Cream tea and chestnut soup in Cornwall
Review by Amy Castle
Quick look
What To See
Eating Out
Sleepover
Getting There
 On a foggy November morning, we left Paddington station and headed to Cornwall for two days of relaxation and gastronomic adventure. My destination was on the South Coast - or Cornish Riviera as it is better known – the fishing village of Gorran Haven.
Packed into our trip in the south west was a fine dining 5-course dinner, a wide choice of breakfast the following morning and Christmas shopping in nearby Truro. I had a sneaky suspicion running off calories accrued from all the food during our stay and paying off credit card bills would be on my agenda once home.
What To See : Back to top
Three miles up the coast from Gorran Haven is Mevagissey, a quaint fishing port with narrow streets that meander through sharp inclines and winding bends. Furniture and homeware shops line the streets, with the expected fish and chip shop on the corner. A wood-cladded cafe looking out onto the harbour offered us shelter from the sea winds, and we enjoyed traditional Cornish cream tea with locally made clotted cream and strawberry jam.
As we walked back to the car, the smell of the sea air was refreshing and walking higher up into the village offered great sea views of the port and brightly-coloured blue vessels bobbing up and down in the rough sea. If boats aren’t your scene, the Lost Gardens of Heligan in St Austell provide the perfect backdrop for keen gardeners with 200 acres of gardens and wildlife. www.heligan.com
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Eating Out : Back to top
 We dined in Gorran’s, a fine dining restaurant within The Llawnroc hotel. Our five-course dining experience started with a canapé trio of a warm chestnut shot with milk foam, black olive and caper tapenade wrapped in smoked salmon, and toasted brioche with chicken liver parfait mousse. The chestnut shot was rich, warming and autumnal, and it was great to see the seasonal ingredient used in this way. The capers in the tapenade complemented the olives well, and the chicken liver parfait was smooth and not too strong in taste.
The meal was off to a great start, and next came our pre starter of pancetta cappuccino. Served in a petite coffee cup complete with saucer, the salty and rich broth trickled down the throat and reminded me of a crab broth or bisque I had eaten before in San Francisco (my favourite city of gastronomic heaven!)
The scallop and pork belly with apple and green olive salsa and parsnip puree starter was moreish and I found myself wanting more. The soft, sweet scallops were perfect with the tangy apple pieces and the parsnip puree added some warmth to the dish.
 Our main course was monkfish with caramelised onion puree, chervil root, pancetta, mussels and braised chicory. The meaty lumps of monkfish were beautifully cooked, and inside each mussel shell was a strip of pancetta, hugging the mussels and leaving them with a smoky and intense flavour. Although usually not a fan of chicory, it was cooked to perfection and didn’t overpower the dish.
Our pre dessert of lemon posset with orange jelly and popcorn accompaniment was possibly my favourite course. The sweet, sharp and creamy lemon posset was perfect after a big meal, and the popcorn topping was a nice addition.
Soon after, my desert of chocolate fondant, pain au chocolat custard, chocolate parfait and dulche de leche ice cream arrived and it was perfect. Cutting into the chocolat fondant, the rich chocolate filling oozed out (I felt like I was on a Marks & Spencer’s advert to tell the truth) and I tucked into the last course.
Chef Michael Carr is 19 years old, and the menu we sampled was his own creation, under Head Chef John Palmer. I was so impressed, and can now only wish I lived less than five hours away so I could sample the culinary delights again. The locally fished fresh fish and seafood, seasonal veg selection and local produce was a dream to sample, and for me Gorran’s is up there in my top restaurant visits.
We also dined in Gorran’s the following morning for some much-needed breakfast. I opted for classic boiled egg and soldiers, and was presented with a beautifully cooked free range egg and toasted bread. It was perfect, and despite its simplicity it gave me energy for the day ahead: a whole day’s Christmas shopping in Truro. My stomach was prepared for the day, even if my credit card wasn’t...
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Sleepover : Back to top
 We stayed at The Llawnroc hotel, an 18-bedroom luxury boutique hotel that opened in July 2011. Our room had a sea view, the choppy sea in front of us and rolling green hills to the side. The room was decorated to a really high spec, with lavish chairs, luxurious bed linen, and shiny pearlised mosaic tiles in the bathroom. The room had a great feel to it and it was comfortable and practical.
www.thellawnrochotel.co.uk
The location was perfect: inside the stunning and comfortable modern boutique hotel, you opened the balcony doors to discover a typically Cornish village surrounding the hotel. It was peaceful and filled with beautiful artwork from local artists and painters.
Converted from a former rundown hotel, The Llawnroc really is a beautiful hotel and maintains its intimacy with a 22-person team. During my stay, every member of staff was really helpful and so passionate about the hotel they worked in; we had a car shuttle to take us to nearby places of interest and everything was said with a smile.
It’s nice to find somewhere that offers top of the range accommodation but to also have that family feel to it; everything was done with care and it turned out the only thing we could think could perhaps need adding (full-length mirrors for each room) were in fact on order already.
We travelled First Class from London Paddington to St Austell train station with First Great Western train in under 5 hours.
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
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