Top 10 Foodie Must-Do's in Cornwall

We recently visited Cornwall for the second time in a couple of years and enjoyed a fantastic family holiday filled with plenty of delicious offerings.

With x4 under 5's in our number, my sister-in-law and I actually did a lot of the catering - particularly breakfast and a few dinners too, as well as a mean set of packed lunches, but we did find the time to enjoy some really tasty treats out and here is my selection of the top ten must do foodie experiences whilst staying in Cornwall.

1. Crab Sandwiches

Crab Sandwiches overlooking Port Isaac

A crab sandwich with just a hint of mayonnaise a squeeze of lemon and plenty of seasoning is a real thing of beauty when the crab itself is fresh, sweet, juicy and delicious. 

You could get a fancy pants one in any given restaurant around Cornwall, as they appear on many a menu, but you would do just as well in a simple sandwich shop such as Fresh from The Sea in Port Isaac and then if you can find an idyllic spot like the below picnic bench overlooking the view you’ll be hard pushed to beat that food memory.

2. Cream Teas

Cream Teas at The Harbour Hotel, Padstow

The Cornish way of serving a cream tea is always jam first, and then cream on freshly baked fruit or plain scones; and you’ll find these served in bakeries, cafes, restaurants and hotels all over Cornwall - it is after all a speciality. 

If you are staying somewhere and self catering a visit to a bakery such as The Chough Bakery in Padstow will equip you with all you need to prepare them at your designated holiday home - Roddas Cream is mandatory here and they do travel well - last time I brought more than a dozen home for my work team. 

But it is a real treat to enjoy a pot of hot tea and a selection of scones out somewhere nice - The Harbour Hotel in Padstow is a great venue. It offers scenic views over Padstow harbour and if you're lucky to visit on a bright day, those views are exceptional. My sister-in-law and I actually found it a welcome haven during a rainy storm. The scones were fresh and delicious, the staff friendly and the decor modern. Best of both worlds.

I'm also told the cream tea at The Scarlet is exceptional - but sadly we haven't made it there yet - next time.

3. Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips from Stein's Fish and Chips, Padstow

It would be a travesty to visit any seaside hamlet for a length of time and not enjoy fresh fish and chips, and in Cornwall you are spoilt for choice. 

Whilst this is certainly not an ad for Rick Stein, Stein's Fish and Chips at Padstow harbour is a fantastic place to start and you’ll be hard-pushed to find fresher, flakier cod (if that is your fish of choice) with a perfectly crisp batter and the chips are a joy too - crisp on the outside, with fluffy insides. They do a good selection for children too with goujons and smaller cod bites available - these went down amongst our four under 5's.. 

It even travels well as we bought it back to our holiday home in St. Merryn a ten minute drive away.

4. Ice Cream

Me and Bea enjoying the Reeves ice cream at Port Isaac

Driving around Cornwall you’ll be amazed at the number of cows grazing in fields so it isn’t really any wonder that Cornwall is home to some great ice cream farms. We visited Callestick Farm in Truro and can vouch for their rum and raisin, caramel, strawberry and lemon ice creams with passion. The farm also has a pretend cow where the children can learn how to ‘milk’ which provided ample fun for my two, as well as an adventure playground and several farm animals so is well worth a stop. 

We also tried several Roskilly’s ice creams during our stay, although sadly we didn’t make it to the farm in Helston - it is on our list for next time. Their vanilla ice cream is incredible - super creamy, strong with vanilla and just delicious.

Special mention to the super quaint three wheeler ice cream cart, Reeves, at Port Isaac too - Beatrice and I can vouch for their mint chocolate chip and strawberry flavours..

5. The Mariners

Meeting Mr Paul Ainsworth at The Mariners

Beef Burger at The Mariners, Rock

Haddock and Chips at The Mariners, Rock

Whitebait at The Mariners, Rock

Children's Sausage and Mash at The Mariners, Rock

We had the good fortune of visiting Rock - a short boat taxi of £4 per adult from Padstow on the very day that Paul Ainsworth’s latest Cornwall venture, The Mariners, opened; and we couldn’t resist an impromptu lunch. 

