Archive for the 'Cornwall on TV' Category

The Fisherman’s Apprentice with Monty Halls

Published March 7, 2012 Cornish Produce , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Places to visit , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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A quick review of the The Fisherman’s Apprentice

Marine biologist Monty Halls is down in Cadgwith working in one of the toughest professions in the country , fishing. With fish stocks depleting and various quotas put on the fishermen, fishing is a dying trade and is getting harder and harder to make a living.  With fishing being taken over by the big trawlers and their nets trawling the sea beds the fishermen of Cadgwith are still fishing in the traditional way with small boats using lines, small nets and pots to catch their wares. Monty is being taught by local fisherman Nigel Legge a seasoned Cornish fisherman who has fished from Cadgwith all his life. Monty has been lent Nigel’s boat Razorbill and is left to go to sea with his pots to catch crab and lobsters.  On his 3rd day in Cadgwith and on his first trip Monty caught just 5kg of crabs, whilst on a good day a fisherman could catch 500kg. Monty’s 4th day in the fishing cove and  the weather is too bad to go out so he catches up with Tonks one of the local fishermen working in his workshop. The fishermen may find themselves shorebound for up to four months a year due to bad weather, however that’s the way it is which they accept and gives the fish stock time to breed.
The following day Monty brings in 16kg of crab, just enough to be sold to the fish trader who collects their catches. With a smile on his face Monty has to prepare for a day out with Tonks on a larger boat to do some larger scale fishing. Half a tonne of crab from hundreds of pots and a hard day at sea the crew return. Monty decides it’s not for him and he would rather try and catch the more lucrative lobster further inshore, so he head out in Razoebill to sets his pots and leaves them for a day or two.  Next day, with little rest Monty’s out with another local chap Danny; out with the big boys catching real fish, the Monkfish. After a few hours and I can only empathise with Monty, he is spewing up over board and useless to the skipper. With a boat getting filled up with top quality ‘Monk’ Danny would not turning back. Monty’s day got worse when he became unconscious and started choking on his sick, we’ve all been there! 😮  Five and a half hours later and with a green crew man the boat returns. Monty, delighted to be back on dry land and ready to get out on his little boat the next day to check his lobster pots. With a good catch under his belt he at last feels like a proper fisherman having made a decent wage from the sale of his lobster.
Another great programme of lovely Cadgwith showing the difficult lives of the Cornish fisherman. With another 4 episodes on Wednesdays 8pm make sure you don’t miss out on this eye opening series.

Missed it? Catch it here on BBC iPlayer

And the big question is where is Rueben?

Monty Halls in Cadgwith tonight BBC2 8PM

Published February 29, 2012 Cornwall on TV Leave a Comment
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Cornwall gets on the telly again!

Mothers just been on the phone telling me at 8pm on BBC 2 there’s that Monty Halls chap as the Fisherman’s Apprentice in one of our favourite spots in Cornwall, Cadgwith!

Monty and his trusted canine companion Rueben, after being in the Highlands of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides, then a series filmed in Ireland are now in the south of Cornwall on the Lizard Peninsula in the lovely small fishing village of Cadgwith.

To find out more about it click on Monty’s website here. I’m sure I will be doing a few posts about the series over the next few weeks but for now i’m struggling to contain my excitement! Those of you put off by recent ITV Cornwall programmes need not fear… his last 3 series were superb and this one will be even better!

In the meantime here is a little retro montage of Cadgwith I’ve just rustled up for you.

Rough Tor, the 2nd highest point in Cornwall

Published February 22, 2012 Cornwall on TV , Photography , Places to visit Leave a Comment
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For those interested in the geology of Cornwall you must watch The Great British Countryside with Hugh Dennis and Julia Bradbury that was on BBC last week. Pick it up on iPlayer here before it disappears into the ether. It was a great programme with an interesting insight into how Cornwall was formed millions of years ago.

