A year ago, food writer Alan Rosenthal moved from north London to Cornwall to work as a cookery teacher. He found himself living, by accident, at the heart of a burgeoning food and drink scene. Here he shares the best spots of his adoptive home, which deserves to be at the top of your list for an out-of-season visit
My town.
Where the River Fal meets the sea, Falmouth sits by one of the world’s deepest natural harbours, and its history is steeped in maritime trading and shipbuilding. Less well known is the town’s buzzing food and drink scene.
Often overlooked in favour of better-known tourist honeypots such as artsy St Ives or Michelin-starred Padstow, pretty Falmouth and nearby Penryn deserve their time in the limelight.
GOOD MORNINGS
I’m lucky to live at the eastern end of town, overlooking the selfie-worthy village of Flushing. A leisurely saunter takes me down the high street to Stones Bakery (stonesbakedgoods.com), whose raspberry-jam-and-custard doughnuts have become my weekly obsession. Their ‘croissant monsieur’, wholemeal sourdough and baguettes are also worth the trip. Beacon Coffee (beaconcoffee. co.uk), just down the hill, will supply the high-end caffeine hit to go with.
For more brekkie-brunchy offerings, Situ (situcafe.co.uk) in nearby Penryn makes wonderfully aromatic plates of food that nod to the Gujarati and Ugandan heritage of owner Sham. I’m sold on the keema mkate mayai, a delicately spiced beef and spinach curry with baked eggs and cardamom yogurt, with a masala chai alongside. If you’re up for going slightly further afield for a morning fill, try Potager Garden (potagergarden.org) for fine seasonal plates and Slice of Cornwall (sliceofcornwall.com) for a menu of crowdpleasers where the portions are as plentiful as they are flavoursome.
LUNCHES TO LINGER OVER
Sabzi Deli (sabzideli.co.uk), overlooking the harbour, offers vibrant Iranian → and Middle Eastern-inspired salads for lunch and is a great pitstop before exploring the rest of town and the beaches. You’ll then be close to Hooked On The Rocks (hookedontherocks falmouth.com), perched above Swanpool Beach, for a plate of umami-rich wild prawns bathed in garlic butter and ’nduja. Be sure to order some homemade focaccia to mop up those juices!
THE BIG NIGHT OUT
If it’s to be a night of nibbling, pay Hevva! (hevva.uk) a visit for some great small pla
