Exmoor Forest Inn

The story

Exmoor Forest Inn, South Molton – Michelin Green Star Dining in Exmoor

A Sense of Place

The Exmoor Forest Inn sits in Simonsbath, a remote valley at the heart of Exmoor National Park. HJ Marshall called it “one of the few really wild spots left in England” in 1948, and little has changed. The inn has been here since 1789, when the earliest alcohol licence was granted to a building “much frequented by smuggling gangs.” In 2021, three brothers – Edward, Freddie and Alexander Greenall – bought the pub and reunited it with the surrounding estate, including the organic hill farm that now supplies its kitchen. A full refurbishment followed in 2022, giving the place a fresh, comfortable feel while keeping the open fires and welcoming bar.

The Food

The kitchen, led by head chef Ben Ogden, changes its menu daily, drawing almost entirely from the estate and nearby producers. Beef and lamb come from Exmoor Forest Farm; day-boat fish arrives from Lundy Island and Appledore; vegetables are grown by Jim’s Organic and Combe Garden. The cooking is hearty but precise – think hogget loin with beetroot and barley tabbouleh, or Exmoor Forest Farm skirt steak with beef fat hash browns. The Good Food Guide calls it “gutsy dishes, confident cooking,” and the 2024–2025 Michelin Green Star recognises the inn’s commitment to sustainability. This is British cuisine that tastes exactly where it comes from.

The Welcome

The inn serves supper seven days a week and lunch from Thursday to Sunday. The dining room is warm and unpretentious, filled with the kind of lively conversation that follows a day on the moors. The wine list – with family ties to the drinks trade – punches above its weight. Whether you come for a plate of early spring asparagus or a slow afternoon ploughman’s with Taw Valley cheddar, the Exmoor Forest Inn offers honest, memorable hospitality in one of England’s last wild corners.