They touched on the moorlands of Devon and Cornwall which spurred me to write this post. Rough Tor pronounced Row-ter with its summit 1313 ft (400m) above sea level, making it the second highest point in Cornwall. With its rough craggy rocks it’s a spectacular walk to the summit and achievable by most able bodied person with a bit of will power. Allow yourself an hour to the top and another hour to walk back down again. Why not pack your rucksack with a couple of pasties and a flask of tea and walk to the top of the tor for you lunch? It an ansom’ view!

Here are a few pics from a recent walk to the top. I will touch on Rough Tor again in later posts but for now enjoy these few pics and if the weather is looking pretty this weekend, get those pasties from down Rowes bakery and  get up there.

To give you a starting point in finding the place here is the Telegraph’s walk of the month of Rough Tor and Brown Willy – that’s Cornwall’s 1st highest point!!

 

Alex Polizzi – The Fixer….Clotted Cream in a Pasty?

Published February 7, 2012 Cornish Produce , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Recipes 1 Comment
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Well, tonight we were thrilled to happen upon a programme set in Cornwall; Alex Polizzi – The Fixer. The premise of the programme is Alex’s one woman campaign to rescue local family businesses.  You may have seen her on The Hotel Inspector and she is part of the famous hoteliers the Forte family. Her Mother owns the fabulous Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes on the South Cornwall coast. Something I didn’t know until this programme is that she owns her own wholesale bakery who supply to Selfridges & Fortum & Mason amongst many top restaurants. So she has a great background which has given her the experience needed to help Choughs Bakery in Padstow – business and bread!

A great programme which really shows the benefits and perhaps the pitfalls of working with your family. Alex worked with the Eade family who have been running a bakery on the harbour at Padstow for the last 30 years. The shop had a new look and she helped them diversify to help them through the lean winter months. Something I’m sure a lot of Cornish businesses have problems with. People shouldn’t only view Cornwall as a summer destination, there’s nothing better than a walk on a Cornish beach when the winds blowing a hooley with a pasty in your hand.

This programme offered a great glimpse of lovely Cornwall while we’re up in Oxfordshire in the snow. There was also an all too brief view of our favourite Yarnigoats (Men from Port Issac) The Fisherman’s Friends who made the perilous journey from Port Isaac to Padstow to sing for the Town Crows (people from Padstow) at the ‘Celebration of the Cornish Pasty’ Do you think they may have been paid in pasties?

One of their new ideas is pasties by post. If you fancy a taste of the home county shipped to your door or even a Valentines pasty check out their website here The Chough Bakery or if you fancy trying to make one yourself check out Mark’s Mum on You Tube

If you missed this programme you may want to watch it on BBC IPlayer here Alex Polizzi – The Fixer – Episode 2 The Chough Bakery It’s definitely worth a look if only for their secret pasty  ingredient…..Cornish Clotted Cream!! I love the way recipes get handed down in families. Apparently their grandmother made her own clotted cream and always added a dollop to the veg and meat in her pasties.

Also, if you want any more news on the lovely Fisherman’s Friends check out their website here Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends They’re going on tour!!

The final dash to Land’s End with the 3 Hungry Boys

Published February 6, 2012 Cornish Produce , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Places to visit Leave a Comment
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In the final leg of Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys the chaps set off in Daisy in the direction of the Lizard. This weeks episode was the best yet, some of my favourite parts of Cornwall covered and the with The Lizard being closest to home. I have covered the Lizard in previous posts – just type The Lizard into the search bar at the top.

The boys are given the thumbs up from the people of Tregothnan to visit Asparagus Island, a lump of rock in the Atlantic. The boys wanted to go camping before the end of their trip and Asparagus Island was their destination. About a mile walk from the Kynance Cove National Trust car park the island is approachable on foot when the tide is out! With a short walk along the sandy beach of Kynance Cove the boys climb the steep cliffs to the top of Asparagus Island. After pegging out their tent, the tide had come in and they were now totally stranded in a lump of rock in the sea!