We had the luck of Chef being in the kitchen too, and being the fan that I am I couldn’t resist a sneaky selfie with him even though I was a little star-struck. .

Regarding the food, what you will find here, are absolute pub classics, just executed incredibly well. My sister-in-law enjoyed a delightful Ploughman's, I a juicy beef burger, with crispy bacon, cheese and all of the trimmings, served in a toasted brioche bun and with addictive thin and delicious French fries. Glen and my brother-in-law had the fish and chips, haddock this time, and Paul declared it 'the best fish and chips I've ever had' - praise indeed. The children devoured sausage and mash - which arrived so appetising, that I almost regretted my own choice. We also enjoyed an appetiser or salty, flavoursome fried whitebait which were eaten in moments by our table.

Beautifully adorned with a splendid dark wood and well stocked bar; with well informed, polite staff, Mariners is very reasonably priced for the quality of food on offer and well worth a visit to the Rock. If and when we return - we will undoubtedly be trying to book for Sunday lunch.

6. The Cornish Arms

Goan Cod Curry at The Cornish Arms, St Merryn

Children's Ham, Egg and Chips at The Cornish Arms, St Merryn

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Stewed Rhubarb

The Cornish Arms is a long-standing favourite with tourists and locals alike and is another Rick Stein venue. It is casual inside and you do get the occasional dog in the restaurant so be warned if like me, you're not very dog friendly. There is also a beautiful garden area and this backs onto a field full of sheep which is great when you have children with you like we did for keeping them entertained.

One again, you will find pub classics on the menu at The Cornish Arms - done really well. Ham, egg and chips, scampi, hearty pies with mash potato but alongside the well executed classics you’ll also find inspiring little dishes such as my Goan Cod Curry which was delicately spiced but packed a punch and was served with rice and roti and went down a treat. We made it to pudding and mine was to die for. A sweet vanilla panna cotta with the perfect wobble and served with my favourite fruit, rhubarb stewed and delicious with just the perfect amount of tart. Fantastic.

7. Fudge

Roly's Fudge Pantry, Padstow

Roly's Fudge Pantry, Padstow

My brother-in-law and I were probably the worst instigators of the fudge buying during our week-long stay, both guilty of a sweet tooth and our usual place of purchase was Roly’s Fudge Pantry in Padstow. 

Their sea salt fudge and vanilla fudge is exceptional and the great thing at Roly’s is you fan see them actually preparing the fudge on site from the window and when in-store which intrigued my eldest daughter no end. We had to bring some home as gifts and we enjoyed our own haul on the 5 hour car journey home.

8. Cook with local seafood

My Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli

In any good fishing or seaside town, there is always good quality, fresh seafood to be found and if you enjoy cooking as I do, or if your budget doesn't quite stretch to eating out every lunch and dinner - then it is a great opportunity to experiment with the local produce.

There are tons of simple enough dishes you could do at home - pan fried mackerel perhaps, sardines cooked in a little garlic butter and coated in parsley and sea salt, or perhaps a seafood supper of fresh, cold seafood with bread and butter - lovely.

I cooked one of my favourite dishes for the family - my Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli with increased quantities, utilising fresh and juicy prawns, squid and mussels all purchased locally to where we were staying just outside of Padstow. 

9. Rick Stein's Cafe Breakfast

Avocado on Toast at Rick Stein's Cafe, Padstow

Chocolate Waffle at Rick Stein's Cafe, Padstow

Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Egg at Rick Stein's Cafe, Padstow

Cornwall is a place where a lot of exploring, often on foot is necessary and so a good, hearty breakfast is advisable. Most days, my sister-in-law and I shared breakfast responsibilities at our glorious holiday home (Blue Seas Container - St Merryn). But we decided to have one day where we had a treat breakfast for us both to enjoy and our venue of choice was Rick Stein's Cafe - in Middle Street, Padstow. 

They have a plentiful menu including a full Cornish breakfast, egg's Benedict and an array of delightful pastries to name a few. I enjoyed avocado on toast which was sublime, my sister-in-law the eggs with smoked salmon which she enjoyed immensely and Bridget had a real treat breakfast a waffle topped with rich chocolate sauce, nuts and marshmallows. A welcome treat and definitely worth a visit.

