Read our reviews & write-ups ....

Daily Mirror, Saturday August 4th 2007
Iain Mayhew The Travel writer who stayed in a near by cottage
"another good sign hangs above the door of the Dolphin Inn my pretty two bedroom cottage has no garden, so I can legitimately enjoy the newly arrived sunshine by walking all of 10 yards to the pub terrace over looking the creek.

Here I sit with a pint of Badger Ale & watch kids fishing for crabs from the Voss- a narrow causeway which links Newton Ferrers to Noss Mayo at low tide.

Apart from it's pub- which serves mussels, fresh cod & chips & door step crab sandwhiches ........

July 2007

Perfect Summer Dining...
Lindsay Brown, Editor Signpost

This month I had the pleasure of eating at The Dolphin Inn, Newton Ferrers. Whilst I’m no stranger to this particular watering hole, it is usually a quick lunchtime sandwich and a diet coke before I rush off to complete the rest of the distribution for Signpost! So, it was a real treat for me to be able to pop along with a couple of friends this month and have a proper meal. The evening we chose couldn’t have been better, the sun was shining which meant we could sit outside and admire the spectacular views across the Yealm Estuary to Noss Mayo (I never tire of the scenery around this part of the world and even after trekking up hundreds of steps to deliver a magazine, the
reward of a great view never disappoints!) The Dolphin Inn has seen one big change
recently, in the form of new managers Jackie and Adrian. Having moved from a nautical pub in the heart of the Cotswolds, they are both excited by their first summer in this beautiful riverside setting “we have always wanted to end up in this part of the world so when the opportunity came our way, we grabbed it with both hands” says Adrian.
Another big change on the horizon is the smoking ban which comes into affect on 1st July “we’ve got this covered already “ says Adrian and by that he means ‘literally!’ They have already ordered a huge awning for one of the terraces, that coupled with patio heaters should cater very well for those who wish to smoke. Drinks ordered, we took our seats on the lower terrace and started to look at the menu - there
was a specials board to consider too so, as usual it took us an age to decide what to have.
In the end though we opted to share a few starters between us (Hand Cut Breads and
Olives, Wild English Mushrooms and someMussels) - we went down the ‘seafood’ route
with the main courses and ordered Seafood pie, Fresh Crab and my favourite - Mussels! As this was a ‘girlie’ night out, we found lots to talk about and before we knew it our starters had arrived. The portion sizes at The Dolphin are fantastic (the chunks of bread were gorgeous and would push any Atkins dieter seriously off the wagon!). We tucked into Olives stuffed with Feta , Balsamic Olive Oil and Garlic and Thyme mixed Wild English Mushrooms topped with Parmesan Shavings (the garlic bread under the mushrooms was completed our order. Jackie recommended a bottle of white wine to accompany our ’seafood feast’ - a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, described on the wine list as an outstanding example of Vin de Pays Sauvignon Blanc, with great vibrancy , charm and full of grassy flavours - Jackie assured us it would be a perfect accompaniment to our main courses.
The pub was really busy that evening and we would have been more than happy to wait quite a while for our food as the evening was so pleasant, but there were no delays and more and more delicious food seemed to pour out of the kitchen serving the diners around us. When our main courses arrived, the diners on the opposite table let out an gasp of amazement - was the fresh crab dish really for one person? Yes, it was - my friend Sandy had ordered it and we concluded there was no way she was
going to make it through the whole thing on her own (we offered to help her but she insisted she would go it alone - a bit shellfish of her I think!) Karen had ordered the Seafood Pie (which I always tell her NOT to do as our friend Margaret makes a stunning fish pie and no one ever lives up to it) - no pressure on Adrian then
as she took her first bite! A bowl of Mussels (twice the size of that given
as a starter) with 2 huge chunks of bread were put in front of me - I didn’t have to ask for a spoon to sup up the delicious tarragon and white wine sauce they were in - Jackie had that covered.
So, once again peace descended over our table - that is apart from the loud cracking
sounds coming from Sandy’s direction as she broke through the crab claws, the reward inside was apparently delicious and, after a few lessons on using the ‘tools’ from Jackie, Sandy soon got into the swing of things.
The wine we had ordered was a great choice and, as we sat outside sipping chilled white wine and eating fabulously fresh seafood, we all said what a perfect evening it had been. Karen and I finished our main courses - the empty plate proved that the Seafood Pie was a hit, Sandy on the other hand was still enjoying the crab - it was a good job there were candles on our table as the sun had long since gone down before we allowed our plates to be cleared away.
Now that the pub had emptied out a bit, Adrian was able to come and chat to us for a while - he really is in his element living in Newton Ferrers and is passionate about buying and cooking local produce “Wherever possible I source my ingredients locally” he tells me “ the Mussels are from Brixton, the dairy produce comes from Hawkridge Farm and the ice creams/clotted cream from Langage Farm”. Meats and fish currently come from Plymouth. Adrian talked us into having a dessert - I’m a bit of an ice cream fan and the news that it was from Langage Farm helped me decide on having the
Toffee Ice Cream. Sandy opted for the same and Karen went for the Sticky Toffee Pud with ice cream - all proved to be yummy. So, if you’re a fan of local produce, cooked with passion and served up in a beautiful riverside setting with stunning views then head down to The Dolphin Inn, Newton Ferrers - you won’t be disappointed!
Open all day during Summertime for Coffee, Cream Teas, Lunch and Dinner!

The Dolphin Inn,
1 Riverside Road East
Newton Ferrers,
Plymouth PL8 1AE
Call 01752 872007

Review written by Lindsay Brown, Editor Signpost

Jackie & Adrian look forward to welcoming you!
www.thedolphininndevon.co.uk