Whilst on our ‘foodie tour’ of the South West, it only seemed right we check out Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, in the town Axminster, Dorset.

We booked a table for Sunday lunch and arrived towards the end of service, deli/cafe at the front and ‘canteen’ toward the back. Stepping through the door you were hit by how relaxed and non fussy the atmosphere was, decor simple and functional, exposed wooden tables, mismatching coloured chairs and photos of free range organic produce on the walls. The place had an honest and ‘back to basics’ feel, which reflected the ethos of showcasing the best of the south west produce.

A black board strung up by pulleys displayed a modest number of starters, mains and puds. We decided on sharing two starters, Cornish sardines, gremolata and Palestinian olive oil, then oxtail and tounge terrine with pickles and toast.

The mains we ordered were seared ox liver with salsa verde new potatoes and balsamic pan juices and roast shin of beef new potatoes, heritage carrots and fresh peas (forgetting to photograph before halfway through devouring).
Both were delicious and quite substantial, but we still had room for pudding!

Dark chocolate brownie with hazelnuts and ice cream and a strawberry Eton mess – served in a kilner jar.

Needless to say that all the food we had at Mr Fearnely-Whittingstall’ was really great. Nothing pretentious or fussy, just generous well constructed dishes – priced in a surprisingly reasonable manner. Emphasis was put on the fantastic local produce without a whiff of ego and celebrity chef nonsense – very refreshing and down to earth.