If you’re planning a Cornwall staycation this summer, make sure to add these ten fun & foodie must-tries to your holiday tick list
1 Try Stein’s on the Quay: a new pop-up seafood restaurant in Padstow
Head to ‘Padstein’ for a taste of Rick Stein’s latest restaurant venture – Stein’s on the Quay, open to the public until early autumn.
Head Chef Nick Evans and his team are serving up the freshest Cornish catch of the day at the temporary eatery, located in the space previously used for Rick Stein’s Cookery School (which remains shut due to social distancing regulations).
The bright and airy space has been transformed into a casual dining spot, open from Wed-Sun, 5-9pm. The menu features famed fish and seafood of Cornwall, sourced only metres from the table. Guests can feast on Porthilly oysters, served with Hog Island dressing or traditional shallot vinegar, harvested from the Camel Estuary below.
On the main front, try lobsters landed only 200m from the table in a classic Lobster thermidor. There is also the option to go all out with a Fruit de mer platter, including crevettes, mussels, prawns, crab claws, oysters and scallops, served with the traditional condiments.
Tables at Stein’s on the Quay are available for up to four guests from no more than two households.
To find out more and make a booking, visit rickstein.com
2 Pitstop for quirky afternoon tea at Talland Bay Hotel
Located at the end of a windingly narrow, seemingly never-ending country lane (where you’re just as likely to come across a tractor as another car) lies Talland Bay Hotel – a building so automatically charming, that you forget all about the mild battle with Cornish traffic you’ve just endured to find it.
Nestled between the towns of Looe and Polperro, the hotel overlooks Talland Bay with striking views of the turquoise water and carpeted rolling hills. Once a family home, the white-walled 16th-century building is a pretty affair decked out with quirky details and two acres of carefully manicured gardens.
Talland Bay Hotel bursts with eccentric artwork, sculptures and intriguing pieces that’ll have you peering around the rooms and gazing across the gardens. Giant red teapots, zebra-patterned sofas and paintings displaying dogs decked in suits – there’s no shortage of creativity within these walls. In fact, it’s harder to find a plain piece of wallpaper.
Pitstop at this whimsical wonderland for a spot of afternoon tea. Filled with flair, guests can try a traditional array with finger sandwiches and scones or opt for something boozy with a G&T version. Either way, both are delicious – as is the more decadent Loius Roederer Champagne take if you fancy splurging.
Prices from £18. Visit tallandbayhotel.co.uk to find out more and make a booking.
3 Try Socially Distanced’ Dining at St Moritz Hotel & Spa
For those still wary of eating out, the stylish St Moritz Hotel & Spa has launched a new purpose-designed and built hotel restaurant just in time for a Cornish road trip – and it’s ideal for a spot of socially distanced dining.
Nicknamed ‘The Anti-Social Club’, the exclusive dining concept consists of 16 private dining rooms, with a maximum of 96 covers. Blending the elements of private members clubs, private dining rooms, cool beach clubs and summer pop-up restaurants, the Anti-Social Club concept features multiple dining times and precise operating procedures to ensure a chic but COVID-combatting experience.
With this intelligent design and complementary operational procedures, the St Moritz service team avoid the need to enter the dining rooms whilst the individual, staggered dining times ensure that guests won’t clash – clever cuisine indeed.
Find out more and book your spot via stmoritzhotel.co.uk.
4 Park up for the Wavelength Drive-In Cinema
Classic movies and jaw-dropping views – what could be better? Cornish locals and holidaymakers alike can cruise into a nostalgic summer movie high this year, with a fun new clifftop drive-in cinema experience.
The team behind Europe’s original surf publication, Wavelength, have taken over the incredible Boardmasters festival site, overlooking the sea near Newquay, and will be presenting a programme of cult classic movie nights from late July through to the end of August 2020.
With space for over 200 cars and vans, The Wavelength Drive-In Cinema Series will kick off on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July, showing the Cornish-set surf film Blue Juice, fittingly celebrating its 25th birthday this year.
Alongside the action, enjoy street food, live music, a socially distanced tombola, popcorn stands and craft beer bars. Safety-led additions such as hand sanitisers, facemasks and queuing processes and signage will also be present throughout the event.
The picturesque drive-in cinema event site, Trebelsue Farm, is perched above the beach with an unparalleled view. Best known for the 50,000 capacity Boardmasters festival, the setting will offer jaw dropping views, out across the Atlantic, beyond the 2 x 8 metre cinema screen. Roll up, roll up.
To find out more and make a booking, visit wavelengthmag.com/drive-in-cinema.
5 Enjoy an eco-friendly spa session at The Scarlet
Suave yet simple, The Scarlet hotel near picturesque Newquay is eco-friendly to the core. If its cliff-top setting and mesmerising views don’t impress, the holistic Scarlet Spa certainly will.
