Adam Hilton visits the restaurant deemed the best in the North Devon Food Awards

I KNEW that Duckett had got me when I found myself thinking 'this butter is delicious!' Butter is delicious of course, but is Duckett's butter better than the rest? Maybe.

It came levelled off in one of those special little dishes along with the choice of three excellent breads. But I had already been seduced by the little thimbleful of swede soup with truffle oil on top that arrived to help us through the menu reading period.

I admit that swede is not my favourite vegetable, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the soup delicate, creamy and full of delight. Mind you the truffle oil yet again failed to make me understand what a truffle adds in the way of taste to a dish.

James Duckett's CV includes spells working for Roux, Ramsey and Wareing. He's chefed in London, Sydney and Spain. That's probably more Michelin stars than there are in all the South West. 2009 was only his second year at the Old Custom House and he won Best Restaurant in the North Devon Food Awards.

So you should go with high expectations. If you are careful you can enjoy Duckett's expertise without spending much. Two courses can be had at lunch for £12. Dinner is more likely to cost you £40 a head if you have three courses and some nice wine. There's even a multi-course tasting menu that will set you back £60 although that figure includes several glasses of wine chosen to go with the various courses.

The Old Custom House dates from the 16th and 17th century; plenty of beam and brick. It's easy to imagine the old customs officer nipping out across the Strand to collect a little import duty in the days before the estuary silted up and Barnstaple was a major port. In any case the place now works well as a restaurant with the eccentricities of the old building providing a different ambience for each dining space. It was near full on the Tuesday night we went; not every restaurant can claim that.

The three first courses we tried were smoked trout, duck breast and scallops. The smoking was done in the kitchen, the duck came from Crediton. Mains were a partridge (so much better than pheasant, I reckon), some delicious West Country beef and tender venison.

A plate of cheeses (supplier, the West Country Cheese Company, Butchers' Row) and the 'cannelloni of pistachio cream with marinated seasonal berries and a berry sorbet (£7.50)' were both shared between us.

We drank a bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc (£17.50) and the nice waiter chose for us glasses of Sicilian shiraz to go with the cheese.

We had a good time.

● Where: James Duckett at the Old Custom House, The Strand, Barnstaple, EX31 1EU. Bookings: 01271 370123.