Thom the hunter grabs his spear gun and takes orders for the other two boys supper and head to the water whilst Trevor and Tim grab their fishing rods and head off to the rocks with a more relaxing way to catching supper. After a couple of hours all the boys return with nothing but excuses! No fish supper for you boys tonight! So with limited supplies the boys have some peppery rice for supper. They happened to find some sea beet growing on the rocks which made the rice more appetising giving them some greens for the day. Still, it could be worse, sitting on an island around a roaring fire listening to the sound of the sea as the sun goes down whilst tucking into a bowl of rice is almost heavenly (except the rice bit!)

After a good nights sleep listening to the waves crashing around them the boys get off the island and back to their trusty milk float, Daisy. In need of some protein Hugh gets contacts them and puts them in touch with Sir Ferrers Vyvyan, the 13th Baronet and current owner of the 1000 acre Trelowarren estate who has some pests on his land. The estate is near the mouth of the Helford river which almost cuts the Lizard peninsula off from the mainland. Still, with little clue why they are travelling to Trelowarren the boys meet Sir Ferrers Vyvyan to see what protein he can offer them. Is it rabbit problems, pigeon eating the crops or the beast of Bodmin’s offspring moving in on the Lizard?  After a short introduction Sir Ferrers Vyvyan informs the boys that they have a grey squirrel problem on the Lizard (like most of  the UK) however as the Lizard is almost an island they are trying to eradicate the grey squirrel and bring back the native red squirrel to the area.  As lovely as grey squirrels are they are huge pests to young trees and very aggressive hence the decline and almost extinction of our native reds. Although I have never eaten squirrel myself I have heard it’s a very tasty meat. So armed with a shotgun the lads head out with Sir Ferrers to look for squirrels in the tree tops. With little luck on the squirrel front Sir Ferrers shoots a wood-pigeon to help towards the boys supper. After some foraging on the estate the boys get some sorrel, oyster mushrooms and wild garlic to add to the wood-pigeon. The Trelowarren estate has a restaurant serving local produce and foraged food and is well worth stopping off for lunch or dinner if in the area. To find out more about Trelowarren and to see the sample menus click here.

The boys them have a cook-off with the chefs at Trelowarren who rustle up a rabbit recipe. Trevor rustles up a pigeon breast cooked with sautéed oyster mushrooms, garlic mash and sprinkling of sorrel. To see the meals being cooked it’s probably easier to check out the 4oD website rather than relying on my methodology – have you seen me in the kitchen? Needless to say the Lord of the manor gave full marks to the boys for their efforts of foraging and producing a tasty meal.

Sir Ferrers recommended the boys visit a sea salt producer on the Lizard in Porthkerris. I hate to say it but I’m one step ahead here. Check out my previous post on Cornish Sea Salt Co. by typing something along those lines into the search bar on the top of the blog. Trev’s idea here was for Tom to catch some fish and to bake them in the salt – salt baked fish I think it’s called! Well, whilst the boys are shovelling salt Tom is trying to catch a few fish for supper. By the end of the fishing session Tom had reeled in six pollock off the cliffs at Porthkerris to fill their bellies that evening.

With the final push to the end of this wonderful island we call Great Britain the boys jump in Daisy and with a 30 mile journey the boys arrive at Sennen. They meet up with the Sennen lobster hatchery for a days work at sea releasing baby 1” long lobsters into the sea in the hope they will survive and make it to adult lobsters. Unfortunately with a 1 in 15,000 chance of survival their time in the ocean is often short-lived as many are snapped up by predators.

As the boys are releasing 1000’s of babies they are also checking lobster pots and harvesting some good sizes specimens or lobsters and crabs for their last cook up of the trip. The final tweet was from Polgoon vineyard back up the A30 where they make their own wine and cider who offered the boys some work harvesting discovery apples to earn some cider for their last supper. Polgoon vineyard has won several awards for their produce and supply some top establishments such as Fortnum and Mason, Rick Steins Deli, River Cottage Canteen and Deli and John Lewis to name a few. To find out more about Polgoon vineyard  or to buy some of their produce check out their website here.

