Not all award-winning pubs live up to the hype when you venture there to see what all the fuss is about, but that's certainly not the case when you step inside the legendary Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton. In fact, its many awards for being the best cider pub locally and nationally do not do it justice. It's more than just the drinks that make it a memorable pub to visit.
While some village pubs can feel unpleasantly cliquey to outsiders, a warm greeting awaits when you step inside the traditional 16th century pub, especially if talkative landlord Roger Cudlip is behind the bar. He knows everyone by name but as I'm an unfamiliar face, when I walk up to the bar, he greets me by saying 'hello maid' in what I initially think is a broad Devon accent. I am later corrected that he is, in fact, Cornish, and it doesn't take long to learn that he is happily living in his very own time warp.
Roger proudly admits he doesn't have a mobile phone, has never used a computer, has never been abroad so doesn't own a passport, only has cash in his wallet and won't ever use 'that hole in the wall'. Read next: Closed Exmouth pub set for huge comeback 'Top rated' restaurants in and around Devon revealed Although the pub has caught up with modern times more than Roger, it remains a traditional boozer that is always busy with people stopping off for a drink and food. The interior of the pub is every inch what you would expect from a proper pub.
There are no television screens or music playing. The ba.