Big British Food Map Down in Devon

Date Published:

08/05/2008

In week two Andrew was down in Devon for chips, cheese and a trip down memory lane

Lyme Regis. When I was 16 a mate and I spent a summer working in the Cobb Gate Chip Shop. We lived in a flat above the shop, with no bath, sleeping on lilos on bread crates and getting wrecked every night in the Royal Standard pub – ah halcyon days. My dad lives in Lyme Regis so I spent the evening drinking much more sensibly and playing pool with him.

Can there be anything on earth as depressing as a seaside town on a wet bank holiday? The pallid air of utter disappointment hung over the town like a cloud. Children licked ice cream in the rain while adults listlessly poked at chips with a wooden folk, ah the British weather. Still, there were food stories to hunt out, and I'd heard great things about the Milltown Bakery…

The sun was out and shining full whack this morning. No doubt to slowly boil all those Bank Holiday weekend tourists on their way home. But not me, I decided to head up the road to Axminster and visit one of Channel 4's best loved faces, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. After a cup of coffee and some breakfast in his Canteen , I headed on to River Cottage HQ where Hugh was having a press day for the forthcoming series of River Cottage.

Today I nipped over to Somerset to meet Jesse at the Forest and Brown Smokery, read the review and watch the video shortly. The weather's been so good I think I'm developing a classic lorry driver's one armed tan.

For the past few days I've been staying with Jess, who runs the River Cottage Canteen. She has two interesting - and inbred – cats. They're brother and sister, but then so probably were their mum and dad. The result of which is Zeus, the male, has six (as apposed to four) toes on his back feet and seven (as apposed to five) on his front. It's known in cat circles as 'Dorset thumbs'. Still, bags of character in the two of them. A big thanks to Jess for letting me stay and making a nice risotto.

More wild garlic, in fact an entire wood of it, along with bluebells. Currently fetching big bucks a kilo in London - the wild garlic that is, not the bluebells. If I had some flour and water and a pan of hot oil I’d do a tempura batter and quick dip the flowers and fry off and then serve on a bed of the fresh leaves. As it is I just eat over a dozen flower heads thus making me reek of garlic – nice! Stayed at the fantastic Bruton House in Bruton, where James and Scott do wonderful things with local produce, and the Tonka nut!

Not a nice B&B, I don't want to talk about this – I'm still in shock. Took in a National Trust place and a classic cream tea. So, is it cream on jam, or jam on cream? Personally I like the cream on first, then the jam as I was always told the cream, if it's good cream, replaces the butter...anyone know the right way? Mail me at bigfoodmap@channel4.com with the truth.