Category: Food and drink

From casual wood-fired food hideaways to Michelin-starred seafood restaurants, Cornwall remains a county like no other for food lovers. So here’s our guide to the 10 best restaurants in North Cornwall, all within easy reach of our Beach Retreats properties.

Interested in staying in our most luxurious holiday cottages? Check out our luxury coastal cottages.

Scott & Babs

Where? Mawgan Porth

Hidden away deep in Mawgan Porth’s Laherne valley is one of our favourite haunts. Situated on a farm with a stream running through the site, you really do feel like you stumbled across something special. They’re rearing their own pigs, sheep, cows, ducks and chickens to cook a small menu that’s tasty, rustic and cooked on open fires, spit roasts and slow-roasted smoker barrels. Guests can get cosy up in a converted stable with a roaring log fire!

www.scottandbabs.com

Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen

Where? Port Isaac

The two-Michelin starred chef ‘s new Fish Kitchen brings the best of Cornish seafood to a more affordable level. The restaurant, which focuses on small seafood plates, now boasts a Michelin star in its own right. We fancy the cured Monkfish and crispy squid, with prices between £2-10 per dish.

www.outlaws.co.uk/fishkitchen

Fish House Fistral

Where? Fistral Beach

Fish House Fistral is an award-winning seafood restaurant over looking the beach at Watergate Bay. Described by the owner and Head Chef as serving rustic seafood ‘with no one serving food like like this in Newquay’, the focus in on local produce at reasonable prices. Dishes include everything from lobster linguini and fish curry to ribeye steaks and burgers.

thefishhousefistral.com

St Tudy Inn

Where? St Tudy, Nr Bodmin

After many years running the Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac, award-winning chef Emily Scott opened up the St Tudy Inn in December 2014. The transformed the pub has a modern warm and cosy atmosphere. Enjoy a drink in the old bar, or relax in front of the open fire and enjoy simple, rustic cuisine.

www.sttudyinn.com/

Paul Ainsworth at Number 6

Where? Padstow

It’s not all about Rick Stein anymore in Padstow (although Rick’s restaurants are still very good). Paul Ainsworth has won a Michelin star for his restaurant, which sources seasonal ingredients and serves them in s simple modern style. Accessibility is key, so the atmosphere is relaxed, children are welcome, and hearty portions of unpretentious, uncomplicated food is bound to put a smile on your face.

www.number6inpadstow.co.uk

Gilmore’s Golf

Where? Fistral, Newquay

What was once an average greasey-spoon café and golf course has been turned into a laid-back hangout with a fun miniature-golf course sitting alongside. Gilmore’s brings unfussy, freshly cooked, Mexican inspired food to Cornwall. Burritos, tacos and loaded chips and nachos are all on the menu, which is anything but your usual Old El Passo fayre. Our favourite is the fried fish taco, complete with homemade mini soft tacos – as they should be.

Visit their Facebook page.

Zacry’s

Where? Watergate Bay

Since it threw open its brasserie-style doors at Watergate Bay Hotel in March 2014, Zacry’s has drawn a crowd of passers-by and returning aficionados alike. The food looks to Cornwall for inspiration while drawing on international influences and executive chef Neil Haydock’s passion for contemporary American cuisine. Provenance is important in the seasonal two or three-course menu, showcasing both classic and contemporary dishes. Grilled meat and seafood all feature large.

Visit their website.

The Halsetown Inn

Where? Halsetown near St Ives

Possibly the best Sunday roast in Cornwall, but the Halsetown Inn’s daily menu is just as tasty – and all really good value. The medium sized menu covers a lot of ground, from classic burgers, Asian-inspired dishes, curries, lamb and seafood, in a rustic and homely atmosphere.

www.halsetowninn.co.uk

The Beach Hut

Where? Watergate Bay

One of Cornwall’s best beach-side hangouts, The Beach Hut welcomes surfers, families and even the dog. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, food is unfussy and tasty, the atmosphere laid-back, and all with a view of Watergate Bay’s two-mile stretch of beach out front. Perfect for sunset watching and sundowners.

Visit their website.

Strong Adolfos

Where? A39 just outside Wadebridge

What do you get if you cross a great coffee maker, a surf-board shaper and motorbike customiser? The proprietor of a sub-cultural café on Cornwall’s Atlantic Highway, of course. The interior is industrial but the food and drink is anything but. The kitchen serves freshly cooked breakfast and lunches with influence taken from around the globe. We spotted burgers, lentil dhal and tasty salads on the day that we visited with vegetarian, gluten-free and meat eaters all catered for across the menu.