Final stop boys – Lands End! The boys pull up on the cliff tops at Sennen and see the Longships lighthouse of Land’s End in the distance.  Trevor gets to work on the shellfish they have been given making this one of the tastiest banquets one could dream of, all washed down with a drop of Polgoon Cornish black cider. After their fish platter they are back in Daisy and heading full speed for Land’s End. For those of you that don’t know much about Land’s End there is a modern leisure complex (a good day out for young families im sure) there and not just a romantic old weatherbeaten sign post saying New York 3147 miles thataway!  Beyond the leisure complex built by Peter De Savary some time ago when I was in my youth there is a sign post and a telescope – but I doubt you can see New York even on a clear day!

So the series is over – its been great so if you were not fortunate to watch it first time around, pick it up together with Hugh’s other great programs here on 4oD.

Now what time is Caroline Quentin on tonight…

a belated Cornwall with Caroline Quentin…

Published February 5, 2012 A bit of history , Cornish Produce , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Places to visit Leave a Comment
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Apologies for the late post of Caroline Quentin’s Cornwall but I have lots going on at present! But here it is before the next episode tomorrow…

Caroline kick starts episode 5 at Prideaux Place situated  in Padstow with its own herd of fallow deer which have been roaming the estate since 485 AD. It is said that if the deer die out then the Prideaux family will disapppear too. The population of the deer became just six in 1926. George V sent down a stag from Windsor but it is said the game keeper shot it by accident.

Interestingly the back of the house is still as the American Army left the house for D-Day in 1944 when soldiers from a US combat batallion occupied the house. The rooms untouched, have many memories of those American soldiers. The lady of the house recently uncovered some letters for the mother of John Fontaine, sadly no longer with us whom must have died in service. Other soldiers names still appear on the wall in thier memory as they sadly never returned to their loved ones.

Robert Hocking, a man whos videos I have shown in past posts. A proud Cornishman who has a organic vegetable business in the Port Eliot estate who loves to spend a Sunday morning on his white leather armchair in the corner of his polytunnel reading the Sunday papers, and yes I did say polytunnel! Robert who runs Buttervilla Funky Leaves is a purveyer of fine fruit and veg. His website is well worth a look, he has had a lot of press and chefs like Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen resturants use his leaves. Not only are Roberts videos a great reminder of Cornwall’s past but his current business is a great tribute to Cornwall for producing such wonderful produce. Robert also does vegetable boxes which can be bought through the Dig For Victory website. If you live within a 30 mile radius of PL13 1PA then delivery is free.  So all you Cornish and Devonians out there log onto Dig For Victory and buy some veg! It’s ansome! If you are struggling for what to do with veg then two must have books are the Riverford Farm cook book which can be bought here and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Veg book which is a must for every kitchen, vegetarian or not!

Caroline then went onto talk about Robert’s other passion of perserving Cornish history on film. Some of his videos I have posted previously which you will find on this blog. Robert shows Caroline a video of his family sailing Redwings in Looe. the video can be seen here

The redwings championships still take place and Robert’s family have won the silverware more than any other family in the town. Robert, not a sailing man and the black sheep of the family prefers to keep his feet on dry land. Florence, Robert’s great neice was entering the Redwing race and won another cup for the family silver collection.

Next stop and Caroline is sitting on the ledge of one of the engine houses at St Agnes eating a pasty, hers is half savoury and half sweet. Personally I have never had one like that but it is said that in days gone by the miners would have had it half and half. I just prefer meat and veg in my pasty!

Another visit to the Camel Valley vineyard at the end of the grape growing season and they are now picking them ready to be pressed. The vineyard are launching their new 20th anniversary wine and it will take place at Nathan Outlaw St Enodoc Hotel at Rock with top wine critic Tom Stevenson and writer Suzy Atkins.  The wine got top marks all round, a wine where the grapes are grown and bottled all in the small vineyard tucked away in the Camel valley.

Good old Cornwall! I will try to get tomorrow’s episode on the blog sooner next week, but before I do that I will have to post about Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys, on tonight at 7pm on Channel 4.

