The George Inn, June 2000

A pub that someone suggested that I ought to go to, and two years later I did! It's well known in the area for good food as is the Normandy Arms just a hundred or so yards up the road though I've not managed to visit there to assess it for inclusion in this guide.

Anyhow, the George is a very pleasant traditional village local with a warm welcome popular with locals and visitors alike. The main bar is partly timbered and the end lounge has a big bay window with fine views across the fields towards the sea. There's also a pleasant quiet pub garden at the rear of the pub.

Having spent a great weekend in late May 2000 in Kingswear celebrating my friend Andrew's 30th we thought that we'd end the weekend by heading down the coast a little and make a surprise visit to my aunt and uncle. Not having seen them for several years we settled down to a good cup of tea and natter whilst admiring the fantastic view of Slapton Ley from their living room. An hour or two passed and long after the parking ticket opposite had expired we waved goodbye and headed on our way. A quick wander around the Ley caused us to build up quite a thirst again and so we called in at the Tower Inn, Slapton (also in this guide) for a swift half and decided that we were also feeling a bit peckish too. With the Good Beer Guide promising ''excellent home-made food" up the road at the George (local CAMRA Pub of the Year 1999) we were sure that the pub wouldn't disappoint and we are pleased to say that we weren't wrong.

Blackawton is buried in a maze of lanes about 4 miles north of Slapton but it was well worth the journey and wrong turns! It's a lovely village with little shop and church and is a previous winner of the CPRE's 'Britain in Bloom' competition. A great selection of beers on offer including one from the local Princetown brewery. An amazing range of bottled beers were also available from all over Europe though do be careful with the stronger brews! A fine selection of food is available too at lunchtimes and during the evening though the pub is usually closed at lunchtimes during the early part of the week in winter. Everything from home-made pizza to chicken balti and dishes cooked on a skillet. I'd thoroughly recommend any of their fish dishes. Great desserts too. Well we were so impressed with the pub that 5 miles down the road on our way home we very nearly turned back to stay overnight. We tuned into the local radio station "South Hams Radio" and they were requesting that visitors to the area called in to air their views about the area. We obviously called in and aired our positive views about the pub!

Well, the story doesn't end here as indeed 6 weeks later we returned and stayed at the pub and as we weren't driving enjoyed a few quality ales, some great food and had an excellent night's sleep. Thoroughly recommend the breakfast too, the scrambled eggs with salmon went down a treat!

The pub's pleasant beer garden, June 2000