The Cornwall Blog

Starting tomorrow, the 9th of June, and running until the 11th June 2016 is the Royal Cornwall Show. This annual event really draws the crowds! Every year the visitors are around 120,000, not bad for the show that starting in Truro over 200 years ago as a ploughing competition between farmers! Today, alongside the best livestock and animals you will find Cornish wrestling, flower shows, the food tent (with free samples!!), show jumping, a steam fair, dog show, local businesses, health and beauty, the list goes on! Located at the show ground just outside Wadebridge, the RCS often boasts a royal appearance. A great place to head if you want to see the cream of Cornwall and enjoy the buzz of a crowd! Find out more about the Royal Cornwall Show .  

On the lawns of Bude Castle this month, Saturday 20 September and Sunday 21 September, an open invitation is extended to readers to discover the class of culinary cleverness hiding around the banks of the old canal. Bude is well-known for its beautiful beaches; stunning sunsets and dramatic scenery. Now it’s time for food to come to the fore. Cornwall’s most up-and-coming seaside town boasts an array of local producers whose food is sourced with care, prepared with skill and delivered with pride – as the festival exhibits outstanding producers of local food. Local restaurants, pubs and cafés, pronounced by their provenance, have been involved in a Restaurant Trail, wherein visitors can collect stamps from participants around town. Come hungry to Bude for Food, as there will be the opportunity to sample everything from charcuterie to chocolates, brownies to handmade bread, pasties to preserves and much, much more. Over 50 local exhibitors will be showcasing their wares in the Art

The search is on for a winning new pasty flavour to celebrate the ninth Cornwall Food & Drink Festival, which is taking place from 28th to 30th September on Truro’s Lemon Quay. Do you have a favourite pasty recipe that you think visitors to the festival would enjoy? If so, this is your chance to shine. Open to all amateur cooks and recipe creators, Simply Cornish, one of this year’s festival sponsors, is looking for a new pasty to become the flavour of the festival. The winning pasty will go on sale at the Simply Cornish stand in the festival’s Croust Bar and the winner will receive a box of their special flavour pasties and a fantastic Simply Cornish hamper full of tasty Cornish produce. Jason Jobling, Business Development Manager for Simply Cornish - part of Warren’s Bakery – is delighted with the idea. “We really love being part of Cornwall Food & Drink Festival and we’re excited about creating a new pasty that can be launched there. While the traditional Cornish

Rick Stein and Jill Stein have opened a new fishmonger’s in Padstow. Stein’s Fisheries, selling fresh fish, shellfish and pre-prepared seafood dishes, opened for business on Monday 26th March on the South Quay, next to Stein’s Fish and Chips. After being closely involved with the fishing industry for well over 35 years and seeing the growing success of their fish counter at Stein’s Deli, it was a natural move for the business. On offer will be lobsters, crabs and an extensive range of fresh fish and shellfish as well as pre-prepared foods such as fishcakes, seafood salads, fish soups and a selection of salmon, prawn and crab sandwiches. The opening of Stein’s Fisheries will also create additional space in the deli to stock more local meats, salads and olives. Rick commented ‘We are delighted to have a proper fish shop after all these years and think it will be popular, we know that fishmongers are closing down all over the country but we’re very optimistic about Stein’s Fisheries

David Sharland, executive chef at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, has been nominated by the Craft Guild of Chefs for one of the industry’s most prestigious awards for his outstanding achievements in the catering industry. Now in its 18th year, the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards ceremony has become the chef’s ‘Oscars’ and the coveted accolades recognise and reward the leading talent working in kitchens across the industry.

The People's Choice Award is a new award category which has been added to the 2011 Craft Guild of Chefs Awards line up. This new award has been introduced to recognise the unsung heroes of the industry who demonstrate real commitment to their job, someone who stands out in the profession as going the extra mile. Rick Stein comments: “David Sharland has a rare skill in that he completely understands how to make kitchens work harmoniously. Due to his immense experience, he knows how to build up a happy and hard working brigade, and to design a great kitchen. N

Hot on the heels of their Falmouth Fish & Chip restaurant being hailed as one of the most exciting UK openings of 2010, Rick and Jill Stein’s Seafood Restaurant has been named as one of the Top 50 UK Restaurants. The Sunday Times launched it’s Food List last week, in conjunction with the prestigious Harden’s Restaurant guide, and named the Padstow restaurant at number 50 in it’s top 100 eateries. The list, based upon diner’s feedback to the Harden’s guide, proclaimed the Seafood to be “better than ever after the refurbishment” and is often applauded by reporters for “the best seafood anywhere”. “I am so pleased about the listing, I think that it is testament to the great work that our Head Chef, Stephane Delourme and Restaurant Manager, Ed Rafferty, and their teams have put in during the last twelve months” says Rick Stein. The Seafood Restaurant was the only Cornish restaurant to be listed in the top 100, although the Devon based restaurateur Michael Caines claimed top spot

