The Black Venus Inn

13/05/2026

First point to point at Bratton Down this weekend! Just a reminder we will be open Sunday night for food and drink for all three. See you there 🐎 🎉

Launching our 2026 Race Card Draw
6 chances to win one of these fab prizes !

⭐️ SUNDAY 17TH MAY ⭐️
Pony Racing 1pm
Main Races 2pm
EX31 4SG

05/04/2026

Think you’ve got what it takes? 🧠✨

Join us for a fun-filled Quiz Night at The Black Venus and put your knowledge to the test!

📅 Sunday 12th April
⏰ 7:00 PM
💷 £5 per person (max 6 per team)

🎁 Raffle prizes up for grabs – bring some cash and you could walk away a winner!

All proceeds go towards the London Marathon fundraiser supporting Family Compass ❤️

Grab your team, book your spot and let’s make it a great night for a great cause!

📩 Message or call to book your table now

22/03/2026

Lucille is running the London Marathon for family compass, a local Barnstaple based charity helping young people and families with their mental health. Join us for a quiz night at the Black Venus to help raise money for this worthy cause.

11/02/2026

08/02/2026

The bees have put in an appearance after finally a bit of sun and warmth today ☀️ 🐝 Let’s hope for a few more nicer days after a pretty wet start to the year 🌧️

30/01/2026

Great new dish on the menu this evening from Head Chef . Hogget chops from Challacombe, Somerset Fe**sh (feta) dauphinoise, charred hispi cabbage, shallot purée and mint salsa verde

27/01/2026

Darren Birch of The Black Venus Inn in Exmoor National Park reacts to HM Treasury’s new business rates cuts, licensing reforms, and High Street support measures for pubs across the UK

15/01/2026

Did you know that the hogget in our curry is farmed just 0.3 miles away from the pub? It is produced by Mark, Lindsey and Tony at Swincombe Farm here in Challacombe from hardy, hill breeds that forage naturally. You can’t get much more local than that!

One of the most common questions we get is ‘What is hogget?’ Hogget is the meat from a young sheep, specifically one that is between one and two years old, falling in age between tender lamb and richer mutton, offering a more developed, complex flavour with good tenderness.

13/01/2026

fennel salami ~ pickled gherkin ~ rocket

Fancy something to nibble on whilst you browse the menu? We have paired salami with gherkins that we have picked and preserved from our own kitchen garden at the end of summer.

make all their charcuterie on their farm in Somerset. Everything starts with their rare-breed Mangalitsa and Gloucester Old Spot pigs bred for their marbled meat and the all-important fat. Their pigs are free to roam across pastures and woodland for over a year and put on weight naturally to develop a rich flavour.

Their purpose-built food production facility allows them to keep food miles to an absolute minimum and they source all their herbs and spices from quality Fairtrade and Organic suppliers based in Somerset.

12/01/2026

We are open this week as usual with Sunday 18th lunch being our last shift. We will then be having a kitchen refurbishment and will reopen again Tuesday 27th for lunch.