This article was written on 21 May 2026
and is a 4 minute read
As the weather warms up we’ve enjoyed putting together our favourite places to enjoy an ice cream in Devon.
Made with milk from their own cows, family-run Otter Valley Ice Cream is popular with locals and visitors, and is in an accessible location just off the A30 outside Honiton. You can enjoy your ice cream in their spacious restaurant or outside with views over the Otter Valley. You can also buy tubs to take home.
As well as ice cream, the Field Kitchen serves breakfast, great coffee, snacks and lunches, as well as pizzas handmade and baked in their in-house pizza oven.
Sidmouth is our closest seaside town and it’s where you will find Taste of Sidmouth. Their award-winning gelato is made daily in their own kitchen. A range of sorbets, and sundaes are also available – a traditional seaside treat. They are open every day from 9am and into the evening. Seating is available or why not grab an icecream and head for the beach, or a walk along the prom.
If you’ve ever been down the motorway past Exeter and headed towards Plymouth or Torquay you may have noticed an orange elephant in a field near the road. This is the sign for Orange Elephant Ice Cream, where the ice cream is made fresh on site from the farm’s cows. Orange elephant is the nickname for the breed of Devonshire milking cows – large, red traditional cows which produce rich creamy milk which is ideal for making ice cream. Open from Easter to early September and only on certain days of the week, there are also outdoor play areas and donkeys and pigs to visit.
Salcombe Dairy in South Devon has several locations where you enjoy their delicious ice cream. At their shop in Salcombe itself you can watch the ice cream being made, and they also serve tea, coffee and cold drinks. Their historic waterfront parlour in Dartmouth sells ice creams to take away and also has a cafe serving sundaes and other refreshments. They even have a chocolate factory in Salcombe where you can watch the chocolate being made and buy treats from a wide selection of products.
Based in the popular Darts Farm Shop Cow and Cacao serves homemade gelato as well as breakfast, lunch and snacks. The milk used is local milk from Riverford. You can also buy handmade bean-to-bar chocolate there. Darts Farm is a shopper’s delight with gifts, homewares, a restaurant, play areas and walks, farm shop and spa.
Take a trip to the north of the county and visit Instow where you will find John’s of Instow’s Beach Hut. They sell ice cream made by local producer Farmer Tom who uses clotted cream in all his flavours. You can ‘Build your dream ice cream’ with different cones, flavours and toppings. The beaches of North Devon are great for surfing and bodyboarding.
Creamo’s Ice Cream in Ashburton, South Devon, makes small batch, handcrafted ice cream, sorbet & sweet treats. Open Friday to Sunday only. Ashburton is a busy market town on the edge of Dartmoor so a good place to stop off after a day exploring the moor.
Dawlish is a typical seaside town and home to The Local Scoop, a dessert shop selling traditional flavours and sesaonal specials. There’s just a short walk from the shop to the beach. Dawlish Warren is worth a visit for a British seaside experience and for nature lovers.
