Tredarrup's Weblog

Food in North Cornwall

tredarrup2008 — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:16:26 +0000

As the North Cornwall coast is now well known for it’s great choice of eateries….abundant with good quality local produce…no longer a region just of pasties, fish and chips and cream teas (although I still wouldn’t miss out on them during a visit)!! And as we love recommending places to you during your stay at Tredarrup. Here are a few new discoveries and offers that come around at this time of year…

FIFTEEN CORNWALL
Enjoy the fantastic view across Watergate Bay…a great place for a leisurely lunch and a walk along the beach and from now until 21st October enjoy their Totally Cornish menu celebrating the very best of Cornish seasonal produce this autumn. Three course lunch for just £19.95.

ODDS
Not one we have got to just yet but apparently it is a beautiful restaurant overlooking wild dunes and clifftops, with views out to the Atlantic ocean - not far from Newquay. A lot of the produce comes directly from their fields (so not many food miles here) and all looks delicious.

The farm boasts 8km of grass resting strips where voles, butterflies, nesting and feeding birds are able to thrive – in fact over 80 species of bird, indigenous and visiting, have been recorded on the farm. Arable crops are protected using nature friendly treatments which allow non-evasive plants to grow, which in turn encourages insects that birds can feed their chicks with. The restaurant and its building design echoes the farm’s conservation theme. The building uses top soil and grass on the roof to increase the insulation and reduce heat loss; a ground source heat pump utilises energy from the soil outside to provide the under floor heating and hot water; the purposefully designed kitchen incorporates energy saving appliances such as an induction hob that heats by magnetism – so reducing power consumption by up to 65% – and, as much of the organic kitchen waste as possible is recycled back into the farm.

THE FIRE CAFE
A Cornish gem that we are looking forward to visiting soon. A cafe, bar and grill that at this time of year is not as rammed as in the summer months. Does great weekend breakfasts such as the Big Kahuna for £6.75, either as a good hangover cure or a way to well and truly fill you up…I’d be going for the buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Also open for lunch and dinner and in a great position overlooking the beach at Mawgan Porth.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

tredarrup2008 — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:36:03 +0000

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are always a recommend to anyone staying with us here at Tredarrup…so worth a look at tonight if you have been or are thinking of a visit whilst visiting Cornwall. 8pm BBC2 – Natural World-Secrets of The Lost Gardens…or of course can watch again on the i-Player..

Giant's head...

Living Seas Cornwall

tredarrup2008 — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Living Seas Cornwall is home to some of the richest marine wildlife from tiny rare colourful corals to giant basking sharks, but our seas urgently need protecting. Cornwall Wildlife Trust runs an extensive marine conservation programme known as ‘Living Seas’. They work to protect Cornwall’s seas in three ways: collect data on marine wildlife, create awareness of the threats to marine life they campaign for better protection for our marine species and habitats. Living Seas Programme projects The Trust’s innovative Seaquest Netsafe Project is gathering data on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which will help develop strategies to protect them. The Trust gathers data on the marine seabed and species through Seasearch diving surveys. The Trust collects sightings of larger marine animals that visit our waters, such as dolphins, turtle and whales through the Seaquest Southwest project. As Cornwall is a renowned hot-spot for basking sharks, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s ongoing Seaquest Basking Shark Project, is helping them to monitor and protect these wonderful sharks for the future. Cornwall sadly receives the highest numbers of dead dolphin strandings each year. In response to this they have established the Marine Strandings Network to record these animals and retrieve them for post mortem examination. The data collected through all of these projects is shared with the Finding Sanctuary project which is developing a network of Marine Protected Areas in the south west. The data is also used to create awareness about the threats to marine wildlife and to campaign for better protection. Our seas lack the legislation they need to adequately protect them. The Cornwall Wildlife Trust continue to put pressure on the Government to ensure the new Marine Act provides the necessary protection to give our marine wildlife the chance to recover and thrive.

