Town Mill, Lyme Regis

You walk through the door of the Town Mill Bakery in the morning and discover you are in a sort of artisan canteen. Two lengths of table face you, each with a huge bowl of butter and marmalade. Instructions hand written on a sheet of paper say:

Adults £2
Children £1
As much toast as you want.
Toast it yourself.
If you want a drink shout at a waiter.
Try to remember to pay before leaving.

As we left (remembering to pay) they were gearing up for a simple lunch. In the next door bistro two days later for the evening we found equal simplicity (wine comes in two colours, red and white and three sizes, small £10, medium £15 and large £20). The three course meal had two choices for starter and dessert. Mains were all pasta with about four different sauces to choose from. Each course cost £5. It was a lovely evening.

For me the test of a good meal is how much water I drink during the night which follows. The answer was a lot so I guess that takes it down from 8 out of 10 to 7, but pretty remarkable three course meal for what turned out to be £50 including a tip. Big up to the waiter who told us where we were in the queue regularly and how long it would be before he took our dessert order.

I don't think you can book unless you know the staff so we decided to eat early. Recommended.

The owners used to be in advertising and marketing. They have learned well.