Where there's a Wills

It's tucked away from the main Totnes thoroughfare, it changed its name last November from Saveur de Provence to Wills, and the local authority won't allow it to display any eye-catching sign to show that it is a restaurant.

This set of challenges faces the 30-seat Devon business, sited in a listed building which is the birthplace of Victorian explorer William Wills. But therein lies the problem. The council will allow only a small brass plaque to indicate the restaurant's identity. And, according to chef de cuisine Dominique Prandi, the original Gallic name was dumped because "the locals had problems with it".

Owners Jenny Priest and Philip Silvester brought in Prandi last November in the hope of bringing the business some kudos and distinctive cooking. Prandi came from Maison Novelli, where he had worked with his friend, Jean-Christophe Novelli. But Prandi's main concern is for a sustained upturn in business, which he describes as "patchy".

He serves 15-20 covers a day to a mixed clientele of tourists, business people and locals, spending an average of £40 a head including wine. But his aim is to create a bedrock of regulars from the nearby cities of Exeter and Plymouth.

Using local produce in a county such as Devon is a must. As a native of the rural Massif Central region of France, this instinct comes naturally to Prandi. His summer evening menu is laden with fish, taken from the market at nearby Brixham. He is also a regular customer of Totnes-based Ticklemore Cheese and Sharpham Wine & Brie, takes venison from Buckfastleigh, and is a keen user of his local butcher for other meats.

Priced at £22 for two courses and £27 for three, his menu changes with the seasons, and the best-selling starter from his summer repertoire is the baby squid stuffed with king prawns served on a bed of couscous with lemon and herb oil dressing. From the mains, the top-choice dish is roast black bream, chorizo oil, sweet-roasted, sun-dried tomatoes, aubergine caviar and infused picholine olives.

The summer menu is not radically different from the winter/spring versions but omits heavier dishes such as broths and risottos and places much more emphasis on fish options. Prandi also offers daily specials, such as the current light summer dishes of mushroom gâteau or a goats' cheese roulade.

From the desserts, he points to the crème brûlée as his personal favourite, but says that he often puts on an English trifle. "But I do it my way," he says, "which means no jelly, real custard and brandy instead of sherry. You can never taste the sherry in a trifle. I don't know why people put it in."

A selection from the menu at Wills

Two courses, £22; three courses, £27
Home-smoked salmon served with blinis
Crab tian served with pink grapefruit and salad leaves with a gazpacho sauce
Beaufort terrine served with salad leaves and a balsamic dressing
Spicy fish cake with gribiche sauce and topped with a quails' egg
Pav‚ of halibut served on a bed of crushed new potatoes with a lemon and vanilla reduction
Venison and scallop brochette served with sweet potatoes and a port sauce
Honey crème brûlée
Hot chocolate fondant served with chocolate ice-cream
Selection of roasted fruits with frozen yogurt

Wills Restaurant, 3 The Plains, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5DR. Tel: 0800 056 3006. Web site: www.totnes.com