Visit their website.

Visiting Cornwall in the Autumn or Winter? It’s the perfect time to visit our favourite Sunday Roast locations.

Book your self-catering holiday in Cornwall Beach Retreats today.

Angels in the Kitchen are exactly what they say on the tin. And now they’re even more angelic, offering Beach Retreats’ guests a very special offer.

We know our guests. And we know that after driving to go on holiday with a car stuffed full kids, the last thing you want to do is cook a family meal. It’s a holiday after all.

Angels in the Kitchen are Kirsten and Sarah – a unique Cornish catering company whose ethos is ‘simplicity’. They offer healthy and wholesome alternative to convenience food, sourcing fresh and local ingredients to create high quality pre-prepared meals.

They also provide a bespoke private-chef service – perfect for relaxing in your own holiday home while enjoying a restaurant experience. The Angels have put together their own set menu but are equally as happy working with you to create something special, whatever the occasion may be. Or perhaps you just want to get the kids to bed early and treat yourself? Canapes, finger food, tapas, birthday cakes, BBQs buffets and sit down meals. The best bit – no dirty dishes.

Check out our locations and retreats across West Cornwall.

Sample tapas menu

Includes marinated olives, crudites, homemade houmous, balsamic dip and fresh bread.

Then a choice of three from meat and fish dishes, including:

• • Mussels with garlic and herb crust

• • Pork meatballs in almond sauce

• • Chorizo in red wine

Then a choice of three vegetable dishes:

• • Roast pepper salad with olive and caper dressing

• • Patatas bravas

• • Courgette fritters with fiery tomato salsa

Testimonial

“We hired ‘Angels in the Kitchen’ at short notice to provide something special for a small group of our son’s friends celebrating his 18th birthday weekend. They didn’t disappoint. The two girls [Angels] came and delivered the tastiest meal that we could have hoped for – a Thai banquet, and the boys ate the lot. The Angels were engaging, fun, and knowledgeable about the design and delivery of the service, and added to the atmosphere. They left after the meal and you’d never know they’d been.”
S. Parker-Arnold, Bristol

Special winter offer

Angels are offering Beach Retreats’ guests a very special offer – 10% off any frozen ready meals over the May half from Friday 22 – Sunday 31 May.

Discover unbeatable savings and unforgettable experiences with Beach Retreats’ exclusive special offers.

Visit www.angelsinthekitchen.co.uk for more information.

Book your holiday with Beach Retreats today.

Looking for a Cornish foodie present or local ingredients to make your Christmas Day lunch extra special? It’s easy… choose Cornish on holiday this Christmas and get involved online #ChooseCornish.

From coal and logs for a roaring fire, to mince pies and mistletoe, fine wine and fantastic food – Cornish producers have everything you need for a truly local Christmas feast. Here’s our pick of local festive treats available through Cornish Food Market and Food 4 my Holiday, which many of our guests order from and have waiting for them on their arrival.

Fancy staying in a holiday retreat with a log burner? Check out our cottages with a log burner for a cosy getaway.

Cornish Cheese

Cornwall has some top notch cheeses. Lynher Dairy, just outside Truro make a great Yarg – a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese wrapped in nettle leaves. Helford White from Treveador Dairy, based on a French Reblochon, won gold at the British Cheese Awards 2011. Our pick, Cornish Blue from Knowle Farm just outside Liskeard – a soft, creamy and delightful cheese perfect for a festive fig salad.

Cornish Christmas trees

Grown locally, Noble Christmas Trees are thought to be the best variety for holding onto their needles and are available for delivery from Cornish Food Market.

Cornish Christmas Day lunch

Traditional White Turkey hand reared by Richard Banbury and his family just outside Padstow, or how about a change with roast pork, ham or bacon from Robinson’s Family Butchers in Bodmin? Every plate can be catered for.

Experience the magic of the season with festive nights at Watergate Bay.

Cornish Orchards’ Wassail Mulled Cider

Cornish Orchards products are available throughout the county including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall Restaurant and Rick Stein’s Seafood restaurant. Wassail is a sumptuous and aromatic brew of cider and apple juice, infused with fresh oranges and hand-blended spices. Serve warm as a simple and easy option for festive occasions.

Cornish Smoked Sea Salt

The chance discovery in 2004 of an Iron Age salt works, tucked away in a remote cove on the south coast of Cornwall, planted the idea for The Cornish Sea Salt Company. Fast forward to today, and Cornish Sea Salt is going strength to strength. We love their range of flavoured salts – the Smoked Sea Salt tastes especially great on buttered bread or pork crackling.