Try a wellness-focused treatments of the Ayurvedic variety or soak up minerals with a rich mineral mud bath. Feel your muscles relax after a massage, unwind in the hammam or simply climb into the hot tub for a spot of ocean gazing.
All that relaxing is bound to tire you out – don’t miss a visit to the Relaxation Room, where cocoon-like pods hang from the ceiling in dreamy fashion.
To find out more and make a booking, visit www.scarlethotel.co.uk/spa.
6 Experience a grown-up getaway at Merchants Manor
Ideal for a romantic rendevouz, Merchants Manor is an adults-only hideaway offering country house comfort and style by the seaside.
Superb restaurant Rastella has three AA Rosettes and deserves three more – enjoy carefully-sourced local meats, fishes and forage, and grill-smoking food – with a number of seasonal temptations on the menu.
Wellness is a strong point here, with themed stays available: there are two treatment rooms, a cutting-edge Technogym with trainers, and a barrel sauna, steam room, 13-metre heated indoor pool and hydrotherapy tub.
For something more luxurious, book one of the two eco-friendly self-catering residences located in the subtropical gardens. Named Landlubber and Lookout, these sleep up to four people and each come with its own hot tub terrace.
To find out more and make a booking, visit merchantsmanor.com.
7 Stay in exclusivity at Carbis Bay’s Beach Lodges
A luxurious coastal retreat with a privately owned 25-acre Blue Flag beach, Carbis Bay’s fine food, superb spa facilities and breathtaking views are one of many reasons why guests flock here like eager seagulls.
Another is the property’s new Beach Lodges – private abodes with endless luxe amenities. With direct beach access, the stunning panoramic views of the bay can be enjoyed from the privacy of your own hot tub nestled in the landscaped roof garden.
Feature spiral staircase leads down to three double first-floor bedrooms with private bathrooms, and down to an airy open-plan beach-level living space with kitchenette and floor-to-ceiling glazing, revealing decked garden and panoramic views over the golden sand to the ocean beyond. One word – dreamy.
Find out more and make a booking via carbisbayhotel.co.uk.
8 Try lunch at Prawn on the Lawn
One of Cornwall’s best restaurants is uprooting for the season – Prawn on the Lawn’s Cornish outpost is switching locations for the summer.
Katie and Rick Toogood, who run the restaurant and fishmongers in Highbury & Islington as well as the site down in Cornwall, are relocating their Padstow restaurant to a nearby Cornish farm for the summer.
Prawn on the Farm will be their summer residence, taking over space at nearby Trerethern Farm, which is also the site of a local vegetable box scheme. Promising “lazy days of local seafood, fresh produce from Padstow Kitchen Garden and plenty of rose”, the restaurant will be al fresco with glorious views over the Camel Estuary.
On the menu, think oysters, whole Padstow brown crab, John Dory and many creative small plates – we’ve set our sights on the sweet and sour crispy chilli monkfish.
Find out more and make a booking via prawnonthelawn.com.
9 Feast on solo chef creations at The Shore Restaurant, Penzance
For a more unique dining experience during your staycation, head to Penzance. Chef owner of The Shore restaurant, Bruce Rennie is the captain of his own culinary ship – serving a delectable set menu to a handful of lucky diners.
Having started his career as a penniless student, Bruce went on to fall in love with the magic of fine dining establishment. He worked at numerous Michelin-starred restaurants across the UK, before making the move to Cornwall.
After captaining the kitchens of several award-winning venues, he decided it was time to open his own place in order to create his own style of food – and thus, The Shore was born.
One of the few British chef-patrons to work alone in the kitchen, The Shore’s dishes range from Bruce’s caraway sourdough bread & butter and Slight Hill Farm tomatoes and their juices to Sashimi style mackerel, cucumber, wasabi, sesame and Cod, green beans, sweet lemon dressing.
On the sweet front, dig a spoon into Raspberries, meringue, clotted cream, lavender, raspberry sorbet – the ultimate summer staycation dessert.
Find out more and make a booking via theshorerestaurant.uk.
10 Relax with cocktails & acoustics at The Alverton
Trek over to Truro for a night of acoustic music and summer cocktails at The Alverton hotel. Taking place on 14th August 2020, bask in the glow of summer and enjoy a solstice Garden Session featuring performances from Cornish singer-songwriter Jordan Jane.
With a two for £10 cocktail offer during the evening, sip serves and try delicious al fresco dishes whilst listening to live music as pleasing as the surrounds.
Jordan cites John Martyn, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan as influencers of his musical style. Growing up in Cornwall has given him an appreciation for the Cornish folk music scene, which you can hear in his original music that BBC Radio 6’s Tom Robinson has recently described as “poised, impassioned and perfect”.
Please note, reservations for this event are mandatory due to limited seating.
Find out more and make a booking via thealverton.co.uk.
