There are plenty of chefs who profess to be spearheading the "local" food revolution. Then you find that their "local" beef has in fact zigzagged its way from the other end of the country, and though, yes, they may be supporting regional produce, nothing in their kitchen was reared, grown or caught within 20 miles of where it will eventually be cooked.
The same cannot be said of Agaric in Ashburton, Devon, where 37-year-old Nick Coiley and his wife, Sophie, are part of a genuine, old-fashioned supply chain. "We cure local ham ourselves, Parma ham-style. We salt it, then cure it in the roof, then take it to Jacksons, the fish smoker down the road, to smoke. The pigeon is shot by the lobster fisherman. They all just turn up at the kitchen door themselves."
Such an intimate relationship hasn't sprung up overnight. Coiley's career in Devon has meant he's sussed out his sourcing: before opening Agaric he was head chef at Joyce Molyneux's renowned Carved Angel in Dartmouth; before that he was at Holne Chase hotel, and before that he trained at Torquay College.
The local knowledge serves his guests well. They can currently treat themselves to asparagus from Kitley with hollandaise (£6.95). "It's the first cut of asparagus and the only time I buy it," he says.
Freshness plays a large part in his determination to buy carefully, and locally: "The fishmonger said there was only some monkfish - and 'stuff from the trawler', but I won't take that. It's been on ice out at sea for the best part of a week."
He will, however, use the monkfish caught by a local day boat to go with some hand-picked samphire for a light lunch menu. The menu isn't a permanent fixture, but if something is plentiful he might use it to offer two courses plus coffee and bread and olives for £11.50. The pre-meal snack is meant as a taster to tempt people to buy one of his own home-made loaves to take home.
But even on the main, mostly British, menu you will see an ingredient pop up more than once. At present there are three venison dishes to choose from, including braised shoulder with mushrooms, bacon, red wine and shallots (£14.95), and there's a terrine of venison and pork with spiced oranges and salad (£6.95) among the six starters.
This helps to avoid waste and keep things manageable for the kitchen, where he largely works alone. "The deer will come with the head off and gutted, but I will butcher the whole animal myself. I'll take the two loins and that will do eight main portions, then you have all the trimmings to do terrines - and the bones for stock." Most of the salad and herbs are also grown in the restaurant's own garden.
Though the earthy-coloured, intimate dining room has space for about 32 seats, even when busy on a Saturday and Friday night he will not push things beyond about 26 covers.
And is there anything that isn't local? "Well, yes. As it's a funny, in-between time of the year for puddings, I've got pineapple on with pineapple sorbet (£5.95) - but only because I'm waiting for strawberries."
A glance at the wine list - consciously from "bonkers makers", says Coiley - reconfirms the emphasis with a bottle of Madeleine Angevine Barrel Fermented (£19.95) from the local Sharpham vineyard. And to finish? Of course there's no mention of petits fours with your tea or coffee - "Fudge is what we make."
Agaric, 30 North Street, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7QD
Tel: 01364 654478
Web: www.agaricrestaurant.co.uk
Chef's cheat
Coiley own invention, the "pusher-througher", is his solution for speeding up passing food through a chinois. It's a small, two-inch long roller, carved by a local wood turner - rather like a small paint roller with a curved surface - that fits against the curve of a normal sieve. Another local craftsman put a handle on it so you can roll it over all of the sieve's surface. Coiley says the device saves him lots of time, especially in summer when he has to sieve lots of pur‚es, such as raspberries. He is planning to sell them.
What's on the menu
* Split pea and ham soup, £4.95
* Warm salad of pan-fried pigeon breast with red confit onion and raspberry vinegar, £7.95
* Pan-fried fillet of bass with spinach, fennel and hollandaise, £16.95
* Grilled Devon fillet steak with a mushroom stuffed with red wine and shallots, £16.95
* Pan-fried venison steak with Puy lentils, smoked bacon, roasted squash and rosemary gravy, £15.95
* Rhubarb and ginger crumble with clotted cream, £5.95
* Local Ticklemore cheeses with oatmeal biscuits and dates, £6.95
By Dan Bignold