A Foodie Summer

We've all been dreaming of eating out again, to have someone cooking for us, to be able to sit down with friends around a table with a bottle of wine and sone tasty treats...

And if your also lucky enough to be visiting Cornwall this summer, then here's a few ideas for places to go and food to sample...

Seasonal produce: Nothing beats fresh food, and many of Cornwall's restaurants source their food from as near as possible, easy to do when you have a wonderful coastline and so much fresh fish and shellfish. But there is also a trend now for restaurants to grow their own vegetables and fruit such as at The PIG at Harlyn Bay near Padstow where all the ingredients are picked fresh from the kitchen garden or from local suppliers within 25 miles. At the other end of Cornwall, The Harbourside Refuge in Porthleven, Michael Caines and the team work with the ingredients literally on their doorstep to produce informal cuisine throughout the day and evening.

Sardines: These little oily fish are in season during the summer months so look out for them on menus, best served grilled with a crisp salad. In Cornwall the humble sardine is better known as a pilchard and in the past they were caught in their thousands and salted down to keep throughout the year. Many were sent to the Mediterranean countries up until the early part of the 20th century, but now we like to keep them to ourselves. In Looe, The old sardine processing factory has now been converted into a riverside restaurant, and yes they do serve sardines!

Strawberries: Nothing evokes the taste of summer than a bowl of strawberries and a dollop of clotted cream. At Callestick Farm near Truro you can sample the basic products or try the strawberry and clotted cream ice cream, which is just as good. Or you can have a cream tea, same ingredients, just another way of serving them.

Sunshine and Sand: The great thing about Cornwall is the number of places you can sit and feast while watching the sea. From the Bowgie at Crantock to the Nutty Duck at Mevagissey, and Rick Stein’s restaurant and takeaway overlooking the surfers paradise that is Fistral Beach in Newquay.

Sounds of the Summer: Touring Cornwall this August, Paul Ainsworth and his chef mates will be joining forces with musical acts such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Jake Bugg and the Brand New Heavies to cook up a festival like no other. They will be stopping off at country estates, idyllic beaches, and breath-taking clifftops across Cornwall during August to bring you good food, good music and good vibes with the Travelling Feast.