Restaurants in Poundbury

Olives Et Al in The Potting Shed

In a world where great service seems to be becoming rarer and rarer, this lovely restaurant proved that exceptional hospitality is still alive and well.

My partner and I had come to visit Poundbury, somewhere we'd been meaning to see for a long time. As lovers of architecture and thoughtful town planning, we were fascinated by this remarkable development, championed by King Charles III and masterplanned by Ben Pentreath. It stands as a refreshing reminder that we can still build beautiful, characterful places in modern Britain.

We weren't looking for a formal restaurant experience, just somewhere to grab a light lunch. From the outside, I initially thought Olive et Al was simply an olive shop, but after spotting a few tables, we decided to wander in.

While we were studying the counter and trying to decide what to order, we were approached by the most charismatic waitress. Her warm smile immediately made our decision for us. She was incredibly welcoming, helpful, and made us feel as though we were the only customers there. Nothing was too much trouble, and we genuinely enjoyed chatting with her. She (I am afraid we didn't catch her name) had that rare ability to make people feel comfortable and valued and she is a real credit to the business.

I hope she received our tip! Blonde hair, blue striped shirt, probably mid 40s. I hope I haven't embarrassed her, but we did tell her how wonderful her service was, so I'm sure she'll remember us...

As for the food, it was absolutely delicious. The Dukkah Wedges were amazing and funnily enough, a few days later we were browsing a farm shop, spotted a jar of spiced dukkah and only when we got home realised it was Olive et Al's own product. Clearly a sign that we needed to recreate the experience!

And the cheesecake? Well... chef's kiss.

Thank you for such a lovely experience. Outstanding food, exceptional service, and a genuinely memorable visit. We will most definitely be back.