IT was a real pleasure to visit Ione, the owner of the outstanding cafe Hippo Dartmoor in Moretonhampstead recently and to hear directly about the day to day realities of running an independent restaurant in our part of the world.

Sitting down with someone who pours their energy into a local venture is always a reminder of just how much grit, creativity and sheer hard work goes into keeping the doors open.

Our conversation ranged across the issues you would expect, and several you might not.

Rising costs were top of the list. Energy bills, food prices, wages and taxation have all climbed sharply in recent years, and for a small operator with tight margins those pressures stack up quickly.

We also talked about the impact of road closures, which can be devastating for a rural business that depends on passing trade and confident customers knowing they can get to the door. And we discussed the broader challenge of trying to grow, invest and create jobs in a rural economy where the headwinds often feel stronger than in our towns and cities.

The national picture helps put these conversations in context. UK hospitality supports around 2.6 million jobs, roughly seven per cent of all employment in the country.

Yet the sector is now 14.2 per cent smaller than it was in March 2020, with an average of two licensed venues closing permanently every day during the first half of 2025.

Independent restaurants have been hit particularly hard, with 22.7 per cent fewer trading today than before the pandemic. Between October 2024 and May 2025 alone, around 69,000 hospitality jobs were lost across the country.

Rural areas feel these shifts acutely. Small and medium sized enterprises account for about 70 per cent of all employment in rural England, compared with 42 per cent in urban areas.

Tourism related businesses make up 12 per cent of rural firms and support 14 per cent of rural jobs. When an independent pub or restaurant closes in a market town, the loss is not just economic.

It is the loss of a meeting place, an employer of local young people, and often a key reason visitors stop, stay and spend.

Businesses like Hippo Dartmoor are exactly the kind of independents that give Central Devon its identity. They take risks, they invest locally, and they create the warm, welcoming spaces that make our towns somewhere people genuinely want to be.

They also support suppliers, from local farms and breweries to bakers and growers, knitting together a wider rural economy.

My thanks to Ione for the time and the honest conversation. I will keep listening to local operators across Central Devon, raising the practical issues they face, and doing what I can to make sure rural hospitality has a fair hearing in Westminster.

Facebook: Mel Stride MP X: @MelJStride Instagram: @melstridemp Website: www.melstridemp.com

Mel Stride

MP for Central Devon