Polzeath Beach wins Blue Flag

tredarrup2008 — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:59:23 +0000

Tucked inside the Camel Estuary, Polzeath is our main local beach and as one of the finest surfing beaches in Cornwall it is popular with both locals and holidaymakers. Visitors will often see dolphins and seals swimming alongside the surfers!
Just recently it was awarded a Blue Flag. Blue Flag is a prestigious, international award scheme which acts as a guarantee to tourists that a beach or marina they are visiting is one of the best in the world. It is awarded to coastal destinations which have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management. Over the years it has acted as an incentive to many beach managers to improve the quality of the coast and their hard work has led to a revival of the UK coastline and beaches around the world. The number of beaches and marinas gaining Blue Flag status increases every year – with 3,450 now displaying the quality indicator in 41 countries. The Blue Flag Programme is administered in England by Keep Britain Tidy and is managed internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
Four of the main criteria to qualify are:
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION – has a brilliant shore marine events programme with Cornwall Wildlife Trust
WATER QUALITY – closely monitored by Surfers Against Sewage
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SAFETY AND SERVICES – lifeguards during our main summer months

Polzeath was always been in a good position to pick up a Blue Flag as many of the needed criteria where already in place, such as amenities, lifeguard service etc.
So if you are off to check out the surf, go visit Polzeath and you can always look ahead at the surf and weather conditions on a new website in association with Surfers Against Sewage.

Cornwall’s Own – Port Issac’s Fisherman’s Friends

tredarrup2008 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:12:16 +0000

Port Issac’s Fisherman’s Friends are ten close friends who grew up in the same remote north Cornwall village – our nearby Port Issac - who have been singing sea shanties as a hobby for over 20 years. After being spotted singing one summer they were signed up for a big recording contract. Despite never seeking out stardom, the group now find themselves performing at festivals, TV shows and radio concerts across the country in the hot glare of a summer music tour. But as their fame grows, they often find themselves travelling hundreds of miles a day. As the tour intensifies with more dates and new recording sessions, the band face a crisis which could affect their future – and their friendship.
Check out the ITV documentary tonight Wednesday 15th June at 10:35pm (or repeats/itv player).
Then if you are in North Cornwall in August every Friday night they perform on Port Issac’s platt

Encouraging Barn Owls

tredarrup2008 — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:14:32 +0000

When we did the renovation to our barn and stable here at Tredarrup we happily had to put up an owl box to create a possible habitat for barn owls. It was built to spec as supplied but the Barn Owl Trust and we added a camera but over the years we sadly still as yet have had no occupants !!!
We have enjoyed barn owls taking flight across our field at dusk but nesting elsewhere and the hoots of Tawny Owls in the lane   are very common.
So this year we are working more on our field to try and encourage more food sources for them. Their food of choice is voles,   mice and rats but they may also take birds and bats. So where we have planted up young trees we are leaving the grass areas around which apparently is ideal for field voles.
Owls have good stereoscopic vision allowing them to judge distances accurately , which helps them to hunt. They have very sensitive hearing which enables them to pick up the slightest rustle in the grass…which is why they rely more on sound at night to pinpoint creatures…
The population of the barn owl is only a third of what it was in the early parts of the 20th century the decline is due to loss of prey-rich habitats and reduction in the amount of nesting space. managed hay meadows were a boon for barn owls but now farmers have largely changed from hay to silage this had meant a loss of 90% of our meadows since th 60s which means less mammals for them to feed on… wildlife friendly farming methods numbers are increasing…
So why not  Take a look at Heligan’s Barn Owl webcam…

Local Produce – A good growing time of year…….

tredarrup2008 — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:19:48 +0000

At Tredarrup, we are big fans, of local, seasonal and great food – which Cornwall has a plenty. With such a sunny April (followed by some welcome rain) our fruit planters are bursting with yummy strawberries…very early…and no food miles there! The plum trees are laden with new fruit, the other fruit trees are looking promising, the elderflower is in full flower so time for making some sorbet and maybe having a try this year at some elderflower bubbly! And the raspberry canes are set to follow the strawberries with a bumper crop. What a delicious food time of year!
So following on with the theme of local and Cornish produce beyond our yard…I recently discovered a newish Cornish online supermarket that delivers to your door a whole range of produce and supplies produced in the region, using more than 50 specialist growers and over 30 small Cornish food manufacturers.

