CHAMPAGNE corks popped and raised glasses glinted in the sunshine at the Sandy Park Inn near Chagford last week in celebration of its selection as Les Routiers 'Inn of the Year' in the South West. The thatched 17th-century pub nestled in the lush Teign Valley beat entrants from an area stretching from Bristol to the Lizard to scoop the prestigious award. It is the second major prize the pub has won in the two years since it was taken over by Havana West, a small, local company specialising in idiosyncratic inns that also owns the White Hart at Moretonhampstead and has recently acquired an inn at Babbacombe Bay, Torquay. Director Ian Solkin previously worked for Peter de Savary at Bovey Castle. He said they had not expected the award. 'It came as a complete surprise — I just opened the post one morning and there it was!' said Ian. The Sandy Park was judged on the basis of its food, hospitality, idiosyncrasy, and value-for-money for the Les Routiers Award. 'We've really worked at coming up with a good balance,' Ian said. 'We're known for our good food and beer, but we wanted to make sure our accommodation was good too.' Ian said the award was 'a real credit' to the staff at the Sandy Park Inn. 'We've got a young team who take a great deal of pride in the Sandy Park and have developed a strong following. Last year they won Devon Life's Country Pub of the Year — and now this!' he said. That team includes manager Nick Rout who welcomes regulars and visitors alike into the Sandy Park's dark and cosy beamed bar with its real ales and open fire, and head chef Andy Burkin who conjures up a small but regularly-changing menu of dishes based on local ingredients and made to order. Andy's culinary expertise has taken him to restaurants around the country and as far away as Australia. But he is originally from Devon and knows plenty about the area and its local producers. Andy said: 'I wanted to come back home for a while, so I took this job just for six months. That was two years ago — now I'm here I can't leave.' His enthusiasm for the Sandy Park shows as he describes how he spends his days off doing 'research' by eating at other restaurants in the area. 'I like to make sure we're always ahead of the game,' he said. The tardis-like Sandy Park Inn has five guest bedrooms — one with its own terrace leading onto the sunny beer garden. Les Routiers guidebooks are among the best known of hospitality guides and cover over 500 independently owned hotels, restaurants, inns, B&Bs, cafes, farmshops and tearooms around Britain. Their inspectors make regular incognito visits to assess the quality of entrants in the guides. A representative of the company said: 'Our standards just for inclusion in the guide are extremely high — so it really means something to be selected as one of the best among those places.'
