Chef News is sponsored by the the Kitchen Porters Club
The much-loved Glebe House is stepping into an exciting new chapter; welcoming a new business partner and acclaimed head chef, David Knapman, and launching two new handcrafted guest cabins and a woodland sauna.
In the Kitchen
Set in the hills of East Devon, Glebe has spent the past few years building a name for itself as a 15-acre smallholding with guesthouse and farm-to-table restaurant – a vision shaped by owners, Hugo and Olive since opening in 2021.
At Glebe, the ethos of the food is centred around craft cooking – the art of creating base foods that we may take for granted in our daily lives. The majority of what you eat is made onsite using ingredients either grown or raised on the land or sourced from the immediate surrounding area.
With David Knapman now at the helm of the kitchen, the trio are taking the next steps in their story, combining warm hospitality with delicious field-to-fork menus.
David brings with him a background that spans some of the world’s most respected kitchens – including Senior Sous at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, Chef Pâtissier at the 3-Michelin star Maison Lameloise in Burgundy, and a stint in Tokyo’s fine dining scene. At Glebe, David has taken that experience and pared it back, to focus on simple food, executed with great technique and rooted in sustainability.
Daily menus are led by the organic kitchen garden – when produce is plentiful, it’s preserved through pickling, fermenting or drying, allowing each season to leave its mark year-round. Yoghurt, marmalade, bacon and charcuterie are all made in-house and available in the adorable on-site larder to take home – branding, of course, polished with Olive’s artistic hand. Bread is also baked daily – a passion of David’s, who teaches regular bread-making courses as part of one of Glebe’s many experiences (which also includes cider making, salami making, kombucha workshops and mackerel fishing).
Autumn Menu Highlights
Croustade with smoked trout & watercress
Glebe salumi & pickles
Porridge bread & cultured butter
Sea bass crudo with cucumber & Dorset wasabi
Mushroom tagliatelle, hen of the woods & girolles
Herdwick hogget, grilled pepper & preserved tomato
West Country cheeses
Salted caramel tart, yoghurt ice cream & poached pear
Brown butter cake
The Crow’s Nest Cabins: Hand-Built Hideaways for Two
Launching this autumn (with more details to follow), The Crow’s Nest cabins are the latest addition to Glebe House. They have transformed what was one a beloved family hideaway – first built as a granny annexe for Hugo’s grandmother, who named it after the crows that gathered in the nearby trees, and later serving as Olive’s artist studio – now re-imagined as two cedar-clad guest rooms, designed in collaboration with Akin Studio and Out of the Valley.
Olive’s passion for art and design details runs through the interiors: from her own handmade mosaic to carefully curated pieces from local artists and ceramicists; including hand-printed vintage tiles, wallpaper by Georgie Hopton, headboards by Chloe Jonason, curtains by Victora Smee with Jessie de Salis fabric hand printed in Somerset and adorable handcrafted Portuguese vintage tiles decorating the kitchen.
Each one-bedroom hideaway will feature a super-king bed, kitchen and cosy dining space with a wood burner, and an outdoor deck with a sunken bath made for stargazing. For guests wanting an evening in, a delicious seasonal feast can be delivered from the Glebe kitchen.
A New Wood-Fired Sauna
Set to open later this year is a new six-person, wood-fired sauna tucked into an idyllic spot in the garden, overlooking the Coly Valley – a short stroll from the main house, but designed to feel a world away. The traditional Scandinavian sauna is sustainably made from Douglas fir, hand-built by Kernow Springs in Cornwall.
The space will include a circular window framing the scenic rolling hills, as well as a dedicated changing room, an outdoor shower, and a cold plunge pool – designed for a rejuvenating contrast therapy experience.
Big things are coming for our favourite spot in East Devon – Glebe just keeps going from strength to strength under Hugo & Olive’s brilliant eye.
Chef News is sponsored by the the Kitchen Porters Club
