The Farm Table, Topsham

Leave all expectations of farm‑shop dining at the door. Darts Farm‘s latest project redefines the genre, says Jo Rees

What’s the draw?

It’s a bit of a head scratcher that this place is so unusual. Putting a proper restaurant in a store stuffed with high-quality artisan produce shouldn’t be a mind‑blowing concept, yet it’s almost unheard of in the UK. We all know a farm-shop restaurant is where you go for quiche and salad with a side of coleslaw.

The Dart family have always eschewed convention, however. That’s what’s led them, during the past 30 years, to evolve a pick‑your‑own produce stall into a pioneering food emporium with high‑end homewares, outdoor gear, teepees, a cider business, gelateria, chocolatery, vineyard and spa.

So, in their usual groundbreaking way, the family have created an in-house restaurant of note. The original daytime cafe is still in situ and bolstered by a casual dining area, but The Farm Table is quite a different proposition. Rustic decor and a setting adjacent to the wine store give it a vineyard-restaurant vibe, while access to outstanding produce has been exploited in a menu that takes plot‑to‑plate up a level.

Cooking creds

Thomas Chivers heads up the kitchen, turning the ingredients in his dominion into creative but unfussy dishes. This may be artisan but it’s not simple: local pork chops are brined for two days before they hit the pan; belly-pork bites get the low’n’slow sous vide treatment before being crisped; and steak, sourdough and roasted dishes all benefit from a lick of flame in the wood‑fired oven.

What to order?

Before digging into starters, kick off with slices of crust‑forward sourdough slathered in smoked wild‑garlic-salt butter, plus slivers of rum‑cured charcuterie and those bite‑size squares of belly pork. Sweet, crisp, chilli‑hot, hot‑hot, salty and meaty in equal measure, the belly pork is crack‑level addictive. The table next to us had an order with their drinks, another with their starters and a third with mains …

Buoyed by this promising start, we dived into a dish of Lyme Bay scallops with guanciale and fresh peas – resisting the charms of grilled red mullet with shaved fennel and samphire to save room for mains.
Choosing from the Soil, Sea and Land sections of the menu, we were delighted by the meaty hunk of Brixham hake with crisp skin, served on buttery chilli‑flecked broccoli with almonds. A smoky pork chop with black pudding, sweet roasted carrots and a pleasingly sharp apple and rhubarb sauce accompanied, along with a side of grilled baby gem lettuce with anchovy mayo.

After a decent interval, we braced ourselves for pudding: own‑grown‑rhubarb steamed sponge with clotted cream, which was comfort food incarnate, and a single‑origin Indonesian chocolate baked mousse. We made a decent go of the sponge but were floored by the richness of the mousse. Chocolate addicts: plan ahead and skip starters in anticipation.

Need to know

The drinks menu showcases a thoughtful curation of artisan ciders, wines, beers, cocktails and spirits of note – with lots by the glass – so swerve the role of designated driver by any means necessary.

Enjoyed our review of The Farm Table at Darts Farm in Topsham? Discover more restaurant reviews.