Ahhh life in Cornwall...
So, for those of you that don't know, my boyfriend's parents recently bought a chalet come caravan near Penzance, Cornwall. To be more specific its right here...
Praa sands is a beautiful little village near a gorgeous beach on the south coast of Cornwall This has meant that this year I have had 2 holidays in the area. As you can imagine this has meant that I have had some amazing food and want to share it all with you.
Cornwall Food and Drink Festival at Trereife House
This country house is beautiful and is around 10 minutes from the centre of Penzance. They have events on all year round and is well worth a visit. The car parks are placed in the surrounding fields so if its a wetish day DO NOT opt for gladiator sandals like me! The car parks are also a walk away from the main house on a road with potholes prone to puddles. Note again DO NOT wear gladiator sandals if its a wet day.
My love of curry continues...
Whilst there we found this little gem- Ruby Junes Curry Sauces - This stall impressed me so much. Freshly made Bhajis both onion and butternut squash! I bought 1 of each and ever since wish I bought more. So much flavour in both with a good kick of chilli which didn't over power and it was obvious love and care was put into them. If you ever see this grab me some and let me know ASAP.
I also got one of their Tikka Masala sauces. Although this flavour wouldn't be my first choice, after one taste I was hooked. Fragrant, Spicy and moreish it was an instant hit. Despite the fact I was on holiday I wanted to cook it! I even went to Tesco in Penzance to get the milk. From my last post you'll know that adding excesses of milk-like substances is not my favourite thing in the world. The sauces all come as a thickish paste and June recommends 1/4 pint of milk in her sauces
Have a look at her sauces here - Yummy Curry!
No need for bland food...
Another stall that got our purchase was Nature Kitchen. My friends say that it is easy to sell things to me and they could be right, especially when samples are involved! We were welcomed to the stall by the waft of a delicious mix of smells.
We tried a few samples including Lemon Pepper and Ras-el-hanout which were lovely but the highlight for us was the Thai Lemon Fish Spice as shown below.
The great thing about these spices is that they are so versatile - you can add them to roast potatoes your roasting joint or the fish that the title so suggests. When you smell this intoxicating blend you are instantly met by the lemon quickly followed by the warmth of cumin and mint.
Nature Kitchen have been so kind as to put their suggestions on their website which is worth a look - Sprinkle me, use me!
As with the curry sauces you can order online. As the mixes are so fragrant you don't need to use much to achieve a great flavour - a little pot goes a long way!
Restaurants...
This restaurant was something we stumbled upon after our trip to the Tate at St Ives - they offer an A la Carte Menu but between 6pm - 7pm there is an express menu that you can sample. Prices are two courses £15.50, three courses £17.95. Most people see the express menus and think uber small. Trust me the portions kept me and Josh truly happy so don't worry!
When you walk into the restaurant you are first hit by the art work that is emblazoned on the walls. I later found out that this is all work by local artists. Now I'm no art critic but the variety in the work on display really added to the atmosphere and gave it something extra.
My mother and some of my friends (Magrath and maybe Alex) would have been put off by the plastic chairs but the menu was enough to deter me from even caring.
When we first visited in June at 6pm on a weeknight you were not surrounded by people. However, the friendly waiting on staff made the place seem friendly and warm.
I started by having a prosecco with elder flower syrup and what a taste sensation this was. This was quickly followed up by home made breads (still warm!!!) and real butter with a teeny tiny pile of salt. I was sold already.
- To Start I had Mussels steamed with chorizo, white wine and coriander. Predictably I asked for more bread! Probably should have resisted as the bowl was so big and brimming with tasty Mussels
Just to give you and idea of how good it was, we went back twice in a week and took some friends that had joined us. I can see why they have these recommendations:
The Fish and Chip Saga
Now I don't know about you but fish and chips and are synonymous with Cornwall. Me and Josh first went down in June for the Queens Jubilee and had a hankering for the lovely yet fattening seaside treat.
At 7.45pm we left Praa Sands and drove to Porthleven which takes about 10 minutes. We found a parking spot the walked down to a chip shop only to find they were shutting up! So we trundled round Porthleven to find not one single chip shop was open past 8pm. We got back in the car and spent about half and hour driving to Penzance passing 5 or more chip shops all shut.
Lesson learned. In June, past 8pm you have to go to Penzance. We found 1 little saviour down a back street called Captains Fish Bar.
If my memory serves me correctly it came to about £10 for the lot. Once again
they were not shy on the portion size. Batter was light and the fish was cooked
in front of you.
This Fish Bar had the option to take away or eat in and offered cute little gifts in the window!
Out of season holiday-ers. You are welcome.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry
H x
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