10. Picnics on the beach

Easy Sausage Rolls for Beach Picnics

Frankly my summer childhood memories are mostly of beach days either here in the UK, or abroad and they inevitably, always involve a picnic of sorts. I'm trying to ensure this tradition continues into the next generation. There is something just wonderful about picnics over the sand with the sound of the sea as a back drop. 

We mostly packed arrays of sandwiches (crab of course) and a few other fillings, as well as sausage rolls, salads and plenty of snack items for the children. 

Holidays are always expensive - but my breakfasting at our holiday home and packing up picnics for our beach days, we saved a few pennies for nicer meals out.

Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli

Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli

This is one of my favourite meals for Sunday when we're not having a roast dinner. I made it today and realised I've never shared the recipe. 

I used king prawns, mussels and squid today and it is a little faffy the way I prepare this with the squid being fried separately, but it well worth the preparation and extra pots and pans.

You could make these with prawns or mussels that aren't in the shell, however I urge you if possible to make with the shells still in-tact, it really does add to the flavour of the sauce.

People often marvel at the 'unusual' foods that my young daughters eat, including seafood, but it isn't unusual to them, as they have both had seafood from weaning and they absolutely love it, just like me.

I do use a cheat here, a pack of prepared Mussels in Garlic, which you can pick up from practically any supermarket; you can of course just use normal mussels, but the garlic sauce adds to the pasta sauce.

You could equally just throw the squid into the pan to cook with the rest of the seafood in the sauce direct if you prefer. I picked all of the seafood up from my local Morrison's and the kind fishmonger prepared the squid for me so I literally just had to cut, season and cook.

Here's how:

• 12 large king prawns
• Pack of mussels in garlic 
• 1 squid, body and tentacles
• 1 large white onion
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 red chilli
• 4 tomatoes
• 400g passata
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Handful parsley to serve
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 300-400g spaghetti or other pasta
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 lemon

Fill and boil the kettle. 

Add the drizzle of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan and place on a low heat.

Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the chilli and add to the pan to saute.

Now roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan once everything else has softened down. Finely chop the parsley and set aside for garnish, and cute the lemon into wedges and set aside too.

Season at this point and add the oregano and saffron and allow to cook for a few minutes. 

Now add the passata and tomato puree and allow to cook for fifteen minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the squid. Clean if necessary, otherwise, finely slice into rings, and keep the tentacles. In a bowl add the plain flour and paprika and season generously with sea salt and black pepper, combine and then toss the squid rings and tentacles into the flour and ensure they are well-coated. Now set aside.

Once the sauce has been cooking away for fifteen minutes, place the pasta on to cook according to the packet instructions and when only eight minutes of cooking time is left, throw in the prawns and the mussels and immerse into the sauce, turning every couple of minutes to ensure they cook through. You can see when the prawns are cooked through as they will colour to pink. 

In a separate pan drizzle a little more olive or vegetable oil and place on a high heat and once hot, add the squid to the pan, allow to cook for thirty seconds, and then turn each squid over and cook for a further thirty seconds or until crisp, then remove from the heat and set aside. (Please don't be tempted to cook for longer, as it will result in chewy, rubbery squid, a common mistake.)

Before draining the pasta, add a serving spoon full of the pasta-cooking-water to the sauce to loosen up and help the sauce stick to the pasta. 

Drain and shake the spaghetti to remove excess water then add to the cooking pan with most of the parsley and stir really well, ensuring all of the spaghetti strands get a thorough coating and then quickly dish up for the family. 

Complete by scattering over a final sprinkling of chopped parsley and adding a few of the fried squid rings to each portion and placing a wedge of lemon with each. Enjoy!

Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli

Some other seafood dishes you may enjoy:
Vicky's Special Seafood Stew
Crab and Asparagus Linguine with Parsley Grantitata
Prawn Summer Rolls
Prawn and Chorizo Carbonara
Honey Chilli and Coconut Prawns with Ho Fun
Gourmet Seafood Burger
Crab, Chilli and Asparagus Pappardelle
Spanish Prawns with Chorizo, Tomatoes and Peppers
Prawn Saganaki