The story
The Farmers Arms sits in the village of Woolsery, a place that goes by two names (Woolfardisworthy is the other) in the wild, unspoilt landscape of North Devon. It describes itself as a new kind of traditional Devon pub – and that means a bar with real character, a dining room that takes its food seriously, and a direct line to the 150-acre Birch Farm that supplies much of the kitchen’s produce.
The pub is the heart of The Collective at Woolsery, a group of ventures that also includes a gourmet fish and chip shop, a corner shop and post office, and the farm itself. The whole operation was created by tech entrepreneurs Michael and Xochi Birch, who have family ties to the area.
Head chef Toby Neal leads the kitchen, drawing on the farm’s vegetables, herbs, and livestock. The cooking is Modern British with a strong farm-to-table ethos – the menu changes with the seasons and what the land provides. The Potting Shed, a private dining and events space on the farm, offers a sample menu that gives a clear picture of the style: starters like chicken liver parfait with Cumberland jelly, or beetroot parfait; mains such as smoked beef cheek with new potatoes and fresh garlic, or grilled Appledore mackerel with spruce and verbena butter. Desserts include Manjari chocolate custard with raspberries and verbena, and a sour cherry and pistachio tart with anise hyssop crème fraîche.
The pub also serves Sunday lunch, and the fish and chip shop next door is a more casual option – but The Farmers Arms itself is the place for a full evening out, with wine pairing available and a bar that knows its pours.
The Farmers Arms has earned a Michelin Recommended status, a mark of the kitchen’s consistency and quality. It’s a fitting accolade for a pub that combines the warmth of a local with the ambition of a fine dining restaurant – all set in one of the most beautiful corners of Devon.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
It may date from the mid-17th century, but nowadays the Farmers Arms is every inch the 21st-century village pub. It was the initial inspiration for a far more substantial project that has become 'The Collective of Woolsery' from San Francisco-based tech entrepreneurs Michael and Xochi Birch. The couple now own the local convenience store and post office, the fish and chip shop, and various rooms and cottages around Woolfardisworthy (to give the place its full name) – including the Grade II-listed Wulfheard Manor (opening as a hotel in 2025). In addition, their 150-acre farm provides the pub with rare-breed and heritage meats as well as just-harvested fruit and vegetables – hyper-seasonal produce that is beautifully realised in the hands of Ian Webber (Michael Caines’ former head chef at Gidleigh Park). The bijou ‘farm menu’ could bring a moreish Curworthy Haytor cheese puff dotted with oxeye daisy petals and deep-red globules of sour cherry gel, ahead of Birch Farm pork fillet perched on a generous chunk of coppa bacon and offset by the earthiness of fermented grains, paprika, red cabbage and finely sliced pickled fennel. Alternatively, you could look to the more traditional 'pub menu' for the likes of Honey Wood Haze cider-battered haddock, chips and minted peas, or an elevated monkfish and scallop fishcake with buttered leeks, poached Birch Farm egg and chips. Visually stunning desserts include a warm lemon geranium cake topped with raspberry jam and pistachio ice cream, served with a citrussy lemon verbena curd. There’s also a terrace with a covered seating area and heated stone benches for all-weather dining. To drink, take your pick from locally brewed ales and seasonal cocktails, or select a bottle from the well-chosen wine list.
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