Three Hungry Boys Part 3

Published January 30, 2012 Cornish Produce , Cornwall in the headlines , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Places to visit , Recipes , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Did you see the Three Hungry boys last night? For those that missed it here is the low down…

Cocksure Tim the blagger, Thom the builder, hunter and forager and Trevor the cook and bartering expert are back in Daisy their milk float and travelling around the lanes of Cornwall!

Two and a half weeks into their five week challenge to travel to Land End they boys decide to venture to the North coast to a Pagan carnival in St Agnes. With no money to buy beer at the festival they had to blag some before they got there otherwise the festival ain’t gonna be much fun huh? So Trev makes a call toTerry at Skinner’s Brewery who has some worked lined up for them. The boys work hard for the keg of ale in their sights, doing all sorts of jobs from cleaning out the barrels to digging out all the spent malted barley from the vats. After some pretty sweaty work and smelling like a brewery they head off to the Crab and Ale public house in Truro in the hope of getting some food and beer. After chatting to the landlord the boys hear its quiz night and that 1st prize is a food voucher for the pub; 2ndprize is sweets & chocolates and the booby prize is a load of chocolate! So if they are smart they could do really well or if they haven’t a clue they could win some chocolate. Well, three biology graduates did better than winning the booby prize but unfortunately not well enough to win 1st or 2nd prize so no dinner or chocolate.  Still, it looked like a fun night out away from the milk float and they did a bit of glass collecting for a beer. Never mind chaps, maybe next time…

Next morning, the lads are back on the road and have a tweet from Woodland Valley Farm, a Cornish organic farm who were offering the lads some sausages in exhange for some work. Chris Jones who runs the organic pork and beef  farm in Ladock welcomed the boys and offered them some work mulching the nut trees (hazel nuts and chestnut trees) in his nuttery. Basically, the mulching involves putting used cardboard around the trees to kill off any weeds and then as the cardboard rots it will provide nutrients for the trees. So after a mornings work Chris rewards the boys with some sausages and duck eggs. The boys are thinking with some flour and milk they can make some toad in the hole. Now, for the milk blagging they head off to a near by dairy farm for a few pints of the white stuff. So Tim gets to work on the milking of some cows in the hope of not geting a brown shower! Well, with a few near misses they get their milk and head off grinning from ear to ear. With 3 ingredients down they just need flour. A local bakery message them on Twitter to drop in to do some work and the boys secure the final ingredient. With the ingredients on board Daisy the lads head off to the St Agnes for the carnival and festival.

The festival at St Agnes has been run for over 70 years where the traders and fish wives have been selling their wares to the locals. the boys try to sell their food and drink they have worked for in payment for other goods to stock up their larder. Trev knocks up the toad in the hole whilst the parade is in full swing. The St Agnes Bolster Festival can be seen here. With toad in the hole prepared the boys set about trading and by the end of the night they are full of veg, cheese and food for their larder. The night with a great success and they managed to keep enough beer for themselves so a good night was had by all!   If you are after a toad in the hole recipe or if you fancy trying it Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall style try it here.

Eventhough the excess of beer did slightly sway their idea of a good barter the boys hadnt done bad and they managed to swap a pineapple for their toad in the hole and beer trading so they certainly got some produce that’s not grown in Cornwall.

Next stop is music to my ears…

The Tregothnan Estate and home to Lord Falmouth (not to be confused with a Lord from Falmouth!) and the Boscawen family. I will touch on Tregothnan again in later posts but for now they are famous for being the only tea producers in Britain. The lads met Jonathan from Tregothnan who gave them some work to do, tea harvesting on the estate in exchange for somewhere to charge Daiseys battery and some fishing in the river Fal! Tregothnan has over 40 hectares and the Corinsh micro climate is the perfect aspect for growing a bit of tea! With several speciality teas on the estate the boys start harvesting the manuka bush (more famous for its honey) to make some tea from. Check out the Tregothnan website to see all the varieties of tea on offer. It makes a great present for the tea drinker in your life and not a chimpanzee in sight!

