eating out

Lostwithiel eatery takes Cornish Restaurant of the Year award

Charlie — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Lostwithiel eatery takes Cornish Restaurant of the Year award Charlie Fri, 11/27/2015 - 00:00

At the recent Cornwall Tourism Awards, the Trewithen Restaurant in Lostwithiel was named the Restaurant of the Year. The husband and wife team of Paul and Claire Murray opened the restaurant in 2006, and were able to claim the prize in a heavily contested competition.

"We are absolutely overwhelmed and delighted to win gold against such amazing restaurants,” said Claire Murray after the win. “We can't believe how many people have stopped to congratulate us and sent cards and flowers to say how well deserved the award is."

The restaurant has developed a strong following amongst locals. The couple’s establishment was praised for creating an amazing culinary experience whilst still remaining friendly and approachable. In awarding the Trewithen, the judges described the restaurant as, "A genuinely well run friendly restaurant serving great food, well balanced meals at a fair price and a positive ambassador for Lostwithiel."

Following the Trewithen Restaurant were The Dining Room in Rock and Michelin-rated Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 in Padstow. In the pub category, The Ship Inn in Wadebridge took top honours, followed by The Rising Sun in Truro and The Pandora Inn in Falmouth.

Cornwall has a tremendous reputation for culinary and hospitality excellence. With the trailblazing work of Rick Stein in Padstow and his awarding-winning locale, The Seafood Restaurant, Cornish fine dining also boasts Michelin-rated Nathan Outlaw, who operates a restaurant in Port Isaac.

Trewithen will now go on to represent Cornwall at the South West Tourism Awards, the winners of which will be announced at a ceremony in Exeter Cathedral in February.

For visitors staying at holiday cottages in St Ives, restaurants and pubs are not the only things to look forward to when visiting Cornwall. In terms of local attractions, the Eden Project, Newquay Activity Centre and the Screech Owl Sanctuary in St Columb all took gold in their categories. For a complete list of winners, please visit the Tourism Awards website.

Cornish Food & Drink

Falmouth Oyster Festival ready for another year

Charlie — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Falmouth Oyster Festival ready for another year Charlie Fri, 10/02/2015 - 00:00

Fans of fresh seafood will want to make their way to southern Cornwall to enjoy some great food and fun. The mouth-watering treasures from the sea will be celebrated in Falmouth with the port town’s Oyster Festival on 8-11 October.

The town’s Events Square will host the party. The annual celebration is held at the beginning of the oyster harvesting – or dredging – season. One of the headliners for the festival is the local Fal oyster. The event, spread over four days, will offer food, cooking demonstrations, live music and local craft stalls. In addition to real ale and wine bars, there will also be boat races, a shucking competition, a Grand Oyster Parade, and a Grand Oyster Draw.

If you are enjoying a cottage holiday in South Cornwall, the event is the perfect chance to enjoy oysters and other Cornish seafood. The region’s top chefs and food experts from Cornish hotels and restaurants will be on hand to lead demonstrations and discussions. They promise to provide visitors to the festival with new and unique, tasty seafood combinations. They will include dishes that feature native oysters, wines, ales, as well as local produce.

One of the chefs attending will be Chris Eden, head chef at Driftwood in Portscatho. In eight years, he has achieved three AA Rosettes and his first Michelin Star in 2012. Eden is passionate about cooking with the best local produce. He has always worked with local Cornish suppliers to make sure the freshest food possible reaches his customer’s tables.

Also joining the Falmouth Oyster Festival is Fiona Were, recently named one of the Top 10 female chefs in the country by The Independent. Originally from New Zealand, now living in Cornwall, she has worked in a number of prestigious hotels and restaurants.

Cornish Food & Drink

Cream Teas - Who gets your vote?

Becky — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Cream Teas - Who gets your vote? Becky Tue, 06/30/2015 - 00:00

Cream teas divide opinion here in the South West.

What gets a tick on your voting card, one or two scones? Do you smother your scone in jam and top it off with cream – the Cornish way – or do as the Devonshire folk and put your cream on first? Does it have to be clotted cream and do you like plain or fruit scones? And the tea, normal black tea or do you prefer something different? Whatever you preference we all have our ideal cream tea. Tell us who serves your ideal cream tea and we’ll compile our top 10 cream teas serveries in Cornwall list. Don’t forget to upload a pic of you eating your delicious cream tea as well! As a starter, our vote so far in 2014 goes to The Rectory Tea Rooms in Morwenstow…

Cornish Food & Drink

Cathy's fun-filled week!

Becky — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Cathy's fun-filled week! Becky Thu, 06/25/2015 - 00:00

Peter and I have had a bit of a fun-packed week. It all started last Wednesday when we went to the Eden Project to see Elton John perform. The whole evening was a sensation enhanced by the awesome setting of the biomes and foliage bedecked terraces in the dappled evening sunlight. Elton came on stage at about 8.10 p.m. and sang non-stop for nigh on two and a half hours! And what a performance! All those wonderful familiar songs are just taken to a whole new level when you hear them performed live with an amazing production and awesome lightshow. We were bowled over.

