A guide to local Cornish produce

Guiding us around the Duchy, Jude Kereama lets us in on his favourite places to find the very best Cornish produce.

Being a chef in Cornwall: the perks

One of the greatest things about being a chef in Cornwall is the incredible produce that we can gather from within our great county. As restauranteurs, we have a fantastic array of suppliers that I use almost daily. We use the same suppliers that we have used for years, as we know they always send us the best produce that they have at the time. We are also lucky to have day boat fisherman who bring in line-caught fish, lobsters, crabs, squid, and organic farms that supply us with the best vegetables in season.

What about produce to cook at home?

So, where can everyone else find the same kind of quality that I use in my restaurants? Well, we use Warrens Butchers of Launceston in our restaurants, who just so happen to have a shop that is open to the public just off the A30 at Pennygillam estate. It’s like walking into the Willy Wonka of the butchery world; they have so many different cuts of every animal available for you at the counter. You can see the different breeds of cows that have been butchered and are hanging in a dry-age cabinet right before your very eyes.

Tregew Food Barn market is another fantastic place to go to find butchers, various farmers, fishmongers, shellfish suppliers, vegetable suppliers, cheesemongers, winemakers, distillers, roasters, and many other producers of fine ingredients. There is even hot food and drinks available to have while stocking your bags with all the goodies!

There is also Trevaskis Farm (which I love to go to), Gear Farm, Trevalyan farm, Cusgarne organic farm shop, Newlyn fish market and various fishmongers around Newlyn, and as for Cornish meat, there are plenty of other local butchers I use like Dales in Helston, Retallack in Lizard, and Brian Etherington in Scorrier.

On top of this, there are plenty of little farm stalls selling the best produce of the day, which is very cost-effective and delicious. In Porthleven, we are particularly lucky to have Origin coffee roasters right on our doorstep where we can have ground coffee or whole beans that have been roasted on site to take home. We are also blessed with local butchers and day boat fishmongers dotted around the county, brimming with fantastic produce.

 What about Cornish drinks?

Picking up local beverages in Cornwall is also a treat. We’re spoiled with local cider producers like Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm, Cornish Orchards, Polgoon Vineyard, St Ives Cider and many other cideries where you can just pop in and have a tasting. For beer, there’s incredible producers like Sharps, Verdant, St Austell Brewery and Skinners, not forgetting Shoals Brewery in Porthleven, where you can also try and buy in their tasting rooms. There’s a whole host of breweries like St Ives Brewery, The Bearded Brewery, Harbour Brewery, and many more that produce the most wonderful craft beers.

Distilleries like Loveday, Wrecking Coast, Tarquins, Trevethen, Mounts Bay, Pocket Full of Stones, Rosemullion and Crusty Juggler Rum are producing the most fantastic spirits, while Cornish wine has well and truly been put on the world map by Camel Valley Winery, closely followed up by Knightor, Trevibban Mill, Bosue Vineyard, Looe Valley, and Polgoon to fly the Cornish flag for wines.

With such an incredible abundance of ingredients and suppliers all around us here in Cornwall, the question begs to be asked, why look elsewhere?

 KOTA AND KOTA KAI
01326 562407 / 01326 727707
www.kotarestaurant.co.uk
www.kotakai.co.uk