Farmhouse fare

Huw Jones has been supplying award-winning sausages to hotels and restaurants in the South-west for seven years. With the opening of his Merrivale Farmhouse restaurant in Gweek, Cornwall, last summer, he will now cook them for you too.

Jones has built up a reputation among local chefs for producing top-quality charcuterie. However, a growing trend for his customers to buy cheaper imported produce led Jones to take a drastic decision and close his wholesale business to concentrate on selling through his shop in Truro.

Already having experience of running a restaurant, Jones took over an existing site and opened the 32-seat Farmhouse restaurant last year. At minimal cost, he has created a cottage-style interior of exposed granite and wooden beams. He employs one assistant chef and two front of house staff.

The handwritten menu offers seven-options per course, with about half changing each week, according to availability of produce. Average spend with wine is £22 and Jones serves about 20-30 covers a night.

Jones points out that the menu is not reliant on charcuterie as many customers prefer the locally caught fish - sea bass, turbot and Dover sole. A popular fish at the moment is grilled John Dory served with fried Mediterranean vegetables of black and green olives, peppers and capers (£11).

When describing some of his favourite dishes, he is inevitably attracted to his preferred food - charcuterie. From the starters, he recommends the Merrivale charcuterie platter (£3.50) - a selection of Tuscan-style dry, cured pork fillet, Cornish salami and Cornish hot and spicy sausage served with marinated olives.

For a main course, he enjoys cooking the osso bucco (£8), which he describes as "English leg of veal sliced through the bone. The knuckle bone and meat are then cooked in lemon zest, fresh tomato and anchovies. The stock from the bone adds to the flavour of the dish."

Although puddings are not his passion, a fortnightly changing, interesting selection is always available. Priced at £2.75, they have recently included pumpkin pie, and apple and ginger crumble.

By varying his menu and introducing seasonal items, Jones is hoping to attract a base of local regulars. His current winter menu concentrates on game and has included dishes such as woodcock (£11). After roasting for 20 minutes, the bird is deglazed with red wine. It is served with game chips and a home-made bread sauce.

A favourite dish is jugged hare, casseroled for eight hours with carrots, leeks and celery (£11). The casserole is finished with the hare's blood, cream and redcurrant jelly and served with forcemeat balls seasoned with thyme and rosemary.

A wine list of 19 bottles attempts to "provide a wide choice at a reasonable price," Jones says. The range encompasses the house red, Spanish Tarragona (£6); house white, Spanish Campo Nuevo (£6); and, at the top end, a sparkling Australian Chardonnay (£13). Jones also offers two Cornish wines: St Perran and Camel Valley, both at £9.95.

After finishing your meal with a cafetiäre of filter coffee (£1), Jones encourages customers to buy some of his sausages to take away. These include his 1991 Guardian Sausage Quest winner, herb and garlic (£1.90/lb).

The restaurant is open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday, extending to Wednesday dinner and Sunday lunch before Easter.