Honiton: New greengrocer opens on the High Street and owner James wants everyone to cook up a storm

A new greengrocer shop, which is called Genesis, has opened on Honiton High Street and it is already attracting lots of interest.

The shop opened last week. It sells a range of fruit and vegetables, and the vast majority come from within a few miles of Honiton.

James Brooks (34) is the owner. He describes himself as a 'Food adventurer' and he has nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, where he shares innovative recipe ideas.

He told Nub News: "The reason why I opened Genesis is because I love this community. I want to see Honiton become all it can be. I want the High Street to thrive and to become a foodie destination, and I want to be part of that movement."

As well as selling everyday cooking staples, Genesis also sells more unusual vegetables, such as Rainbow Chard and Cavolo Nero. You can also purchase bee pollen, olive oil and sourdough bread, which is made in Honiton.

The food which is sold in Genesis comes from a variety of sources, but James tries to make sure everything is as local as possible. Many of the items are from within 10 miles from farms that are either certified organic or growing produce to an organic standard.

Local supplies include Bishops Farm in Kentisbeare, Trill farm near Axminster and a supplier in Newton Poppleford.

Genesis does sell imported fruit, such as bananas, but there are long term plans to develop partnerships and relationships with international farms and producers. "We love the idea of having a connection with a family farm in Sicily for our lemons, knowing that the producers are into regenerative farming."

James has a long-term mission is to help people eat more locally and more seasonally, which he says can be a challenge. He said: "We'd like to create recipe cards and videos to help people become more familiar with food they wouldn't usually use."

Dad-of-three James Brooks grew up in south London and moved to Honiton eight years ago. "I love the community and it is a beautiful place for my children to grow up. The countryside is great and the local produce is wonderful too."

As well as running Genesis, James runs a social media agency that works with companies that sell in supermarkets. He uses social media to create food content videos and he has a kitchen studio in Cullompton. They will soon be moving their offices to Honiton.

"I'm all about the food, and so it is just fantastic living in a part of the world where we have access to such incredible produce."

James said that the first few days of business have been good. "We've had such a lovely reception from the town. So many people have come in and said they have been longing for a greengrocer shop for years, as I think the last one closed about 8 years ago.

"To me it was crazy that there are so many amazing producers on our doorstep who are growing incredible food and also taking care of the land, yet you couldn't buy the food in Honiton.

"That's why I called the shop Genesis. You've got God creating the earth and giving it to humans to take care of it and steward it well.

"I'd really encourage people to come and see what we have on offer. The produce that we have changes from day to day because we get it in so fresh. Today we had delicious fresh cucumbers, local salad and bunches of shallots. Come and say hello!"

You can find Genesis at 96A High Street, Honiton. You can also contact them via Facebook here or and if you want to find out more about James you can find him on Instagram on jamesbrooksco