A Postcard from Stein-Ville
When it comes to foodie breaks it is fair to say you can’t beat London for its diverse cuisines and experiences, and you certainly won’t go hungry in New York! But there is a less obvious contender when it comes to eating out in style and there’s not a skyscraper in sight. I talk of course of Padstow, lovingly nicknamed Stein-Ville,this Cornish coastal retreat offers a foodie paradise nestled between the rolling hills and breaking waves of Cornwall.
This August we stayed over the estuary, in Rock (playground of the rich and famous – in fact Gordon Ramsey is rumoured to have just bought a holiday home there!). Travelling by ferry and sea taxi (I can’t recommend it enough – not a tailback in sight) we made numerous forays into Padstow and the surrounding area to check out the foodie delights on offer.
We were lucky enough to rest our heads at the St. Enodoc Hotel which is home to Outlaws, Nathan Outlaw’s restaurant (one of three as he has one in Port Isaac and another at The Capital in London) and we enjoyed two fabulous meals there, not to mention the breakfasts! The food it must be said was great and as you would expect from Nathan Outlaw there was an array of delicious fish dishes to choose from. But on the subject of fish, no holiday to Padstow would be complete without a visit to Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant and it didn’t disappoint, throw in Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen at Watergate Bay, Scarlets healthy spa food at Morgan Porth, a lunch at Paul Ainsworth’s No.6, sourdough pizza at Rojano’s, a pasty and cream tea from Rick Stein’s Patisserie and you can see why I’ll be hitting the cross trainer this September!
It was of course all fabulous and shows how amazing our industry is. Indeed, working in the hospitality sector, some might say it’s a busman’s holiday, but as the leading foodservice agency I think it’s important to keep in-touch – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it! (cue the violins!)