Exeter wins big at Food Drink Devon Awards
An Exeter hotel, farm shop, and chocolatier were among the big winners at the Food Drink Devon Awards, taking home awards for sustainability, retail excellence, and quality.
Exeter won big at the Food Drink Devon Awards earlier this month, taking home awards in all categories.
The Awards brought together more than 400 representatives from food and drink producers, retailers, and hospitality businesses across Devon at a ceremony at Sandy Park, Exeter, on Monday, October 5.
We spoke to three local businesses about what their wins mean to them.
Sustainability Pioneer Award - voco Zeal Exeter Science Park
voco Zeal Exeter Science Park was awarded ‘Sustainability Pioneer’ at the 2026 Food Drink Devon Awards, with judges commending the hotel as “a role model for how to develop end to end sustainability in a hospitality business”.
The hotel, which opened in 2025, was “designed from the beginning” with sustainability in mind, according to Beth Ardon, voco Zeal Exeter’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
“Everything from the buildings and systems to sourcing and day to day operations is focused around reducing our environmental impact,” she said in an interview with Exeter Today.
“We were so proud opening this hotel because we knew we would be the blueprint for sustainable hospitality going forward.
“We pride ourselves on being a fully net zero carbon hotel.”
As part of the hotel’s sustainability efforts, each of its 142 bedrooms, bar and restaurant are powered completely by the building’s solar panels. LED lighting and triple glazed windows are also used throughout to maximise energy efficiency.
In the summer, the hotel uses a clean fresh air system to pump cool air instead of traditional refrigerated gas.
“It’s not always easy being the most sustainable you can be, but for us it’s really important to make sure we’re doing all we can to be sustainable,” added Ms Ardon.
“I don’t think people necessarily understand the bigger picture of what we do here, either. They have a great stay or a great dinner in a nice atmosphere but they don’t necessarily see the impact of what choosing us means.”
voco Zeal’s restaurant, ISCA, which itself received a Gold hospitality award at the Food Drink Devon Awards this year, also utilises sustainability measures.
“It’s really lovely to see how accessible we’ve made sustainable eating at our restaurant,” said Ms Ardon.
“Our kitchen uses lesser known cuts of meat, for example, to reduce food waste, and we use as much of a vegetable as we possibly can.
“We also monitor food waste using a computerised system - it detects which food items we’re throwing away most and suggests simple changes we can make to reduce it.
“We’ll also do energy heavy activities like slow-roasting food during the day when our solar panels are generating the most electricity.
“Of course, what we really want is to have happy guests - we know what we’re doing on a daily basis - but there is a real conversation to be had about it because we are so proud of what we’re doing here.
“I really love working here and having these accolades - especially from the Food Drink Devon awards - really helps show the hard work we’ve put in.”
You can book a stay at voco Zeal Exeter Science Park here.
Best Retailer Award - Powderham Farm Shop
Powderham Farm Shop, in Exeter, won the Best Retailer Award at the 2026 Food Drink Devon Awards.
Owners Chris and Carol Wright, who took over the business three years ago, said they were “shocked” by the win.
“The win was stunning. I’m really pleased for the team and my wife Carol, who spends a lot of time and energy on the shop. She's really thrown herself at the job of making sure we’ve been able to achieve that accolade”
The couple took over the farm shop, located in the grounds of Powderham Castle, after visiting for a coffee.
Mr and Mrs Wright were on a day off from running Otterton Mill - a successful farm shop, cafe, and gallery - when they heard the Powderham store was up for sale.
They took over the business, complete with its butchery, deli, post office, and bistro, and transformed it into something they say is “unrecognisable”.
“These last three years have been very full on but enjoyable,” said Mr Wright.
“We still have people walk in who haven’t been since the takeover and notice what a difference there is.
“For us, there isn’t a day that goes by where we aren’t seeing what else is on offer - what new products we can put on the shelf.”
The shop supports West Country farmers and champions local producers, and also hopes to put more of its own grown produce onto the shelves.
“I think people are definitely more interested in where their products are coming from and trying to support all those local suppliers,” Mr Wright added.
“Shopping at a farm shop is almost more of an experience - it’s different to what you get from a supermarket.
“People will come along to us and have a coffee and a cake, take their dogs for a walk, and then come in and do their shopping. It’s a leisure activity as much as a shopping one.
“We’re lucky to be in such a beautiful location - we have Powderham Deer Park near us - but our food miles are very small and our quality of service, I hope, is what sets us apart.”
Mr Wright believes a good team is the secret to a successful farm shop.
“Our team is an integral part of driving the business forward. Having been here such a short time, and to win [the Food Drink Devon Award] on our first time entering is a real credit to the team we have,” he said.
“There are a lot of really great farm shops in Devon, we're just trying hard to be a part of it.”
You can learn more about Powderham Farm Shop and Bistro here.
Platinum Producer Award - Nicola’s Chocolate
Nicola’s Chocolate, owned and run by former teacher Nicola Knight, won a Platinum Producer Award at the 2026 Food Drink Devon Awards.
The small business prides itself on offering ethically sourced, bean-to-bar chocolate with unique flavours, and also hosts workshops and events at its chocolate factory on Blackboy Road, Exeter.
“I started making chocolate for myself during the COVID lockdown,” said Ms Knight. “I’ve always been a massive choco-holic, and the process of how it’s made has always fascinated me.”
“My first teaching job was in the Caribbean - we went to a cocoa plantation and I was immediately hooked on the story. Making chocolate just ticks all of the boxes for me for something that I want to spend my life doing.”
Ms Knight took the plunge during lockdown and signed up for classes with the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasters.
She was soon offered a permanent position teaching online chocolate tasting classes herself.
“I bought a coffee roaster and some cocoa beans and started dabbling around making chocolate in my kitchen,” she said.
“I thought it was going well and so decided to launch a little business.”
Ms Knight established her brand as Exe Chocolate in 2021, before rebranding last year to Nicola’s Chocolate. She prides herself on knowing exactly how her beans have been grown and flavours her bars with West Country ingredients wherever possible.
“I try to think of flavours that are going to pair really well together,” said Ms Knight.
“I have a spiced rum chocolate bar using local rum from a distillery just around the corner, and a seaweed bar with locally harvested seaweed and sea salt,” added Ms Knight.
“The idea for my favourite flavour, an oregano bar, came to me when I was on holiday in Greece!”
Alongside bars of chocolate, the shop sells drinking chocolate, baking chocolate and chocolate tea.
Ms Knight won the Platinum Award at this year’s Food Drink Devon Awards for her Cacao Husk Tea.
“I wasn’t expecting the win at all, but it is such a lovely product,” she said.
“We make the tea using the roasted husks - or shells - of our cocoa beans.
“To process beans into chocolate you have to remove the husks. Instead of wasting them, we turn them into tea.
“Of course, there’s no actual tea in the product, but you do drink it as you would any loose leaf tea. Steeping it in hot water releases an amazing roasted cocoa flavour. It has a nice mouth feel and a kind of delicate silkiness.”
Ms Knight hopes to expand her small business by opening a larger workshop space for hosting school groups and other events. She is also constantly thinking up new ideas for products.
To learn more about Nicola’s Chocolate, or to check out her range of small-batch chocolates, visit her website here.