Of course, it was Father’s Day on Sunday so we went with the girls to The Lost Gardens of Heligan. The sun shone, the gardens are so beautiful and Heligan had laid on a barbecue specially. The Steward’s House lawn was festooned with bunting and they even provided picnic rugs for people to sit on. We love Heligan and have visited four times already this year, making our annual membership very good value! Each area of the garden is a joy, so well tended, and every time you visit there is something new to see. We find the whole place really uplifting.

Tuesday we went to see Mr Holmes at the cinema in Truro and had a meal at Ask Italian which is a few yards down the road (go on to their website for offers!). I enjoyed Mr Holmes, possibly slightly more than Peter did; there was no murder mystery to unravel but it was charming with subtle humour.

Then Thursday we went to visit Trevibban Mill Vineyard which is just outside Padstow. We had known that our neighbours Liz and Engin had bought some land a few years back and had planted a vineyard, but recently they opened to the public and this was the first time we had been to visit. Liz and Engin made us very welcome and, before you knew it we were sitting at the bar having a full-blown wine tasting session! They have organic and non-organic wines and have only recently started to sell them. There were 7 to chose from although we also got a sneak pre-taste of their 2014 Pinot Noir. They were all delicious and full of flavour. Afterwards Engin showed us around the estate; dessert apple and cider apple trees, chestnut trees and a small flock of sheep complement the vines, I was glad I had brought my flip flops as we wended our way down to the small lake at the bottom of the estate. Engin was telling us that they have see otters, kingfishers, heron and dragon flies down here when they just sit quietly on the picnic bench and wait. It was a truly idyllic setting.

But then we had to rush away as we had booked at table at Rafferty’s in St Merryn. Ed Rafferty was his usual genial self and we had a perfect meal of steak and chips followed by lemon posset. Beautifully cooked; the chips were perfect (it’s funny how so many restaurants can’t get chips right, isn’t it?), button mushrooms really tasty, tender flavoursome steaks, zingy lemon posset.So that’s the end of our week. No, wait! Off to a birthday party tonight. What a couple of old gadabouts we are!

Cornish Horizons News

Shhh the secret's out... Head to The Harbour Fish and Grill - Newquay

Becky — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Shhh the secret's out... Head to The Harbour Fish and Grill - Newquay Becky Wed, 06/10/2015 - 00:00

If you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere, laid back tunes, good cocktail list, fantastic fish a plenty and a view to die for, head here: www.ajharbourfishandgrill.co.uk . Couldn’t fault it.

Cornish Food & Drink

Barbecue great fresh food – Cornwall Style

Becky — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Barbecue great fresh food – Cornwall Style Becky Tue, 09/30/2014 - 00:00

Cook your Cornish Cream Tea on a Camp Fire!

Barbecues make summer memories, whether it’s on the beach with a camp fire or back by your tent on a little disposable barbecue. Why not make your food part of the memory too? Forget those supermarket burgers that you can get back home, try to rustle up a proper Cornish feast. Here’s some of our favourite barbecue and camp fire food to get your taste buds tingling.

Barbecue experts listen up – you can have a barbecue cream tea! Think we’re joking? We’re not. Read on…Barbecue fish –it has to be mackerel.

Blue striped silver and straight from the sea, line caught from the fishermen if you can get up early enough, or maybe you can catch your own. You can get fresh fish from fishmongers in Cornwall, who provide the best that the sea has to offer. Mackerel is an oily, firm fish which stands up well to outdoor cooking and eating. Opinion is split in the Cornish Horizon offices, but here are our two favourite ways to cook mackerel.Long sunset

A wine glass view of sunset

Barbecue or flame cook your mackerel fillets, add nothing. Don’t let them dry out, then douse with Worcestershire Sauce, peel off the skin and slap between buttered ciabatta bread that’s been warming on the coals, add salt to taste if you must – but the sauce is already salty. Sink your teeth into the warm white flesh, with the brown dorsal meat running with juice and enjoy. Barbecue Cornish style doesn’t get simpler than that. Best enjoyed with a chilled glass of white and a long beach sunset. Long beach sunsets are when the tide is out and the water is a long way away, but the wet pools on the sand are lit up in gold. Perfect. Best viewed through your wine glass!Barbecue mackerel with horseradish.

Take your mackerel, and marinade with red chilli and lemon. It is a firm fish and it’ll hold up to this. Cook as above, but add just a dab of horseradish – yes –horseradish, before serving on a bed of green salad with a simple seasoned dressing – no more flavours to compete with the marinade. For easy barbecue eating you can always slap the dripping fish into hunks of warm bread, dipped in a spare marinade. To cool the chilli fish slake thirst with cold beer or chilled white wine.Local meat for your Cornwall barbecue

For a meat course, use local cuts of whatever takes your fancy and fits your budget. Stack the barbecue high and create a peppery marinade to smother the meat. Your goal is to get everyone on the beach or campground wishing they were eating with you tonight. Try boiling potatoes, wrapping them in silver foil and giving them ten minutes in the coals. Turn them out into a dish and add ridiculous amounts of salt, pepper and butter. Break up slightly with a fork and add spoonfuls to your meat laden plates. You could have salads too –but do you really want them?Barbecuing for veggies is easy with local produce.