Next morning Thom the hunter decides to do a spot of fishing off the jetty at the bottom of the estate. After trying to catch some mullet by spinning (thats afsihing technique) he exchanges to float fishing without any luck. One spear gun later and he had three grey mullet in the bag. So, with some mullet and some manuka Trevor decides to smoke the fish with the Manuka flowers flavouring the fish.  After a short time of smoking the fish within reach of the incoming time the smoking nothing short of a disater, still looking on the bright side it was nice to see the river Fal on the telly last night.

The boys are then asked to harvest some Kea plums from the bank of the Fal. With only 20 acres of Kea plums in the world with them all being around the Fal they are somethig quite special to eat, either on their own or as a jam or crumble. we had some given to us from a friend who has a tree in his back garden in Malpas, Mother made a crumble whist we were down and it didn’t stay in the fridge for long.  Mmm..salivating just thinking about it…

The plums are worth about £30 per kilo so great when a friend gives you half a carrier bag full. The lads collected a fair few from the banks of the Fal before being given a couple of kilos for their efforts. Trev then makes some Kea plum jam to use as currency for the next part of thier trip. If you want to try some of this delicious jam you can buy it from the Tregothnan shop here.

So next the lads are in the milk flast ‘speeding’ along, racing for the King Harry Ferry to save driving around the Fal. The Ferry is a small chain ferry and goes back and forth accross the Fal all day long. If you are in the area its a great experience and it will save you time and probably a little money in going accross the Fal rather than driving around the Fal. More about the King Harry Ferry can be seen here. Their intentions of paying for the ferry crossing with a pot of Kea Jam was dashed when the ticket collector/man you give your money to told them he had a Kea plum tree in his garden so the last thing he wanted was a pot of jam. Expect his missus makes it all the time? Coincidentally it was his birthday too so he allowed them to cross the Fal for nothing if they sung Happy Birthday to him! Hmm… I wonder if that will work next time we are scratching around for a fiver to pay to cross the Fal?

Finally the boys go to Devoran Pilot Gig club whom I think have a new website and incidentally have a new book out called Up For Ten! The Official Devoran Gig Club Songbook. Send a text to Frannie, pay two squidders and you got yourself a copy (if you collect -postage extra!!) to get Frannie mobile number and a copy of the book click here. Back to the lads, they had a good go at racing the gig boats, a 2 mile circuits where all the teams were back on dry land with a pint in the hand whilst the boys were still bring up the rear. Gig rowing is a great spectacle and if you get the chance you must pop down to watch it in the evenings.

That’s it for tonight, Caroline Quentins Cornwall short appraisal coming up later in the week.

 

 

Three Hungry Boys in a Milk Float

Published January 23, 2012 Cornish Produce , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Places to visit , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Our biggest dilemma on a Sunday night now is shall we watch Countryfile on BBC or Hugh’s Hungry Boys (Tim, Tom and Trevor!) on Channel 4. Both are on at 7pm! Tough life huh?

Well, with our Wii fully connected, not for Wii Fit but for iPlayer so we can watch Countryfile on the Beeb in the comfort of our sofa  later in the week rather than sitting in an office chair in front of the computer to watch 4oD. So enough rantings about our ‘luxury’ lifestyle (ho ho) lets talk about 3 chaps travelling around the West Country in an old milk float.

The Three Hungry Boys is now on its second episode and the boys entered the great County, home of the saffron bun last night. The idea behind the show is these 3 biology graduates are trying to get from Hugh’s River Cottage in Dorset to Land End without spending any money. Of course they have to find food, or work for their grub as well as doing some work to charge Daisy’s battery, Daisy is their trusted milk float.

Just before entering Cornwall,Tim made a call to a chap called Simon at Tamar Grow Local in Harrowbarrow (cool name hey?) who have a co-operative society called Harrowbarrow and Metherell Agricultural society or HaMAS which it is sometimes referred as, I’d strongly recommend the longer version on this occasion. The Co-op’s was formed in 2009 and is based upon the community supported agriculture model they grow vegetables as a community in a sustainable way. With six acres which is cultivated by farmer James Tanock who does a lot of the hard work making the ground ready for the planting of the crops.  To find out more about Harrowbarrow’s enterprise and to contact them please click here.

