Dedicated to serving a menu of the highest quality possible, our kitchen team work on bringing the freshest ingredients together to produce a menu of locally landed fare using local producers and suppliers when possible. As a vital supplier, we jumped at the chance to delve a little deeper into the processes, history and produce that is grown and nurtured at Canara Farm as we talk to a company with a passion for food, WestCountry.

First established in 1856, WestCountry is the oldest and largest specialist wholesaler of fresh produce in the South West who’ve built an unrivalled local network of dedicated high-quality local growers of seasonal fresh produce. The company own Canara Farm, 20 acres of sunny south facing slopes near Mylor in South Cornwall, meaning WestCountry now work with individual customers to grow experimental and unusual small scale crops to help chefs to innovate and to promote uniqueness in seasonal menu development. Offering a full year-round seasonal production, benefiting from the unique maritime climate, Canara Farm is also the home of the hugely popular Lizard Leaf organic salad business, exclusively available through WestCountry Fruit Sales.

“We started with a broad range of experimental crops and then narrowed the seasonal range back to products that meet the seasonal needs of the chefs we serve. We now produce around a dozen stable seasonal crops that enable us to offer our customers the continuity of supply they need to feature the products on their menus and specials highlighting the very best in local produce.” Canara Farm offers full year-round seasonal production, benefiting from the unique maritime climate – the climate enables the farm to produce baby leaf from April through to October as well as year-round tunnel crops from 3 main tunnels.

“We also grow small scale hedgerow crops, edible flowers and niche produce for chefs where relatively small harvests can feature on daily special boards for chefs who want to use interesting small-scale crops.” Products are sourced daily (subject to season) from a wide range of the large local, national and international supplier database. Buyers have almost 100 years combined experience in the produce market and their network of sources means that they have the highest quality and most varied product range available throughout the year. Westcountry are particularly proud of their local supplier base which has been nurtured over several generations in many instances, ensuring that they have a constant supply of high-quality local produce available no matter what the season. A number of these loyal, longstanding specialist growers produce a range of seasonal crops for them specifically to their mutually agreed annual production calendar.

With sustainability becoming an ever-growing conversation point, WestCountry boast that they operate a highly efficient and sustainable logistics operation. They deliver and collect on the same efficient daily routes across the County, scheduled in order to maximise the use of each route in order to consolidate the collection and delivery of fresh produce, dairy, dry stores and local artisanal ranges. Westcountry also actively seek to minimise the adverse environmental effects of people travelling to and from their offices.