Cornwall ready to present 'the next Keith Floyd and Rick Stein'

When in Rome… We won’t bother finishing the adage, but it’s one to which I’ve always tried to adhere. So while down in Cornwall last week I did what so many Cornish people do – I bought some local fish. And why not? The corner of the UK that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean is richer in fabulous, fresh and sustainable seafood than any other place in the country – it would be mad not to take a nice bit of fish home!

One of the very best purveyors of fresh seafood west of the Tamar is to be found in Truro, at the Great Cornish Food Store. I could spend the rest of this article waxing lyrical about the glories of this unique emporium, which does more than any other retail outlet in England to promote the glories of local food and drink – but, needless to say, its seafood counter is one of the best you’ll find this side of the English Channel.

While I was there last week, I learned about an exciting new event that will be taking place at the store later this month. The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is being staged on the 26th and 27th of October and will be heralding the delights of all the wonderful, fresh, truly delicious and sustainable fish caught in those wild and windy seas that surround the Duchy.

Now, the idea of a seafood event being held in Cornwall wouldn’t normally stop me in my tracks. Why wouldn’t you have regular celebrations highlighting all those delicious fish? But this happens to be the Great Cornish Food Store’s first large-scale special event and its mastermind, Ruth Huxley (the store’s founder and chief executive) is not only brilliant at what she does, she is a trend-setter. Where she treads, others will follow.

When Ruth set up the Great Cornish Food Store back in 2016, she was starting a journey which had never been charted before in the UK – ie, developing and founding a single large outlet designed to promote and sell food and drink produced from a single geographic location. Which is why I was so keen to find out more about the Seafood Weekend – an event which will include live demonstrations, talks, tasting stations, a seafood bar, sea shanties, children’s activities, etc, etc…

“We want to shine a light on our brilliant fishing industry, the lifeblood of so many of our coastal communities,” Ruth told me. “We found that when we asked people what food they most associated with Cornwall, more stated seafood rather than any other.

“We are really looking forward to showcasing the huge variety available from our waters and encouraging people to explore lesser known species and different ways of using them.”

Let’s pause a moment and give the concept some thought. Anyone who sells anything, anywhere, will know about the gulf which lies between a product and the potential customer; a gulf filled with obstructions and rip-tides.

There’s the geographical distance separating the goods and the consumer, and even a potential lack of understanding over exactly what is being sold. It could be argued that no other form of business faces such issues as acutely as the seafood industry.

That’s partly because the product has such a short shelf-life. Then there are questions around which species to buy and how to handle the fish once you’ve taken it home.

Because of issues like these, only a fraction of the seafood caught in our waters is actually consumed in the UK – which is a great shame both for the UK’s fisher-folk and for those of us who love delicious local seafood.

To put it in a clam-shell, the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is being staged with the idea of bringing the fishing industry and potential consumers closer together. A very good idea… I say that because it’s been 40 years since West Country chef Keith Floyd famously sang the praises of this region’s seafood to the nation in his first TV series – and we still lag far behind our European neighbours when it comes to the selling and buying of fresh fish.

Ten years after Floyd On Fish , Rick Stein’s Taste of the Sea sailed much the same course. Both series were wonderful and it is true to say that, partly thanks to those pioneering TV chefs, we do eat more seafood nowadays. But there’s still a long way to go.

Hat’s off, then, to the Great Cornish Food Store for staging an event showing off local seafood – and for doing it in such an iconic and well-known venue. As I say, the store’s fish-counter is one of the busiest in the South West and has been for the past eight years. Also popular is the store’s highly respected cafe which, during the event, will be turned into a seafood bar serving delicious and innovative dishes such as lobster bisque, monkfish satay skewers, classic crab sandwiches, pan-fried squid and the freshest fish and chips made with goujons of gurnard.

Ruth explained that the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is a collaboration between the award-winning Great Cornish Food Store and the Cornish Fish Producers’ Association (CFPO), which represents more than 160 member vessels.

CFPO chief executive Chris Ranford will be among the speakers, explaining just how vital the local fishing industry is to Cornwall’s economy. It is a major employer – something like 8,000 people are involved in the industry west of the River Tamar.

I talked to Chris and he told me: “The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is a great opportunity to celebrate how crucial the seafood sector is to our economy and how we are home to one of the most diverse, sustainable fleets in Europe, landing more than 50 different species of fish every year.

“The Great Cornish Food Store is such a well-known venue among chefs and food influencers and, of course, consumers. Which means we can tell a really good story about the seafood landed here. In the last five years there has been a definite swing, with consumers buying more seafood in the UK.”

Chris added. “There are various reasons – one was Brexit, which made it more difficult for wholesalers to take their fish to Europe. So, many of them have repurposed and they’re doing a great job of getting good, fresh, sustainable fish out to consumers across this country.

“Even so, there’s a lot of misinformation around seafood. All sorts of issues come up about provenance and sustainability – all of which, of course, we can answer here in Cornwall. The great thing about the Great Cornish Food Store is that shoppers can go in and talk to people who understand the industry.

“Consumers can take that knowledge away and have seafood as part of their weekly routine.”

Chris, pictured , says there’ll be as many as 50 different species of fish being caught sustainably off Cornish coasts this winter. “There’s an enormous amount of good sustainably caught fish to choose from – something to suit all budgets. Fresh sardines caught in Mount’s Bay, for example, will be around until early March. If you bought £10 worth of sardines, you could feed a family of four really well.

“Then there’s hake – a really good white fish from an MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) accredited fishery. Only a select number of boats work in that fishery so you know where it’s come from and how the species is being protected, and hake is
really good from a taste point of view.

“If people are willing to try something a little different, I’d recommend going for megrim sole,” Chris continued. “Similar to a Dover sole, but a much cheaper option. We’re now marketing it as ‘Cornish sole’. It’s delicious.”

Among the other seafood experts appearing at the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend will be Pete Murt, head chef at Rick Stein’s flagship, The Seafood Restaurant.

Joining Pete will be Stephane Delourme, former head chef and group chef at Rick Stein Restaurants, who will demonstrate the art of shucking and cooking oysters. Acclaimed fishmonger Annie Seabourne, of My Fish Kitchen, will be demonstrating how to cook, pick, and eat crab. Also making an appearance will be Jeffrey Robinson, one of the first chefs in the world to receive a Green Michelin Star.

Other attractions will include the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and their Good Seafood Guide, the go-to source for advice on sustainable fish choice. The store’s outside space will be transformed into a play area for children, led by the locally-based social enterprise, Rock Pool Project.

The weekend is part of the Agrifood Sector Development Project, delivered by the Great Cornish Food Store team. The event has been made possible through the Good Growth programme, which is managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

“Research has shown us that people love the whole idea of Cornish seafood,” says Ruth Huxley. “But our experience here at the store shows us there are still many questions around it – everything from what’s good to eat to how sustainable is it? People love seafood, but they can be a bit nervous when it comes to experimenting with it at home. So conveying a bit more information about how they can get the best out of it, and what to choose, can only be a good idea.”

For more information on Great Cornish Seafood Weekend or to book your free-to-enter chef demo tickets go to www.greatcornishfood.co.uk.

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