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Food & drink Honesty is the best policy
Recipes and ideas for getting the most out of our amazing local produce.
evon has much in common with its Cornish neigh-
bour. Te rugged coastline, stunning countryside and a fondness for clotted cream. But there is one area in which Cornwall, I’m afraid to say, beats us hands down – and that’s the abundance of Honesty Boxes. We enjoy travelling
around the county in our van and I frequently find myself yelling out “Stop” in a rather alarming manner. My poor husband thinking he is about to run over a hapless hedgehog duly obliges. I then mutter “I’ll just be a minute, there’s a stall there with some lovely looking leeks”. I can’t repeat what response that evokes. We have yet to be involved in an accident but he thinks it is only a matter of time. But to me there is nothing
more joyful than coming across a ramshackle shed, basket or simply a rusty bucket with some kind of fresh, home-made offering and an old jam jar in which to deposit your payment. It’s a throwback to some nostalgic time before on-line shop- ping deliveries or fridges that tell you when you’ve run out of milk. You never know what you’re going to come across and that’s the exciting thing. Let’s be honest, you never ac- tually need anything an honesty box offers, but that’s not the point. Te most common offerings include eggs,
jams and preserves, fruit, veg and flowers. But in Scotland I was de- lighted to discover a cake fridge, a biscuit box, a honey and mustard shack and even a fridge selling fresh mussels. Someone
also told me about one selling old books but we ran out of time for that detour. A few years ago
I decided I would set up my own box on the run up to Christmas on the windowsill outside our house. I loved playing shop when I was a young girl and I took a childish pleasure in setting out my stall (in this case an old bathroom cabinet) with home- made goodies complete with pretty mop-tops, hand written labels and price lists. I worried in case no-one would buy anything and kept nipping out to see if anything had gone. But word travels fast in Dartmouth and within a couple of days I was having to replenish the stock. I was ridiculously pleased. I don’t think anyone took anything without paying but even if they did, by the end of the week I had over £60 to give to a local charity. And if the thought of someone
being less than honest starts to worry me, then there is apparently now an app (of course there is) which people can use to pay for their goods. But where’s the fun in that! So come on residents of
Dartmouth - help keep this old traditional alive. But do beware. Tis Christmas I was accosted by
someone demanding to know why my honesty box hadn’t been out this year (I wasn’t feeling up to it aſter a string of colds and Covid) as her grandson was very disappointed. Hopefully he’ll be pleased to know it will be out this Summer …
Written by Helen Lloyd & Julie Graham • Coastal Kitchen Devon
www.coastalkitchendevon.com •
hello@coastalkitchendevon.com
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