Eddington's of Exeter
by Shawn Loughlin
As Huron County steadily emerges as a culinary destination - a place where not only great food is served, but grown by some of the country’s best farmers - James Eddington stands alone as someone who’s been at the forefront of Huron County’s dining landscape for more than a quarter-century.
His landmark restaurant, Eddington’s of Exeter, marked its 25th anniversary back in 2022. It’s nestled in a designated historical landmark home on the main street of Exeter that was built in the 1870s.
Attracted to the restaurant business, a teenage Eddington first set foot in a kitchen to wash dishes near his childhood home of Thamesford, just east of London. The year he turned 20, he took a one-year lease on the building that is now home to Eddington’s surely unaware at the time that, more than 25 years later, he’d still be there innovating and feeding the diners of Huron County and beyond.
Now, in all those years since his initial one-year lease, Eddington has continued to expand his offerings, establishing relationships with local farmers, producers and other creatives in the industry to help him get where he is today.
However, things really shifted just under a decade ago when Eddington purchased a farm property to call his own: 25 acres on the shores of Lake Huron. There, he grows something different every year, utilizing raised garden beds, an orchard and a greenhouse.
He works with local producers who are able to supply him with many of the staples that are of the highest quality, so on his farm he focuses on unique ingredients he can’t find anywhere else, like edible flowers, uncommon herbs, interesting fruit like blood peaches and other hard-to-find ingredients that set his food apart.
However, like any farmer, Eddington is at the mercy of the weather and the bounty of the harvest. Using blood peaches, for example, he has had abundant years, which have resulted in days of the ingredient being used in specials and then being preserved for later use, and lean years, which haven’t given him enough for a full dinner special. In a year like that, Eddington has pivoted to create a blood peach smash cocktail special, using everything he grows to its fullest potential.
And, in recent years, Eddington has leveraged his relationships to create special themed dinners. For example, in early February, he and his team created a special multi-course, farm-to-table meal with Schatz Winery at Zurich’s Hessenland Inn, while in March he curated a dinner that drew inspiration from Northern Portugal, based on a recent trip Eddington had taken.
His highly seasonal menus offer creative takes on appetizers that can be shared or enjoyed alone and main course options that use the freshest and most local of proteins, like beef, lamb and trout or vegetarian options like creamy mushroom pasta. And don’t decide too early; keep your ears open for the specials, as they often serve up the freshest and most creative options.
The desserts are balanced and delicious and the cocktail, wine and beer options offer something for everyone, including non-alcoholic options as well.
Eddington’s plating is something to behold. The dishes truly are works of art and will call to the Instagrammers and aspiring foodie influencers to reach for their smartphones and make memories of the experience.
Also worth noting is that, earlier this year, Eddington’s was featured on OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants with Healthy Bites, a Canada-wide list released this January.
Eddington’s of Exeter is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday through to Friday and dinner exclusively on Saturdays. Find the historic building at 527 Main Street South, Exeter. To make a reservation, call 519-235-3030 or book on opentable.ca, accessible through eddingtons.ca.