Fresh vegetables, grilled with a simple marinade partner hard, full fat cheeses, grilled until they bubble, or skewered and held over flames until they turn golden brown. A special mention here for Cornish cheese. We have some of the best cheese in the world and plenty of local shops where you can try before you buy. For example, Cornish Cheese, Lynher Dairies, Newlyn Cheese Shop, The Cheese Shop in Truro As with all food in these parts, if you can, please taste and try local rather than heading for the big shed supermarkets. There are many farmers markets in Cornwall, where you can shop around for barbecue ingredients.Barbecued Cream Tea Recipe

Veggies catered for, what else is left to barbecue? Oh yes, dessert. A barbecue or camp fire Cornish cream tea. This is easy and we’ve saved the best ‘til last. It’s simple, tasty and great fun for grown-ups and children too.

Mix plain flour and water until you have a firm dough that is sticky to touch but holds its shape when patted into rough dough balls. Don’t add salt. Then, get a green stick, that’s a stick that is still living by the way, so it lasts longer in the fire. Your barbecue stick needs to be about one and a half cm in diameter and long enough to hold over the heat without your fingers burning. Peel the bark off from one end – about 15cm. Twist a generous handful of “scone” dough around the peeled bit of stick. You want to completely cover the peeled end with dough about an inch thick – like a sock. Toast over coals or flames until the dough goes golden brown and comes away from the stick easily when you ease it off. Careful, it will be hot!Camp Fire Cream Tea

Cooking your own “scone” is easy, just take care with the flames!

Fill with jam. Top with clotted cream which will melt if hot. Eat. Get messy. Then do it again. There you have it – barbecue Cornish Cream Tea.Barbecued Cream Tea. Charred around the edges, hot jam and melting clotted cream. Yum.

Barbecued Cream Tea. Charred around the edges, hot jam and melting clotted cream. Eat it fast and cook another. Yum.

Cornish Food & Drink

Best places to eat in Cornwall

Catherine — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Best places to eat in Cornwall Catherine Fri, 09/05/2014 - 00:00

There are amazing places to eat in Cornwall, some with stunning views, others with Michelin stars and many with a chilled, relaxed atmosphere. What is best for one person doesn’t do it for another. Here are some of our favourites; if yours isn’t mentioned let us know the name, where it is and why it ticks all the boxes for you.

Best places to eat with a view:

The View perched on the cliffs with stunning views over Whitsand Bay on the south coast. Simple lunch and dinner menu with a laid back atmosphere.

Best restaurants to impress:

Little Plates Bar and Eatery is the only place in Wadebridge that solely offers a variety of Mediterranean food. But don’t let the name ‘little plates’ put you off as they actually offer two portion sizes- a ‘little plate’ which is standard tapas size or a ‘larger plate’ if you would rather enjoy one dish as your main meal. If you’re a Cornish Horizons customer they also offer 10% off all food at lunch time.

Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Rock, opposite Padstow on the North Coast has been awarded two Michelin stars for the last four years and unsurprisingly fish takes centre stage here. It’s only open in the evening but you’re guaranteed to have a dining experience to remember.

Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant here in Padstow opened in 1975 and it’s still one of the best in Cornwall. Many of the dishes are inspired by Rick’s travels around the world and the menu includes oysters, lobster and sashimi.

Best places to eat with all the family:

Little Kahuna– set in the centre of Newquay this friendly, cosy restaurant is perfect for all the family. Offering a varied menu plus tasty daily specials there is always something for everyone. They also offer all Cornish horizons customers 10% off their total food bill. Book a table fast.

Warne’s in the heart of Wadebridge is a really family friendly, casual dining restaurant that serves modern British food with a few international twists. Currently rated number 1 on Trip Advisor in Wadebridge it certainly won’t disappoint!

Life’s a Beach overlooks the rolling waves at family-friendly Summerleaze Beach, Bude, on Cornwall’s North Coast. It’s open for lunch and dinner during the summer. You’ll find salty haired surfers and families tucking into burgers and ice creams during the day with local seafood being dominant in the bistro-style evening menu.

The Beach Hut, at Watergate Bay, near Newquay, is a fashionable café that welcomes all those in sandy flip-flops and board shorts. Serving delicious mugs of hot chocolate, steaks, burgers, salads and, of course, seafood, it caters for all ages and has a great kids menu.

Sam’s Bistro in Fowey is a retro, 1960s diner with unfussy food that all the family will love. Burgers are chargrilled and include the Scooby Burger while the specials board is packed with delicious seafood dishes. The only downside is that you can’t book a table but it’s worth the wait.

Cornish Food & Drink