Abi Manning chews the fat with Ollie Vernon, head chef of The Chagford Inn on Dartmoor
There’s quiet steel behind the smiles of Ollie Vernon and Jordan Ralph. Perhaps it’s due to the fact the couple got the keys to The Chagford Inn just two weeks before the first Covid lockdown and had to ride that storm through the early years of running their business.
Yet, despite their first foray into running a pub being a baptism of fire, chef Ollie and Jordan (front of house) have made a significant mark on the South West culinary scene. Their inn recently bagged Best Pub at the prestigious Trencherman’s Awards 2025.
What better way to interview a chef than when tucking into his delicious cuisine? I sat down for lunch with Ollie to find out about the couple’s five years at the inn, grill him on upcoming plans and see the new refurb.
‘Five years came and went and we still had the same colour scheme as the previous owners,’ says Ollie. ‘So we thought it was about time we cracked on with what we wanted to do. We hired a designer who helped us make some bold choices. I wouldn’t have thought of painting the ceiling red or green, for example, but we love what she’s come up with.
‘We did a lot of the work ourselves. We haven’t got a financial backer; it’s just me and Jord and our love of the place, pushing it forward.’
Starter
As with many chefs, Ollie’s early food experiences lie behind his choice of career.
‘My dad married an Italian lady, and it was a combination of her cooking and the time I spent in Italy, watching how ingredients were prioritised and so simply dealt with, that inspired me. From the age of 12 I wanted to be a chef.’
His journey into cheffing was modest. ‘I trained at Exeter College then worked at a few places in Exeter, Seaton, Beer and around the Torquay area – no massive names.’
Working at a big-name restaurant isn’t the only indicator of talent, of course. My starter of chopped Sladesdown trotters with pickled walnut on a slab of fluffy toast went a long way to proving Ollie’s cooking clout. It also revealed his nose-to-tail ethos.
‘It’s a respect-for-life thing. If an animal has been reared well and given its life, why are we not celebrating the entire thing? We’re in a world where big restaurants only use premium cuts and there’s no thought to where the rest of the animal goes.
‘Carcass balancing is a nightmare for butchers, so we source half cows (three years old and pasture-reared) from a local farmer and take on that responsibility ourselves.’
Home cooks who don’t have the freezer space for a half cow can embrace nose-to-tail principles in other ways, explains Ollie.
‘Get a slow cooker. Low and slow is the way forward for cheaper cuts, which you can get from your butcher. Try something simple like oxtail stew or fill the slow cooker with oil and use it to confit. Shredded confit brisket is delicious.’
Main course
My main of seven-spiced duck breast with apricot, Tenderstem, watercress and sweet potato is another dish that namechecks Sladesdown Farm. In fact, the whole menu details the producers behind the ingredients.
‘We buy a lot direct from farmers, which cuts out the middle man. Our pig farmer is a close friend and I can see his farm – and the woodland where the pigs live – from my balcony. It’s good to have those personal relationships; people need to connect with each other, and food is such an easy thing to connect over.’
Close relationships with farmers and growers means getting first dibs on unusual ingredients, which is especially exciting in autumn. Ollie lights up at the prospect of the season.
‘Summer dishes are light and refreshing, and in winter you can get a bit more meat on your plate, but autumn sees the start of game season. There’s a change in the colours and a shift in attitude. I get very excited by the enormous variety of squashes too.
‘This autumn I’ll have a game-bird dish on the menu and we’ll source locally shot wild venison.’
Pudding
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and in this case it’s in the scoffing of a hazelnut choux bun with flavours of salted caramel and chocolate, coated in crunchy muscovado. It’s pure indulgence, but not uber fancy.
‘More and more people don’t want to eat in a restaurant that feels stuffy and formal. That’s why we wanted to run a dining pub – I like the casual atmosphere. It’s nice to get a good plate of food, have a pint at the same time, and see people at the bar chatting.’
Last orders
Where does Ollie like to eat out?
‘The Farm Table in Topsham is fantastic – it’s got a really nice atmosphere. I also want to make it to The Swan in Bampton as I’ve worked with Jack [Alden, chef-owner] previously. And one of the best meals I’ve ever had was at Pony Chew Valley in Somerset. Josh [Eggleton] approaches food in a way I find very interesting.’
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