Darts Farm, near Exeter, in Devon, used to be - and still is - a working farm. But it isn't all about crops and livestock. In the early 1970s, Ronald Dart, the late father of the three brothers who now run the operation, decided to move into pick-your-own and set up a small farm shop. It was the beginning of a programme of diversification that was light years ahead of the Government's present Strategy for Regional Food, but informed by the same rationale: the farm would simply not survive by selling its crops and animals alone.
Soon the farm shop began to supplement what it grew with that of local producers. Before they knew it the brothers were sitting on something of a food Mecca - boasting the Fish Shed, a deli, the renowned butcher Gerald David, office space for related businesses and a 120-seat restaurant.
The restaurant was only a 50-seat affair to begin with, designed to offer shoppers breakfasts. However, the quality of the produce - black pudding, bacon and sausages from the butcher, eggs from a local farm - shone through: "It wasn't the cheapest, but people were driving to it from miles around," says Michael Dart, co-director of Darts Farm and the second-eldest of the three brothers.
Head chef Michael Crane says he now serves 300-400 breakfasts a day at the weekends. At lunch the daytime restaurant becomes a showcase for all the produce the chefs have under their noses.
"Coming here was like a breath of fresh air, compared with other kitchens," says Crane. "Most mornings I go round the farm shops, the deli and to Gerald David's and see what they have in for our specials." There are currently mackerel fillets from the day boats (nothing is frozen), plenty of scallops and lamb.
"With this produce I stay away from anything like Oriental flavours," Crane says. "If I do lemon sole fillets it will just be with something like a cucumber butter. We present the ingredients simply."
The restaurant is always full, and was recently asked - through word of mouth - to put on an evening function for 120 bankers. What was on the menu? A local fish starter of kiln-smoked salmon, tenderloin of pork with a cider (made on site) and apple sauce, with Devon Blue-stuffed field mushrooms. Dart says they often have wealthy weekend visitors from London cramming the back of 4x4s with cheese, wines and meats.
"We sell the best of what is available," Dart says. "That means half or three-quarters of all our cheese is from the West Country, including Quickes, Montgomery's and Sharpham brie."
That local identity adds value. "Now people want to differentiate their food by where it comes from," Dart says. Surprisingly, he also says the commodity-driven supermarkets, although they have changed the way forever people shop, have only strengthened the farm's position. "We have two massive superstores within five miles of us," he says. "But you can't sell a Bentley from a Skoda garage."
As a farmer, Dart is passionate about the countryside around him. The farm is close to the M5, so holiday-makers form a large part of its market, and Dart recognises the importance of the countryside in protecting that market. "Speciality food is about sustainable food," he stresses. "Getting farmers to add value often means you don't ruin the landscape that supports us all so well." He points to the hedgerows and the fields and says: "You need local farmers with small herds eating these fields. That's what keeps the landscapes looking so good."
Dart lets out a giggle when he admits that the farm has been doing "for donkeys' years" what everyone else is now jumping up and down about: "We are just a bunch of farmers who did what we did out of necessity," he laughs. "Now we are food heroes!"
Darts Farm, Clyst St George, Exeter, Devon, EX3 0QH. Tel: 01392 875587