Lympstone Manor's Michael Caines on why Devon is foodie heaven
Celebrated two-Michelin-star recipient Michael Caines MBE is the chef-turned-hotelier of Lympstone Manor, set in 28 acres of Devon countryside overlooking the Exe estuary.
But well-known as he is for celebrating the seasonal bounty of the south west, where does he go to buy his own food and wine, and to eat out?
Fruits de mer
As well as The Exmouth Mussels Company, where he sources his River Exe mussels, Caines is a big fan of the fish counter at Greendale Farm Shop.
“The owners, the Carter family, have one of the UK’s biggest fishing quotas, and they have one of the most phenomenal fish counters with magnificent scallops, lobsters from Lyme Bay, and all different kinds of fish from the Devon coastline,” he says.
Perfect morning for Myles to gather and relay 24 tonnes of mussel seed in the glorious River Exe #mussels#eatmorefish#exmouthpeoplepic.twitter.com/koYuYQc6L8
— Exmouth Mussels Ltd (@ExmouthMussels) November 3, 2017
Pub grub
“For Sunday lunch I always go to The Dartmoor Inn near Lydford. I love it because it’s got a reasonable wine list, a couple of good local ales and wholesome food of a standard I would be happy to travel for 30-45 minutes to get to. The kids like it too.
"Otherwise, there’s The Masons Arms outside Tiverton and The Elephant in Torquay.”
A post shared by The Dartmoor Inn At Lydford (@thedartmoorinn) on Jun 23, 2017 at 1:10pm PDT
Wine and cheese
“The Sharpham Estate vineyard is one of the oldest in Devon. You can buy their cheese and wine in Totnes: Sharpham Brie, sparkling wines and a great red wine called Beenleigh Red.”
Picked our Beenleigh red grapes today. English Cab Sav and Merlot in England! Been growing them for over 40 years. pic.twitter.com/doBCEKxZP8
— SharphamWine &Cheese (@SharphamWines) October 17, 2017
Dairy-wise, Caines also recommends The West Country Cheese Co, and Quicke’s Traditional Cheese.
A post shared by Quicke's (@quickescheese) on Jul 5, 2017 at 2:38am PDT
Meat and poultry
“Darts Farm has an award-winning farm shop just outside Topsham. We use venison from the Powderham Estate through the fantastic butcher at Darts, and they have an amazing array of produce in their food hall and on their deli counters.”
Beautiful frosty morning checking up on our cattle #viewsfromthefarmpic.twitter.com/fD7YU4UrcO
— Darts Farm (@DartsFarm) November 17, 2017