Independent Shopper: Dorian Janmaat, The Idle Rocks

The demand for fresh, local and seasonal cuisine is now more prominent than ever, and given The Idle Rocks’ waterside location, it must be about offering the best locally sourced seafood and ingredients possible to our guests.

With my team, it’s a true celebration of Cornwall and offers an unforgettable culinary journey, with a strong emphasis on seasonal flavours, keeping true to our sustainability ethos. We are lucky enough to have some of the best independent producers and suppliers on our doorstep. It’s clear that when it comes down to what you can create on a plate and serve your guests, the locality is almost always a key factor, especially with the increase in demand for fresh and sustainably sourced produce. Lockdown gave the opportunity for the local food system to come into its own and served the needs of local people in our community really well. The potential has been there for a long time, but the crisis showcased what the local food system really can do.

When developing our menus, we know that our fish and shellfish are delivered fresh every morning and served to our guests the same day, so we set our prices to reflect this. From our St Mawes Native oysters handpicked by St Mawes fisherman, James Brown, to our amazing fresh fish from Matthew Stevens based in St Ives, when it comes down to it, working with independent producers becomes more than just picking something that looks nice, it’s a partnership, where you can really understand the true provenance of the ingredients you are getting.

Of course, the focus is not purely on seafood, at The Idle Rocks, our other key independent suppliers include Cornish Saffron Company, who use only natural fertilizers including seaweed from the Roseland Peninsula coast. We source our eggs from St Mawes Hens, who deliver the best eggs, and Foote’s Pastured Produce hand-reared chickens in Truro are also an incredible addition to our menu. This produce is always perfectly accompanied by an abundance of heritage vegetables from Zucca Farm on the Lizard and the smaller accompaniments from Trevibban Mill winery near Newquay, such as the finishing delicate sauces and wine that is served to our guests in the restaurant.

At The Idle Rocks, we will always aim to shop independently and source the majority of our produce from the local area. We want to ensure that every guest leaves with a culinary experience they will never forget.