A Cornish Culinary Adventure- Days 6 & 7

Well my 'ansome's, I'm afraid these are the two final pieces of my Cornish Culinary Adventure- but fear not.... I'm so loved up with the place at the moment, that I've just baked some pasties. So if you're all good little Piskies, I'll share it with you!

Day 6-

This always happens to me when I go home, I think that i'll eat a Pasty as soon as I return, but the facts are, I still hadn’t had a Pasty until today! After a short shopping trip out, I begged my pops to visit a bakery. Not one to settle for second best on the Pasty stakes, I went to Hampston’s of Hayle- a local butcher and pie/pasty maker famous for their wares.

It was past two o’clock, so my hopes of getting my desired lunch were slightly hindered due to the sheer demand of the wonderful hand held lunch. I didn’t let it get me down though- ‘I’m in Cornwall for Christ sake- the whole county can’t be out of Pasties by now....can they?’ I thought to myself.

I wasn’t expecting the answer to the above question to be ‘nearly’! The butcher only had three pasties left in the whole shop! That just goes to show how popular this traditional mining fodder still is to this day!

Anyway, despite asking for a steak Pasty, I received one with steak mince. It was still lovely, although it didn’t have that wonderful gravy that saturates the crust that you get with the beef skirting. So be warned people- I’ve lived in Cornwall for most of my life and I slipped up my order- make sure you ask if the Pasty is made with mince!

After my mammoth lunch, I made sure to leave plenty of room for this evening’s offerings. As with most other ‘family occasions’ we celebrate at local Carbis Bay restaurant- La Casita, tonight it was my brother’s turn to celebrate his birthday.

I ordered garlic mushrooms in a creamy sauce with a Mozzarella crust. They were rich, buttery, not soggy- the only thing that could have improved them would have been a bit of bread on the side. That sauce was too good to waste (so I frantically slurped it up like a rich soup)!

Always a stickler for local produce, especially fish, I opted for the special Hake fillet with a herb crust and a tomato and basil sauce with Boulangere potatoes. When the dish arrived, it looked wonderfully colourful. The plump white flesh of the fish contrasting with the scarlet sauce peppered with flecks of basil.

However, no matter pleasing a dish is to one’s eye, it has to please the palate as well. And unfortunately, no amount of salt and pepper could remedy this flavourless dish. This really saddened me, as it was such a beautifully cooked piece of fish, but I had to be sent back.

I felt like I'd ruined the evening, embarrasing myself, and my co diners. But the night wasn't over yet! The propietor came over to our table, and quietly discussed the problem. I explained to him that I wasn't satisfied, and he offered me another meal- which I gladly excepted.

Although at first I felt like the evening had somehow been stunted, I'm glad I stood my ground. After having worked in the catering industry for the past 10 years, I've always liked honest customers, who actually give you the chance to compensate and correct your mistakes, rather than leave dissappointed, and never return...

I'd been eyeing up my father's dish of Beef fillet stroganoff. So I made the quick decision to have that as a replacement. And my God, was I glad! It was tender, beautifully cooked with a side of fluffy white rice, I have to say, it was an informed choice (as i'd already shovelled some of my dad's meal down my gob already!)

After quaffing the last of the Rioja, we returned home to eat some birthday cake (which I had made earlier on in the day, along with the Christmas Pudding). And I have to say- Delia, you've come up trumps again!

It was a simple recipe- 6oz Self-Raising Flour, 6oz Sugar, 3 Eggs and 6oz Butter. I added some vanilla essence, and when it was cool, I split the hefty sponge in half and spread with some good quality Raspberry Jam, and whipped cream (of course).

We settled down to watch a fillm, our stomachs full, our appetites supressed (for now!)

Day 7

Since arriving home, I quite fancied doing something a bit different. Maybe leaving the county for a day trip, perhaps?

My father suggested this idea to me again, and we were going to visit Greenway House in Devon, former home to my favourite author, Agatha Christie. But this proved problematic, as neither of us knew how to get there, or wanted to wait up to two hours to be shown around... perhaps next time, eh?

Instead, we opted for the more easily locatable, Exeter. A city full of history, with its Gothic Cathedral nestled between cafes, bistros and gift shops.

As a teenager, I had visited the city quite frequently and often admired a place that used to have a piano permanantly parked out on the pavement. I can only assume that the memory of this place relates to The Pitcher and Piano on Queen Street.

This being a casual father-daugther day out, we decided to have a laid back meal in this sophisticated Georgian style eatery.

Despite having had steak at the meal last night, neither of us could resist the charms of the Rump Steak baguette with caramelised onions...just thinking about it's making me salivate!

The substantially sized sandwiches arrived brimming with pink, plump slices of beef, dotted with wholegrain mustard and slithers of onion. I have to say, for £7.50, these were pretty good value too!

All in all a great time was had by all. I'm sure i've gained a little weight, but who's counting? I'm storing it up for the winter to keep me warm anyway! I look forward to returning home for Christmas, where I'll be making Christmas dinner for 6 people (for the second time!)