If you’re looking for quality Cornish produce that can be delivered to your door of your holiday accommodation – or even the actual kitchen or fridge – we recommend using The Cornish Food Market and Food 4 my Holiday.

Explore our locations and retreats across North Cornwall.

Mawgan Porth is a beautiful coastal town which packs a punch. There is so much going on in Mawgan Porth that you’ll want to extend your holiday to fit it all in. Over the next few weeks we are going to give you some local, insider knowledge about Mawgan Porth, starting with seven nights, seven restaurants.

Interested in staying in our most luxurious holiday cottages? Check out our luxury coastal cottages.

Night one: The Blue Fish Bar
At the heart of Mawgan Porth lies The Blue Fish Bar serving up traditional fish n’ chips. From cod to scampi to haddock, all the fish is cooked to order to ensure the freshest meal. Whether you want to eat in or take away The Blue Fish Bar is a perfect place to head for your first nights stay.

Night two: The Park Café
Dine indoors or alfresco on the sun-deck at The Park Café, Mawgan Porth. Their artisan chef creates a variety of fantastic dishes using fresh, local ingredients. But, if there is a dish you fancy that isn’t featured on the menu The Park’s chefs can make them to order, so long as you give them some notice. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday – Sunday; it’s good wholesome food for all the family.

Night three: Jon’s Bistro at Bre-Pen Farm
Having worked in top London restaurants such as the Hilton Metropole and Claridges and more recently at Fifteen Cornwall you can be sure of delicious, innovative dishes. Jon’s Bistro cooks rustic cuisine inspired by the local produce Cornwall has to offer and invites guests to bring their own wine with no extra corkage charge. What more could you ask for?

Night four: The Merrymoor
Great pub food in a spectacular location; this is what The Merrymoor has to offer. Their menu has something for everyone, from Cornish crab sandwiches, freshly made pizzas to their famous steak and ale pie.

Night five: The Scarlet Hotel
The Scarlet Hotel is an adult only establishment overlooking Mawgan Porth Beach. Their restaurant has earned a magnificent reputation across the country. The menu is simple, yet bursting with flavour and changes daily to capture the freshest ingredients soured locally. Their dinner service offers a touch of glamour ensuring a memorable evening for all.

Night six: Wild Café, Bedruthan Steps Hotel
The Wild Café is colourful and funky and one of the most relaxed places to eat in Cornwall. A mixture of colourful tapas and hearty favourite dishes appear in the menu, inspired by food heroes such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Night seven: Blue Bay restaurant
Blue Bay, available for booking now, is a large self-catering property with a twist. Blue Bay offers beautiful views and a catered kitchen as an additional extra. Whilst you stay at here James and Pippa will create any dish you may desire or you can order off their daily changing menu. Stay with up to 20 of your friends and family and enjoy what we like to call catered self-catering.

Squeeze every last bit of outside time into your holiday. It’s fine dining with even finer views; chic beach-side chilling or perfect picturesque picnicking.

Fancy staying in a holiday retreat with a hot tub? Check out our cottages with a hot tub for a relaxing getaway.

The Hidden Hut

Essentially, it’s a wooden beach-side shed serving simple fresh food and drink from March through to October. In theory, everything is to take away, but there’s an outdoor seating area to the front with uninterrupted views out to sea and across the bay to Portscatho should you wish to sit down and relax.

Pandora Inn

When you visit the Pandora Inn, it’s easy to forget you’re in the 21st century. Its spectacular setting on the edge of Restronguet Creek is timeless. Parts of the Inn date back to the 13th Century and, with its flagstone floors, low-beamed ceilings and thatched roof it’s not difficult to believe that little has changed since that time.

Check out more of what Falmouth has to offer by staying in one of our bespoke retreats in Falmouth.

Lewinnick Lodge

Good food, good views all you need to bring is good company. ‘The Lodge‘ is open for breakfast from 8am and serves food throughout the day until 10pm (10.30pm in the summer), every day of the year.

The Basement

In Padstow. The Basement is set back in a courtyard, with views overlooking the harbour from its alfresco restaurant area. The Basement has been voted the 2nd best restaurant in Padstow by customers on Trip Advisor

Porthminster Cafe

Nestled beneath the steep slopes of Porthminster Point, right on the beach with unbeatable and uninterrupted views across St Ives Bay to Godrevy Lighthouse. Now open all year round for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

Discover the best places to eat and drink by the sea, exploring coastal dining spots that offer delicious cuisine and breathtaking views in Cornwall.