Big British Food Map Kicking off in Cornwall

Date Published:

01/05/2008

Roving reporter Andrew Webb is eating his way round Britain on your recommendations. Week one kicked off in Cornwall, with cafes, cream and some pesky clampers.

One egg roll coming up

A combination of an early start and the quiet of a Sunday morning meant I'd made it as far as Wiltshire by the time my stomach really began to rumble. I pulled over on the A303 at the Willoughby Hedge Cafe, a proper road side cafe and local institution that's been here for years. It's owned and managed by Dave Thomas, and staffed by his daughter who makes a cracking egg roll.
As I'm chatting to Dave two members of Her Majesties Constabulary come in for a cuppa.

Turn left at Penzance

I'm being guided by the trusty sat nav. It's be a nightmare doing this while trying to look at a map. I've changed the voice from the slightly prissy English woman to the Irish one, who's dulcet tones sound like TV Chef and emerald isle mom-minx Rachel Allen.

Clamp down

After a morning spent at the local fish market interviewing fishermen and visiting fish shops I return to the car to find I've been clamped. I was only 20 minutes over the time. The interview will appear soon so please read it, as to get the car unclamped cost me £73. Robbin' gets.

The view from the cliffs at St Ives

How about this for a lunch location, on a cliff, beautiful sunshine one minute, face stinging rain the next, sure beats a sandwich from Pret. John Wallis kindly gave my some of his Cornish Earlies to try and I also bought some scallops from Trelawney Fish Deli . So armed with these two tasty local ingredients, my trusty gas stove and some bread from the co-op I made a tasty lunch.

The long and winding road... to Exeter

Time to say 'Dha weles' to Cornwall (that's 'see you' in Cornish). I've begun to move up country now, and am in Exeter for a couple of days. There's a farmers' market held in the town every Thursday between 9am and 2pm that stocks a good range of local produce so I'm going to check it out.

Exeter's historic Cathedral Square has some good places to eat.

This from the lonely hearts section of the Express and Echo, Exeter's local paper: 'I saw u in mickey d's and u ordered a big mac, I thought you were so sexy and plump, more cushion for the pushin girl.' Bill Bryson said Exeter is a hard place to love, and had trouble finding anything to eat in his Notes from a Small Island. Teenage fast food lustings aside there are a few interesting food places that people recommended. Micheal Caines restaurant is here, and a place called '21' seems popular. There's also a good deli called Bon Gout.

Squid and chorizo stew at the Hour Glass pub

Happy birthday to me. Today I met Carol Trewin and James Cowdon to talk a little shop. Carol is the food writer for the Western Morning Herald, and James is a fount of knowledge on, well just about anything, but particularly cider.
We met in the Holt, which is the historic market town of Honiton's first gastro pub. I then thought 'what the hell – let's drive to Totnes' (which has got to be the only time that sentence has been uttered in history) and gorged myself on Country Cheeses.
Back in Exeter a guest in the hotel where I'm staying recommended The Hour Glass pub, so I went there for dinner. The staff were all in suits and hats, lending the place a 1940s speakeasy feel (sadly it was a one night only fundraiser). The small restaurant downstairs was fully booked so I ate upstairs in the regular bar. I had the squid and chorizo stew while my table sharing companion Richard - let out for the night by his wife to 'get some air'- said the Irish stew was excellent. I also like a pub that keeps its vat returns folder on a bookshelf on the way down to the gents.

On to Devon. Find out what happened when Andrew hit Exeter and beyond.

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