Local fresh produce

Although you may be able to buy some local from the big supermarkets chances are that it may have done a 500 mile round trip and spent a couple of days in transit before it comes back to your doorstep where it was grown. So what better than buying produce picked yesterday and that adds to the local economy. So if you are in Cornwall on holiday, why not give it a try…local produce delivered direct to your door ?!

Wild Garlic…..

tredarrup2008 — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:16:37 +0000

With so much great weather and a few drops of rain our Cornish hedgerows are really coming alive. The daffodils have now been replaced by bluebells – our woodland is fantastic this year - but it is also the time for wild garlic (ramsons). The banks in our parish lane near Tredarrup are full of the fragrant leaves and pretty flower heads….so what better than to use nature’s harvest in the kitchen and put to use a Riverford recipe of Wild Garlic + parsley pesto……it is really easy, delicious and great to keep in the fridge and freeze until homegrown basil is in abundance…

Nature's harvest - wild garlic

Tredarrup Chicken Chat

tredarrup2008 — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:15:51 +0000

Our chickens here at Tredarrup not only provide us with an egg or two a day but also great entertainment as they wander around the place, scratching, digging the garden (!!!), taking a dust path or informing you loudly that have just laid an egg – it is amazing how much personality each chicken has….

Some of our Tredarrup chickens

We started with twelve but unfortunately with a few visits from Mr Fox and natural causes we are now down to five and it is the time of year to think about getting more… So that has been part of my dilemma! I would like to go for ex-battery from the British Hen Welfare Trust and give some birds that have had not a great life the chance to roam around, eat good food and enjoy our surroundings… But the fact that we already have hens means I don’t think it will work for us as they need to start off in a separate shed to our existing hens and they can’t have a perch as their legs are to weak to jump down from being in a cage….So it may well be that we have to buy some local poulets at point of lay..
The rewards of owning chickens is endless and if you live in a city don’t be put off because apparently urban keepers are a significant and growing part of the UK poultry scene. Domestic hen keeping is relatively low maintenance with a great reward, your own freshly laid eggs that taste great and the fascination by the daily appearance of eggs – and anything that teaches children (and adults) respect for animal life must be good. There are so many reasons why people start keeping a few hens. For some it is concern for animal welfare, others are addressing food miles and provenance or perhaps the cost of eggs to buy. For us it is a mixture of all of those and we wouldn’t be without them as the experience of having them pottering around the place is very much part of Tredarrup.

Cornwall Spring Feast

tredarrup2008 — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:42:05 +0000

Well spring has well and truly sprung here in North Cornwall, four weeks now of the most amazing weather, daffodils in abundance, birds singing their song, wild garlic raising its first leaves and the grass ready for its first cut !!!
And whilst the weather is so great, its best to make the most of it…so this week we decided to have lunch out and enjoy the bursting fresh flavours of the new season with one of Cornwall’s Spring Feast menus at award-winning chef Nathan Outlaw’s Seafood and Grill….and it could not have been better a stunning view out across the estuary, the sun shimmering on the water, blistering sunshine…and great food.
And apparently in the new edition of the Lonely Planet guide innovative cooking plus organic, locally sourced and ethically produced food put the south-west well ahead of anywhere else in the UK, including London. So check our availability and get yourself a top table before the summer rush and enjoy a culinary tour of Cornish food…..

Enjoy some of Cornwall's great restaurants and produce!!!!