We have a new chef! Paul Howard hails from Prescot near Liverpool and has worked as a chef for over 30 years. He started his career in an Italian restaurant up north where he worked for many years before moving to chef at a 3 star hotel in Jersey, where he met and married the hotel manageress, Alison, who hails from Yorkshire. After a stint in the Lake District, where son Thomas was born (now age 13), the couple moved to the Torbay area. Son Oliver, age 9, was born in Torquay. Locally, Paul has worked at the Floating Bridge in Dartmouth and for over 10 years at the Stoke Lodge Hotel in Stoke Fleming. Paul reckons that seafood is probably his favourite type of dish to prepare – and Liverpool is his football team.

Paul loves working at the Tally and welcomes the community aspect. A new menu is in the pipeline and some exciting dishes are already appearing on the Specials Board. The Valentines Day menu proved a big hit with everybody who squeezed in at the pub. But don’t worry – old favourites won’t disappear. There’s a new addition to the end of the menu: “If you have enjoyed a dish in the past and can’t see it on the menu, please ask – chef Paul may be able to oblige!”

There’s a very favourable review in this quarter’s BEER magazine from CAMRA. In an article on community pubs, food writer Susan Nowak praised the selection of ales and range of food. She pointed out that as Littlehempston was so small, the Tally needed to be a “destination pub” drawing in customers from a wide area. Which is exactly what the management committee and Ian and Kim are working on at the moment.

Have a look at the article on our Press cuttings page.

The Tally has been selected by Dartmoor Accommodation for inclusion in their newly launched Dartmoor Real Ale Trail featuring over 35 pubs on and around the moor. Brains behind the trail, Lisa Jenkins, said “We know from people using our website that there is a thirst for information about good beer pubs in the area. Often tucked away off the beaten track, these can be hard to find so we felt a map, or Ale Trail, would be great way of solving this problem. From the dramatic high tors in the north, to the softer more rolling landscape in the south, this Real Ale Trail will help you seek out the delights of traditional real ales and good hostelries in this beautiful area.”