Veg is just a small part of the Harrowbarrow project, they also have an orchard, nearby allotments, an orchard and even their own pig society where 12 households are rearing 12 Oxford Sandy and Black pigs for the production of meat.

Next stop is the only solar-powered launderette in the UK, based in Wadebridge. The Wadebride Launderette (aptly named) welcomed the boys to do some work, Semi-naked launderette busking with a bit of mopping to be precise in payment for their clothes being washed.  To find out more about Wadebridge’s solar-powered launderette and about how Wadebridge has become the first solar-powered town click here. Who’d have thought it?

Next stop, Port Quin where the boys borrowed some kayaks and went fishing with handlines and spear guns with limited luck. Next morning Tom the hunter went diving with his  spear gun to bag a Wrasse and some tiddly pollock but enough for a bit of lunch. Tom and Trev rustled up some lunch in payment for the kayaks in the form of some fish fingers, they them made some sushi from the Wrasse for their guests. The fish fingers were wrapped up in some baps that the boy had bin dived from the village of Port Isaac the night before (bin diving is the act of foraging for out of date food still fit for human consumption and is generally food thrown out by hotel, shops and supermarkets).

Check  out Port Quin and St Endellion here. St Endellion is where David Cameron and his family have spent many a Cornish holiday and in fact gave baby Florence, who was born in Cornwall whilst they were on holiday, the middle name of Endellion.

Now back to Hugh’s hungry boys, next stop is Watergate Bay on the north coast and a haven for surfers. With the boys now a little stinky from their fishing and bin diving escapades they are in need of a shower. With no cash on them they have to find their next job in exchange for some hot water. Hugh arranged for them to meet a young lady called Amy, who works at one of the hotels. Amy got the boys to collect the all the compostable food waste from the local hotel which they then burn in a bio digester to make energy for the surrounding hotels. With two tonnes of food waste thrown out per week by the local hotels and restaurants there is plenty to feed the bio digester! A pretty filthy job but it did reward the boys with a hot shower powered by the bio-digester.

They finished off their day with a pint, burger and chips in The Beach Hut overlooking Watergate Bay so we shouldn’t feel too sorry for them! Watergate bay is a hub of activity and well worth a visit, full of gorgeous restaurants including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen where we have eaten a few times now. Amazing!

Keep an eye out for more Cornwall on the Telly moments…

 

The Cornish Mussel Shack – King Harry, Cornwall

Published January 10, 2012 Cornwall in the headlines , Cornwall on TV , Food and Drink , Photography , Places to visit , Recipes Leave a Comment
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When we first started My Saffron Bun we also set ourselves up on twitter and facebook to see what this social networking thing was all about. Why not follow us on Twitter?

Twitter, in particular is a great way to keep our eye on wassup in Cornwall and we love following local businesses and food suppliers. More than once we have news of what’s going on before our friends and family who actually live there!

Small fishing boat going home and Norman Bridge a passenger ferry laid up in the River Fal

One of our followers is @MusselShack who sell freshly harvested mussels, ready bagged for you to take home and use in your favourite recipes. All their shellfish come from the River Fal, in the area surrounding the King Harry Ferry and Carrick Roads. They are harvested using a variety of methods including snorkeling and hand dredging.

While we were down at Christmas we planned on taking some lovely fresh fish back to Becky’s parents who, like us, are real foodies. We had planned on going somewhere on our last day to get some on the way home but fate intervened. The afternoon before we left Matt from @MusselShack tweeted that he had some beauties that were available to anyone for New Years Eve. We quickly tweeted him and arranged to meet him at the slipway of the King Harry Ferry on our way back. This was just perfect. Roger, Becky’s Dad, has a mean reputation for THE best Moules Marinere.

So there we were on a pretty miserable late afternoon in December meeting a man about some mussels. We drove down to the slipway and parked up, we could see Matt working away in his little mussel shack.

