The South West is one of the UK’s richest areas for local produce and here at the Stapleton Arms we are totally spoilt for choice! We endeavour to source all our fresh produce locally. We always try to purchase seasonal foods and are a careful to consider ‘food miles’ and quality of life for livestock too.

We buy most of our meat from Andrew Barclays butchers in Wincanton. In addition we source lamb, mutton and hogget from nearby Hartmoor Hill farm which is just half a mile up the road and our chefs work closely with the farmer here to ensure we get the very best meat for our requirements. We now also have our own Saddleback pigs which are housed at Court Farm (behind the church). We help to supplement their diet with beer and raw peelings from the pub which the piggies love and it helps to give us wonderful full-flavoured pork which we use for hams, bacons, sausages and dry curing as well as regular cuts. Court Farm also supplies us with our fabulous eggs which are SOooo delicious and absolutely nothing like a supermarket egg.

Our fish is supplied to us by Samways of Bridport (our closest fishing port) and our salad and fresh vegetables come from award winning farmer John Rowswell of Barrington near Illminster. John was voted ‘Best Somerset Food Producer of the Year 2006/2007’ and was winner of a ‘South West Food Hero’s Award’ in 2006. In addition our enthusiastic green-fingered kitchen team have created their very own vegetable patch in the paddock behind the pub which is planted with a selection of herbs and vegetables used to accompany our dishes.

This is just a small snapshot of what we are all about and gives a flavour of our desire to give our customers the very best that the region has to offer, and to be local and ethical in our approach to business.

The quality of our food offer and our commitment to local sourcing was recognised for the second year running in the 2009 Taste of the West Awards. Taste of the West is a regional organisation which champions the South West’s exceptional food identity. The Stapleton Arms was one of just nine pubs across the entire South West to win a coveted Gold Award. The pub was visited anonymously by a panel of industry expert judges who were looking for quality of food, cooking and service, ambience, evidence of local sourcing and knowledgeable staff.