top of page
Learning Traditional Wisdom
Words by Jamie Crocker | Images by Joya Berrows From online fame to land-led living and shared knowledge. There are worse places to be stranded than Barcelona, though few would choose six hours of enforced reflection between departure boards and another airport coffee. For Jack Harries, it became an apt pause in transit: a moment that mirrors a broader recalibration, one that has taken him from early internet notoriety to a slower, more deliberate engagement with land and lea
Jamie Crocker
Apr 20
Beyond the drive
Words by Hannah Tapping The finest spaces have always served more than one purpose. At Porsche Centre Exeter, a new series of owner events is redefining what it means to belong to the Porsche family. A morning of wellness A Porsche showroom at rest has its own atmosphere: the gleam of precision engineering, the clean architectural lines and a sense that everything here has been positioned with thought and purpose. Even the air plays its part as bespoke Porsche scent drifts th
Hannah Tapping
Apr 20
Oak frame craft
Words by Jamie Crocker Two Cornish businesses collaborated to shape Halwyn’s restaurant. The Restaurant at Halwyn On the edge of Crantock, a new purpose-built structure houses the latest venture of the Eustice family, combining dining, recreation and community in a single space. It is the culmination of decades of local farming history and the vision of Will Eustice, a fourth-generation custodian of Trevowah Farm. The restaurant and bar building, now open to the public, exemp
Jamie Crocker
Apr 20
Step Inside
Words by Jilly Easterby An invitation to experience the cornucopia of colour and creativity that is Cornwall Open Studios 2026. This May, 322 artists and makers will welcome visitors from across the county and beyond into their studios and workshops throughout Cornwall. During the nine-day event, creatives will showcase their skills, share their stories and illuminate artistic practice in its myriad forms. The range of studios is as diverse as the landscape they inhabit; pain
Jilly Easterby
Apr 20
Eden, an explanation
Words by Jamie Crocker Twenty-five years on, the Eden Project asks what kind of future follows. There is a temptation, when confronted with the scale of the Eden Project, to treat it as a spectacle, something akin to a grand Victorian construction that has been laid before a wide-eyed public for inspection. The biomes are photographed, the pit is admired, whilst visitor numbers are tallied and offered for inspection as a form of justification. Yet its 25th anniversary arrives
Jamie Crocker
Apr 20
Spotlight: Featured Products
Available from Ashburton Craftmongers
Measured modernity
A refined coastal house displaying an appreciation of scale and considered detailing. Spindlewood is a confident piece of contemporary architecture, extending to more than 2,900 square feet and arranged with clarity and purpose. Jackie Stanley introduces a house where specifications have been handled with care. A full-height entrance hall sets the tone, leading to a generous living room with an inset fireplace and a flexible snug that can serve as a fourth bedroom with en sui
DRIFT Property
Apr 20
Rich in character
A period property that has the hallmarks of substance, offering space and practical family living. The Old Vicarage presents a substantial period house set within well-managed grounds that extend to formal gardens, a swimming pool and a tennis court. Approached by a long driveway, the house makes a confident first impression, with origins dating to the 14th century and later additions shaping its current form. Inside, a galleried entrance hall sets the tone, leading to a sequ
DRIFT Property
Apr 20
Rural Beauty
Words by Mercedes Smith An inspirational collection of art on show in spectacular floral gardens. Delamore gardens featuring Laqueus by Stephanie Cushing One of the best things to happen to fine art in the last few decades is the rise of the rural art venue. Away from the typical citycentric locations of the artworld, big names and inspired independents have opened galleries and sculpture gardens deep in the English countryside. Kestle Barton was a notable pioneer, opening a
Mercedes Smith
Apr 20
INTO YOUR INBOX
Sign up to DRIFT’s e-newsletter for a curated blend of beautiful stories, cultural insight and culinary inspiration, plus occasional updates from our shop.
Epicure Recipes
Epicure
Temperate sophistication
Words by Jamie Crocker Budock Vean Hotel & Spa is a four-star retreat set within a 65-acre countryside estate. Situated just above the Helford River in Cornwall, its facilities include a 9-hole/18-tee golf course designed by James Braid, indoor pool, sauna, outdoor hot tub, tennis courts, acres of subtropical gardens, and a private foreshore with water sports and boat trips. Accommodation ranges from hotel rooms to self-catering cottages and lodges, with easy access to the ga
Beyond expectation
Words by Jamie Crocker It may no longer answer to its original name, yet its capacity to adapt has never faltered. On Mill Street in this small Devon market town, the pub now known as the Chagford Inn has been pouring pints in one form or another for over 200 years, shifting identities from The Bakers Arms to the Buller’s Arms as the town itself evolved around it. Since taking it on in 2020, Ollie and Jordan have pulled its long history into the present, sharpening the food,
From boat to plate
Words by Jamie Crocker Fresh landings guide a kitchen that draws from Newlyn’s harbour catch. In Newlyn, the working harbour sets the terms and Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar keeps close to it. The kitchen follows the pattern of daily landings, building its menu around what comes ashore rather than sticking blindly to an intransigent list. The result is something that has provenance, supports the local economy and is shaped by the people who fish the waters of Mount’s Bay. Lobster
Pitch to pitcher
Words by Jamie Crocker Fore Street’s new oasis offers a refreshing blend of wine, food and non-conformist personality. A trio of Lebanese-inspired dips Mention Newport to most people in this land, and they’ll invariably stall, pretend to look thoughtful and then reply with, ‘It’s that town in Wales, isn’t it? On the south coast?’ or ‘It’s that service station on the M1 – Newport Pagnall.’ Even a search on Google Maps suggests the Isle of Wight. However, there are a few enligh
Finding the edge
Words by Hannah Tapping Where land meets sea, serious cuisine morphs with poetic resonance at the finest of tables. There are evenings that arrive as a gift, where the light does something extraordinary and the world seems to exhale. This was one of those rare evenings in April that delivered a sky of impossible blue and a sea whipped by the breeze revealing white horses chasing each other to the horizon. As we swept down the final lane towards Housel Bay, something in us shi
Entente cordiale
Words by Jamie Crocker Local supply, combined with French training, fuses in the heat of the kitchen. At The Barley Sheaf in Gorran Churchtown, Dan Hyams runs the kitchen and the day-to-day business in a way that adheres to first principles: buy local and cook it in a way that is rich, sophisticated and technique-driven. It stands to reason. His background is classical French, learned in Britain and sharpened by time working across France, something that has stayed with him a
Rooted in renewal
Words by Jamie Crocker Àclèaf is a MICHELIN-Starred and 4 AA Rosette restaurant in Devon. Situated within the five-star Boringdon Hall Hotel and Spa, near Plymouth in Devon, it is presided over by acclaimed Head Chef Scott Paton. It offers an unforgettable gastronomic journey built around seasonally inspired, locally sourced ingredients. Since first being awarded a MICHELIN Star in 2023, Àclèaf has retained its MICHELIN status each consecutive year, establishing itself as a c
Perfect comfort food
From Sunshine Café and Yoga comes this ever-popular grounding dal. For over five millennia, dal has simmered at the heart of the subcontinent’s story, its name drawn from the Sanskrit dal – to split – echoing the humble lentil at its core. From the ritual texts of the Vedic age to the prescriptions of Ayurveda, it was as much nourishment for the body as it was a marker of cultural continuity. Empires rose and fell, yet dal endured, evolving from everyday sustenance to courtl
bottom of page