Joshuas Harvest Store

Mark and Jude Essame came back to Devon in the late eighties after five years growing fruit and vegetables in New Zealand, settled in Ottery St Mary and started selling their own organic veg and flowers. That was 1988, and the humble farm shop has since grown into a food hall, cafe and gift store run by two of their children. The organic roots still show, but so does the sense of a family business that has had time to figure out what it wants to be.

Ready meals have been made on site since 2003, free-range meat, no additives or preservatives, with vegetarian and vegan versions too. The deli counter runs to freshly made pasties, quiches, pies and cheeses, and the homemade cakes have their following. Alongside that: pulses, grains, dried fruits, jams and chutneys, organic and biodynamic beer and wine, kitchenware, books and toys. The Wildflower Cafe does fresh food indoors or out. They also sell and hire electric bikes, which is worth knowing before you plan the day.