It's the freshness of the local produce served from Andrew Cannon's kitchen at the Victoria Inn in Salcombe, Devon, that pulls in the diners. MARK TAYLOR reports
Local produce may have become something of a fashionable sound bite for certain chefs, but for Andrew Cannon, it was the main reason he wanted to take over the Victoria Inn.
For 13 years he worked as head chef of the two AA-rosetted Soar Mill Cove Hotel in Devon. However, a desire to run a pub and put his ingredient-driven cuisine into a more informal setting became the catalyst for applying for a tenancy at the St Austell Brewery-owned Salcombe pub in March 2003.
Thirty vie for Victoria's crown
Cannon explains: 'There was a short list of 30 people who wanted this pub and I was a single tenant, which breweries tend not to like as much as couples,' says Cannon, who is also a part-time fireman.
'I think they let me have the pub purely because of the qualifications I had as a chef and it's gone from strength to strength.
He adds: 'I was the brewery's tenant of the year last year, so that showed they were pleased with how things have gone... actually, they've just given me a second tenancy in another Devon pub.'
For Cannon and his head chef, James Chapman, local produce is the backbone of the kitchen, and with 90% of the ingredients used at the Victoria Inn being sourced from the south west, it's hardly surprising that the pub won Local Food Supporters of the Year 2005 in the latest Les Routiers in Britain Pubs and Inns Guide.
Says Cannon: 'When I took over, it was a managed house, but it wasn't going well. Everything was in packets or in the freezer, so I made the decision there and then not to do anything that wasn't fresh and homemade and it's paid off.
'Everything we serve is made here, and that's what people come here for.
'There are four pubs in Salcombe, but our USP (unique selling point) was that we wanted the freshness, we wanted to use local suppliers and that's what keeps us ahead of the others, and I'm sure the other landlords would agree.
'Salcombe is a very wealthy area and it's almost solely reliant on tourists. Something like 58% of properties here are second homes - the population is about 2,500 in the winter and 35,000 in the summer months.
'All we've ever tried to do here is be the best food pub in Salcombe and it's worked. I never wanted it to become a restaurant. We buy the best ingredients from local suppliers, but it isn't as cheap as if we bought from the large companies.
'We're not the cheapest pub in the world, and we're certainly the most expensive pub in Salcombe, but people tend to appreciate quality and we get a lot of repeat business.' Cannon adds: 'If they thought they were being ripped off, I'm sure they wouldn't come back so often.'
'We get a lot of reps coming to us from big seafood and fish companies, and we could buy a lot cheaper from them, but the quality isn't there and it's purely price-led. It's still so rewarding when somebody comes here and says they had a lemon sole and they could taste how fresh it was.'
Local produce rules the roost
More than 90% of the produce sourced at the pub is local, even down to the handmade crisps, which come from Burt's Potato Chips at Kingsbridge, five miles away. All the meat comes from Aune Valley Meats in Loddiswell, near Kingsbridge.
Says Cannon: 'The farm is run by Richard Windsor, a third generation farmer, and he is our only butcher. He has a farm in Ugborough, 15 miles away, where he raises his own beef and gets it slaughtered 20 miles away in Ashburton.
'Our signature dish is slow-cooked shoulder of lamb and we sold 4,000 portions of that last year. That's a lot of meat. Richard doesn't have that amount of stock from his own farm so he buys some in, but it's all from the South Hams area.
'He won't buy anything that isn't from south Devon. The lamb, pork and poultry is local and free-range and sourced from farms within a 10-mile radius.'
Fish and seafood accounts for 68% of food sales at the Victoria. It is supplied by Catch of the Day in Kingsbridge. Owner Dave Clarke buys direct from Looe, Brixham and Plymouth markets every morning, with the scallops, crabs and lobsters coming from local day boats in Salcombe.
'Our suppliers are very reliable,' adds Cannon. 'If, for instance, we are short of something on a bank holiday, we can phone most of them at home and they'll bring it out. Try doing that with one of the big national suppliers!'
Facts and figures
Covers: 215 including the upstairs restaurant and beer garden
Covers per day: In the summer, about 150 meals at lunchtime and 180 in the evening; in the winter, that drops to as few as 10 for lunchtime and 20 in the evening
Average spend: £15 at lunchtime, £25 in the evening
GP: 70%. Cannon adds: 'We buy fresh everyday and tend to have the philosophy that we'd rather under-order and sell it fresh on the day, than over-order. We tend to run out of the fresh fish because we buy everyday, cook it on the day and nothing hangs around. We achieve such a good GP simply because of keeping wastage down and good housekeeping.'
Dry/Wet: 60:40
Food sales increase: 'Last year we were £60,000 up in revenue terms on the year before and we're £30,000 up this year.'
On the menu
Starters
'Our signature dish starter' Shellfish chowder, £5.95
Dartmoor game and chicken liver parfait with fresh wild mushrooms served with caramelised red onion marmalade and toasted ciabatta, £5.50
A tian of Salcombe white crab meat and prawns, bound together with dill and lemon crame fraiche, served with a mixed herb salad, £7.95
Mains
Slow-roasted half shoulder of Devonshire lamb encrusted with garlic and fresh herbs served with a rich redcurrant and fresh mint sauce and wholegrain mustard mash, £14.50
Seared fillet of locally-caught sea bass served with a saffron fettuccine and a sun-dried tomato and sweet pimento oil, £15.50
Jumbo fillet of West Country codling in our own crispy beer batter, served with homemade tartare sauce, freshly cut chips and a creamy minted pea puree, £9.95
Desserts
Double chocolate steamed sponge pudding smothered in a melted chocolate ganache, £4.95
Caramel and walnut cheesecake served with orange-scented Devon whipped cream, £4.95
A selection of Langage Farm ice creams and sorbets, £4.50