Mark Lobb, Wild Food Devon

Mark Lobb, Wild Food Devon

Dartmouth born and bred, Mark is one of a long family line of fishermen and sailors. His great-grandfather and grandfather, both called Frank, and father Vernon all fished and sailed out of the town’s harbour. 

After attending school in Dartmouth, Mark joined his dad’s fishmonger business, RV Lobb, aged 15.

He said: “I helped my dad with his rounds and left a few years later, around about 19, to run a separate business with my own market stall.”

Mark quickly became a regular friendly face at the town’s Friday market, and on his rounds. In August last year, more than 30 years after setting up his first stall, he moved into a unit in the market square, which he designed and built himself.

His shop is now open four days a week. Mark also employs Julie, who cooks fish dishes to sell – including the very popular chowder, pies, pates and frittatas.

He continues to run a stall at Kingsbridge farmers market twice a month and at Chillington every Thursday morning.

Mark is also a regular face at the town’s annual food festival.

He said: “At the first one we were the only ones with a burner, cooking monkfish curry. Now we serve a variety of hot dishes over the festival, do filleting demonstrations and sometimes crab picking ones too.

“At the first festivals for Children’s Day we had a rock pool with crabs etc in for the youngsters and, for the older ones, a 100 lb conga eel which appeared out of a tube and shocked a few of them!”

Mark is also a keen sailor, and passed his Yacht Masters in 2008. He owns a 22-foot day boat, and a keel-boat and squib, which he regularly races.

As part of a five strong crew he’s also entered the J80 World Championships in England, Wales and France.

Mark has used his skills to teach children to sail. He was an offshore instructor with Devon Sailing and a senior dinghy instructor with The Royal Dart Yacht Club for 20 years – starting when his own children were small. He’s been an active member of the club since he was 20 years old, and his love of sailing started young.

He said: “I did a lot of sailing and fishing as a kid, and learnt to sail at school. We’d build dinghies, fibreglass canoes, and trailers in the workshop, and on Wednesday nights launch them in the water from the higher ferry slip. We’d still be in the water at nine o’clock at night.

“And in the summer holidays we’d go on sea safaris with the school. We’d paddle out to Torcross and Strete Gate, camp out and return the next day.”

Mark was also active in the 2380 Squadron air cadets, from aged 13 to 17, and flew with them in Nimrods over Germany and Iceland.

He has also been a member of the Totnes sub aqua diving group, diving off Dartmouth, Cornwall and the Scilly Isles. And potholed and sump cave dived in Buckfastleigh.

Mark also has a head for heights and has been a keen parachutist, making many static line jumps from St Erth flights - a passion which started after a fundraising jump for Stoke Fleming primary school when his children attended there.

He said: “I’ve always had a lust for adventure, and am a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”

He’s also a self-confessed ‘workaholic’ and is up at 3am four days a week to get to Brixham market for the best fish.

He said: “It’s a great business for an adrenaline junkie like me, as it can be a temperamental risky existence, and a financial roller coaster when you’re reliant on tides, quotas and customer choices.”

Mark is one of only 800 fishmongers left in the UK, but business is thriving.

He said: “People are buying more fish than ever before, as it’s got a fantastic carbon footprint.

“All my trawled, netted and hook and line fish is caught within 30 miles of Dartmouth, from the inshore boats in the waters of Brixham, Salcombe and Plymouth. The shellfish is all sourced between Dartmouth and Salcombe.”

There is the occasional deviation from this for special occasions – such as the huge 70 lb halibut from Norway, which he filleted and sold last Christmas to many happy customers.

He added: “Customers’ awareness of fish and the way it’s caught has improved no end, and made it a better industry to work in. It’s not just about fish on a plate; nowadays people are aware of how it gets there.

“All the celebrity chefs – Rick Stein, Mitch Tonks, Keith Floyd etc – have had a major positive influence on the way people consume fish and raised awareness of the healthy aspects of eating it. People are becoming more adventurous too in their choices.”

Mark’s favourite fish is John Dory, lemon sole and mackerel, and his favourite fish dish is paella – which he happily ate a lot of during a recent gastro tour of Barcelona!

There are exciting plans to expand his business this summer, including regular crab picking and fish filleting workshops, where parents and children can work together to prepare their seafood dinner.

Mark also sells wild game during the winter months. He has been shooting rabbits, pheasants and deer around Stoke Fleming since he was young.

He has three grown-up children who all live nearby, although none have expressed an interest in the fishmonger business.

Mark added: “I’ve lived here all my life and absolutely love it. There’s sailing within 10 minutes of my door, and the beautiful moors and walking within 20. I can’t think of a better place to live.”

Mark’s shop is open Tuesday to Saturday, except Thursday, from approx 9.30am (depending on when he gets back from the fish quay) to 4pm.

For more information visit www.wildfooddevon.com

First published by By The Dart March 2015

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