A Foodie Tour of Beautiful Cornwall.
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One of the most fascinating parts of England, a relatively small landmass when compared to countries like Russia, the US, and Canada, is the regional nature of the tiny island’s culture. While the food, culture, and accents of Canada change little from Ontario to British Columbia, an area spanning some 4500km, in England you can feel as though you’ve stepped into a different country when travelling as little as 10 miles.
Other than regional accent changes, one of the major cultural differences one notices between regions is the food. Most small regions have some sort of delectable delicacy to call their own, with many regions willing to fight tooth and nail to keep their regional fare a uniquely local delight.
The county of Cornwall, on the South Western tip of England, boasts a particularly rich local food heritage, possible due to the county’s somewhat geographically removed location or its enviably warm climate. Whatever the reason, the area makes the perfect location for a foodie tour in England, and a great place to dispel all of the stereotypes you have about English food.
Cornish Cream Tea
Cornish Cream Tea by jonl1973 via Flickr.
Picture yourself sitting outside a beautiful Cornwall cottage, sipping tea from a dainty cup and saucer and nibbling a scone piled high with cream. You can’t get a much more English experience than that! The Cornish cream tea is an institution in the county, and a tradition that is hotly contested with its neighbouring county, Devon. You see, in Cornwall the scone must be cut in half, spread with jam first, and then topped with a healthy helping of locally produced clotted cream, while in Devon they insist that the clotted cream be added first, allowing it to melt into the scone, before being topped with jam. Either way, it is absolutely delicious, and something that you don’t want to make too much a habit of eating regularly or you won’t be fitting into your clothes for too much longer.
Cornish Yarg
Wild Garlic Yarg by tristanf via Flickr.
Any guess what yarg is? Bet you didn’t guess that it was cheese. This uniquely Cornish cheese is produced using the milk of Friesian cows, by Lynher Dairies. The most distinctive quality of the cheese is its nettle leaf wrapping, which was originally meant to protect it from deterioration, but which also aids in the growth of an edible gray mould which gives the cheese its characteristic flavour. A special version of the cheese is also produced which replaces the nettle leaves with wild garlic leaves. Seeing as Yarg (which is simply the surname Gray spelled backwards) is only produced by one dairy near Truro, this is something you’ll likely only have the chance to try while in Cornwall.
The Saffron Bun
Saffron buns by hfb via Flickr.
There are few things more comforting than a freshly baked sweet roll, and the Cornish saffron bun doesn’t disappoint. Who knows how this traditional Scandinavian treat made its way to the shores of England, but it has been made here for generations, with the recipe even surviving the strict rationing of WWII. In some parts of the county these rich and sweet yeast-leavened buns are known as ‘revel buns’ and are prepared as a celebration cake for anniversaries and christenings, while in West Cornwall the buns are larger and are often known as tea-treat buns. Either way, they are always easily identifiable by their rich yellow colouring, which is imparted by the delicate saffron threads. Unfortunately, many bakers supplement the colour with artificial food colouring so be sure to check with the baker before you dig in.
The Cornish Pasty
Cornish pastry by Gareth_Rogers via Flickr.
No discussion of Cornish food is complete without a mention of the famed Cornish pasty, a full meal wrapped up in an edible parcel. At its most simple, a pasty is a pastry shell that is filled with a mixture of raw beef, potatoes, swede (otherwise known as turnip), onion, and a peppery seasoning before the distinctive crimping is done along one edge and the whole thing is slow baked to perfection. Purist would say that this recipe should never be tampered with, and it is this recipe that has been granted Protected Geographical Indication by the EU, so if it isn’t made in Cornwall it isn’t a Cornish pasty!
The food and culture of Cornwall are fascinating and are both thoroughly unique to this part of Britain. Some time spent tasting and learning about the local foods of Cornwall is a great way to spend part of a cottage holiday in the region, and is sure to delight any traveller. Find yourself the perfect holiday cottage at Sykes Holiday Cottages, and spend your days bouncing from restaurant, to cafe, to local farm shop, and then spend your evenings with a contentedly full tummy curled up in front of the fire. That sounds pretty much like the perfect holiday plan to me!
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