What to eat and drink when you’re in Cornwall

If fish-cooking heavyweights like Nathan Outlaw and Rick Stein champion a place for its seafood, you know it must be somewhere special. Cornwall is one of the few places left in the UK where it’s normal for small boats to go out for the day and return with what they’ve caught, instead of giant trawlers spending weeks at sea and freezing their catch there and then. This access to world-class crab, lobster, sole, Cornish sardines (formerly known as pilchards) and more means you can either pick up something to cook yourself from the many fishmongers lining the coast, or book a table at one of the county’s many seafood restaurants. If you want to really splash out then there are plenty of amazing fish-focused Michelin-starred eateries, but for something a little more low-key try one of the many simple shacks along the shore (we can recommend the Boscastle Fishing Company for amazing lobster rolls). You can quite easily end up eating something that was caught literally metres away and just hours beforehand.

Cornwall is home to fields upon fields of cattle producing rich, full-flavoured milk, so it makes sense that there are dozens of dairies turning it into cheese. Cornish cheddar is one of the world’s best, with household names like Davidstow still sourcing all their milk within a fifty mile radius and winning all sorts of awards. Other specialities include Cornish Yarg, a young cheese wrapped in nettle leaves made to a recipe thought to date back to the thirteenth century, and Cornish Blue, a sweet, mild and creamy blue cheese.

Just one of the few Cornish delicacies to receive PDO-protected status, Cornish clotted cream is another brilliant by-product of the county’s dairy industry. Large, shallow dishes of cream are heated until thickened and a rich, yellow crust forms on the surface, which has a naturally sweet and nutty flavour. It’s a vital part of a Cornish cream tea, which includes jam, scones and a pot of freshly brewed tea. Just make sure you spread the jam on your scone with the cream dolloped on top – adding the cream first is the Devonshire way!

Saffron tends to conjure up images of exotic Persian dishes and perfumed paellas rather than the craggy coast of Cornwall. So why is one of the county’s oldest and most traditional cakes full of it? It’s generally thought that Phoenician sailors landed there as far back as 400BC and started trading the spice with local miners for precious tin. Wherever the source of saffron came from, Cornish bakers certainly made the most of it – using the incredibly expensive spice to produce a bright yellow loaf-shaped cake full of dried fruit. Liberally spread some clotted cream on top of a thick slice for a perfect teatime treat.