at the dessert menu (which didn't go down well) as my two nieces fancied ice cream on this beautiful day. However the ice cream was £5.50 a portion which seemed extortionate given the quality of the mains.

In the end the Church House Inn took the disappointing beef dish off the bill after we explained we were not paying for it. We left a disgruntled note on the comment card and subsequently the owner called me the next day with an apology and an offer of a free meal for two.  

No one was keen to go back. 

A strong reminder to us foodies that when it comes to places with awards that all that glitters is not gold.