The Independent Shopper: Michael Wignall

I’m a regular at the renowned Darts Farm, which was awarded Best Farm Shop in the UK at the Farm Shop & Deli Awards 2016. It’s full of fresh, good quality produce from award-winning artisan producers from the local area, so it’s great to be able to support them.

I’m also a fan of Farmer Luxton’s in Okehampton which sells brilliant quality meat. They are both family businesses which is reflected in the warm reception you get when you walk through the door.

If we don’t support independent retailers, we’ll begin to see the mainstream supermarkets dictating the produce we have access to, which could mean it’s less likely you’ll buy what is in season. As people move towards doing their food shopping solely online, they’re losing the education that comes with speaking to the local grocer or butcher and learning about what they’re eating and where it originates.

Particularly where I live in Devon, there is a lovely community feel which has come as a result of the local producers and retailers. I try to choose independent retailers whenever possible, but I will happily shop in a supermarket occasionally as long as there’s no sacrifice in quality.

When I shop in an independent store, I’m more inclined to cook traditional British dishes. Exploring new ingredients and using seasonal produce brings its own challenges, but often keeping it simple is best, as locally grown produce usually has flavours that speak for themselves.

My latest exciting discovery is Yuzu. We’ve successfully grown it in our kitchen garden, but it originates in Japan. It’s quite bizarre as they usually fruit in October, but ours have been ready since August despite Devon’s unpredictable weather!

We grow as much as we can in the gardens at Gidleigh Park, but there’s always some challenges with cultivating homegrown produce, so naturally our dishes change on a regular basis. I encourage my team to work with what they have as part of the creative process is trial and error.