It was great to meet Matt and with our normal Cornish twist of fate found out he lives in the same village as Mark’s Mum and Dad, Budock Water. He is rightly proud of his mussels (make sure we spell that right!) and their size and quality.

Matt's lazy assistant (left) and Matt in his Mussel Shack

The majority of their mussels are snorkeled from the underside of pontoons up and down the river. Constant immersion allows the mussels to feed 24 hours a day. This allows them to reach a very large size, as well as making the meat yield from them exceptionally good. The hand diving means that their harvesting methods are really environmentally friendly too!

Their Mussels are available to purchase at either Truro Farmers’ Market, Lemon Quay Piazza every Saturday 8:00am – 2:00pm. You can either buy them to cook yourself or takeaway portions of cooked mussel with a choice of sauces. Alternatively you can buy some from Matt on The King Harry every Friday 3:00pm – 6:00pm. Yes, that’s actually on the ferry! Matt rides back and forth all afternoon selling his mussels – it’s a hard life isn’t it?

Left - Mr Mussel (Matt) Right - beautiful mussels soon to be heading up the A30

You should check out their website which has lots more info on them. We loved their descriptions on how to look after your mussels. Who knew that mussels don’t like drafts? We have an image of them all sitting their shivering!

We took them back up to Wiltshire and Roger got to work, check out the recipe and some cool photos coming up soon.

Cornwall with Caroline Quentin ITV – Episode Two

Published January 10, 2012 Cornwall on TV , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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The second episode last night disappointedly showed the same people from the first episode and a few others with gig rowing later in the program. Come on ITV, there is so much more talent in Cornwall than a vineyard, a holiday home letting company, and a Cornish fisherwoman who describes Londoners as foreigners. I’m Cornish but I don’t have the ignorance to describe people from outside the country as foreigners. They provide an economy for the South West, eat the fish we catch and deserve some respect. I’m afraid that lady just showed herself up last night.

The show has got a bit of a grilling from many a viewer. Read some of the comments here on This Is Cornwall

Now I have that off my chest lets look at what other talent is in Cornwall in the hope that ITV have these covered in later episodes.

1. Eden Project – ok most people have heard of this but it’s an incredible project and a real success story for the country. It should be on everyone’s ‘To Do’ list so a little publicity for the Eden project would go a long way for the coming season.

2. Artists in Cornwall – The county is a haven for artists with so much amazing talent. How about a visit to the Tate St Ives or visit some local artists studios and find out what inspires them. Check out these guys

Kurt Jackson

Benjamin Warner

Amanda Hoskin

3. The Lost Gardens of Heligan – one of my favourite places in the county – surely Caroline you have visited that in your 8 episode series on Cornwall.

4. Mining – Cornwall’s heritage, the mine stacks dotted around the Cornish coast, the scarred landscapes from the mines that have now closed down. There are still some mines you can go down, especially if you are a national television crew. Interviews with miners, how it was to work down the mines? Check out Geevor Tin Mine here

5. The RNLI – Go out on a boat Caroline with the crew of one of the lifeboats, show people what a good charity it is and what a worthwhile charity it is to support.

6. The Minack Theatre – Spectacular open air theatre on the cliff edge at Porthcurno – An amazing story about an incredible lady Rowena Cade who constructed the theatre herself.

7. Port Isaac – The fisherman’s friends and The Filming of Doc Martin would make an interesting story on how a fishing village has diversified in the modern age.

8. Food? Pasties –  Visit Ann’s Pasties on the Lizard. Clotted Cream – Visit Roddas and see how cream is made. Cornish Cheeses – we have just won World Cheese Awards Champion Cheese 2010 – how about featuring that?

9. The rugged coastline, surfing, the beaches, the quality of the water – tourism?

10. Cornwall’s  mysterious past, smuggling, ancient settlements, stone circles, myths and legends.

So ITV, two down and six episodes to go.  Lets have something a bit more interesting and less of a sales pitch for a few companies please.

For those interesting in the Gig Rowing I will do a separate post later in the year but for now check out the Cornish Pilot Gig Association website here.

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