The Independent Shopper: John Burton-Race

We are so lucky to have so many fantastic independent shops in the Devon area, but there are two in particular which I would wholeheartedly and genuinely recommend to anyone.

The first is Rodney Cleave Country Butcher, based on East Street in Ashburton – it sells the most beautiful meat and produce. I would also recommend the Sharpham vineyard and dairy. Not only is it a stunning location geographically, but they make their own cheese and sparkling rosé onsite, too. For the price point of the rosé – £25-per bottle – it is as good as anything produced in France.

Independent retailers really rely on what they are selling. The failure or success of their business relies on the selling of good quality products and superb service. Without exception, they will always provide a better shopping experience than the alternative. One of the reasons that I visit these places is that they provide the best of the best ingredients, which is crucial for a chef. If you have bought good meat, don’t over garnish or complicate it with too many flavours - 50% of cooking is just the ingredient itself. Especially when cooking at home, I keep the focus on the main produce and firmly believe in ‘less is more’.

When I’m cooking with the meat from Rodney Cleave, I won’t overpower it because I know the taste and quality is there already. I follow the same principle when I’m making anything with the cheese or wine from Sharpham. For example, coming into summer you may want to make a fruit salad for after dinner with accompanying cheeses. Why would you want to taste anything but the beauty of the ingredients already there? Whatever you cook or make with the produce from those retailers, remember to keep it simple. Half of the work has already been done for you.

My latest favourite discovery from an independent retailer is Exmoor Caviar. No one will believe you when you mention that you can get good caviar from Devon, but it’s truly amazing. I have started serving it in my restaurant and people thought I was being silly by telling them it was from Devon. It’s the only caviar farm in the UK – the company’s ethos is to produce outstanding caviar and they achieve just that.