Chef Spotlight | Ollie Vernon of The Chagford Inn
This month we're turning our Chef Spotlight on a true rising star of the Devon food scene, Ollie Vernon of The Chagford Inn.
The Chagford Inn is a small family run, award winning pub in the delightful Dartmoor town of Chagford. A solid focus on great cooking with a strong environmental ethos combines with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly service.
Chef Ollie Vernon has been cooking professionally for 20 years in kitchens around Devon. He loves the abundance of great food Devon has to offer and works tirelessly to build relationships with producers who share his ethos around protecting the planet's future.
What's your most treasured or earliest food memory?
I think my most treasured food memories are based on my first few trips to Italy as a child. Just the overwhelming simplicity of the food and how flavour was always prioritised over fancying-up things.
What three words would sum up your style of cooking?
Interesting, tasty, ethical.
What has been your career highlight so far?
Probably just knowing that the pub is going from strength-to-strength through all the effort we put into it.
I’m not only proud of us, but our entire team we have around us. From pretty much nothing we have created something for others to enjoy.
What is your favourite seasonal ingredient, and how would you serve it?
It's a toss up between forced rhubarb, wild garlic and asparagus. They are just signal points in the seasons for me.
What does ‘sustainable’ mean to you?
I could probably write endless paragraphs here. We are all on a sustainability journey but for us it's going beyond being sustainable and taking a more regenerative approach.
It’s aiming to leave things better than how we found them, both environmentally and socially. Our goal is to work towards a place where people see us as a beacon of good business practice.
We have a strong sustainability policy and have a undertaken full carbon foot printing of our business and have a carbon reduction plan in place. I'm proud of how far we have come but very aware that there is so much more to do if we want to minimise the impact hospitality has on the environment.
What are your ambitions for The Chagford Inn?
I hope to not only stay relevant in the Devon dining scene, but to push further to be at the forefront of regenerative hospitality in the UK.
What is the strangest food combination you like?
Peanut butter and marmite sandwiches are beltingly good
Your secret weapon in the kitchen is?
It’s not a secret, but butter is king. Or salt. Or salted butter.
Where is top of your bucket list of places to eat?
The place that I'm desperate to experience is Ynshir in Wales. I’m not sure I can describe how in awe I am of the style and ethos surrounding it.
To find out more about The Chagfrd Inn, Ollie's cooking and their delicious menus. Visit their website below.