One of the culinary highlights of the celebrated Port Eliot Festival is Chris Sherville’s Seafood Restaurant in the Walled Garden. Chris has returned to the Festival each year, serving up fresh crab and lobster, calamari and chips, and cones of whitebait. Such is the popularity of his dishes that on Saturday 16th October, he’ll be running a day-long course in the splendid restored Georgian kitchen at Port Eliot, focusing on seafood. Participants will also have the unique opportunity to enjoy Chris’ cuisine as they dine in the magnificent Port Eliot Round Room and they will be invited to access some of the private areas of Port Eliot House with Lady St Germans. Chris Sherville trained at the prestigious Leith’s School of Food and Wine and has lived, travelled, eaten and cooked in a variety of places around the world, from the Far East to the South West. He’ll be showing his participants how to cook some of the recipes from the Festival, and there will be an opportunity to taste,

Our talented chef and BBC Masterchef winner James Nathan will be hosting a seafood demonstration evening at our Seafood Bar on Events Square in Falmouth on Tuesday 28th September. This informal evening begins at 6pm where you will be greeted with a glass of wine, then relax as you watch James demonstrate two seafood dishes. He'll be talking you through what's in season, tips and techniques, as well as sharing his experiences since winning BBC One's Masterchef in 2008. Stein's Deli in Falmouth will be open until 8.30pm. There will be 10% discount throughout the evening upon presentation of your ticket. Tickets £10. Spaces are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment. For more information and bookings please call Padstow Seafood School on 01841 533466.

Stir Fried Salt & Pepper Squid Tickets for the Seafood Demonstration Evening at Rick Stein’s cookery school in Padstow are now on sale. The new demonstration evening, to be held at Padstow Seafood School on Thursday 8th July, aims to give guests a ‘taster’ of the dishes they might experience on a visit to Rick & Jill Stein’s renowned Seafood Restaurant. Mark Puckey, head lecturer at Padstow Seafood School, will be demonstrating a selection of dishes from Rick Stein’s Seafood, including Crab linguine with parsley and chilli, Devilled mackerel with mint and tomato salad and Salmon steaks with muscadet, watercress and dill potatoes. The evening begins at 7pm until 9pm and includes a tasting of all the dishes that Mark will be demonstrating, accompanied by a glass or two of wine. Tickets are £35 and available from Padstow Seafood School. For more information and bookings please call the school on 01841 533 466 or email seafoodschool@rickstein.com . Spaces are limited

The familiar Cornish fudge brand, Buttermilk Shop, are launching their new look packaging. Fudge shops are an essential feature of Cornish towns, especially the ones beside the sea, and Buttermilk Shop have been supplying them for many years. Buttermilk approached local design company Pickle Design to give their traditional brand a fresh look, but wanted to make sure the Cornish nature of the fudge was not lost. The boxes and tapered bags display a picture-postcard style, illustrated scene of Cornwall, and the array of flavours are characterised by vibrant colours. They have all your favorites from Clotted Cream fudge to Turkish Delight and a few strange ones to like Coconut Ice fudge! This range is soon to be appearing in their famous Port Isaac and Padstow stores, so keep a look out.

A local Falmouth Chef has been selected to appear in this year’s MasterChef the Professionals. Dan Gvalda, Senior Sous Chef at The Flying Fish Restaurant, will be showcasing his culinary expertise in the ever popular series starting this week on BBC2. This years’ series sees Michel Roux Jnr and MasterChef veteran Gregg Wallace hunt for the young chef of the year. Dan said: “Throughout my chef profession I’ve always dreamt of cooking for Michelle Roux Jnr and now that dream has come true! Being selected to appear on MasterChef the Professionals has been a highlight of my career to date and an experience not to be forgotten.” Dan has worked at The Flying Fish Restaurant as Sous Chef for the past year. His chef training began at 2 Rosette level and he’s no stranger to master chefs after previously working closely with Master Chef Kalvin Clarke. The Flying Fish Restaurant, situated on the beautiful Falmouth coast, reflects the very best of Cornish cuisine and style. Dan and the F