Cornwall LivingIssue #89
Penwith in focus
This windswept peninsula is a thriving microcosm of everything we love about Cornwall.
With a vibrant art scene and some of the finest food in the county, Penwith is home to a superb array of independent Cornish businesses.
Indeed, however you like to spend your days, we can all but guarantee that this weather-worn peninsula has you well and truly covered.
Ice cream dreaming
Mr B’s
Mr B’s provides the very best artisan ice cream, made seven days a week in the centre of Hayle, using both locally sourced Cornish produce and fine Italian ingredients. At Mr B’s both the classics and the eye popping are on offer, from timeless vanilla and fresh strawberry, to the spell-bindingly named ‘Triple Choc Chunk Fudge Chunk Choc Chip Ripple’! Eat in or takeaway, there’s more on offer than you can shake a chocolate dipped cone at!
Deliciously healthy
Archie Browns
Archie Browns is a thriving health food shop, vegetarian café and restaurant, with shops in Truro and Penzance. The team aim to provide people with the choice of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, empowering customers to look after their health and wellbeing by providing a friendly and helpful service within an all-round uplifting and inspiring environment.
www.archiebrownscornwall.co.uk
Taste it to believe it!
Trink Dairy
Situated near St Ives, Trink Dairy produces top quality pasteurised milk which is bottled by hand at the farm. From glass to bottle, Trink milk is unique for several reasons.
Firstly, the cows are milked once a day, free range for 270 days a year, and get more than 90% of their diet from home-grown grass. Bred to a mix of Friesian and Jersey, they produce top quality milk, which is high in butterfat and protein, while remaining 95% fat free!
Trink milk is not homogenised or standardised, and is pasteurised immediately after the cows are milked. It contains all the cream in its natural state, meaning that everyone, especially baristas and chefs, can enjoy the benefits of Trink milk. Happy customers have commented on how Trink Milk “tastes fresh, smooth and creamy”, exclaiming “this is what real milk tastes like”. The consensus is that “it’s got to be tasted to be believed”, so why not visit the farm and grab a bottle from the vending machine, open 24 hours a day! For retail delivery enquiries simply contact Trink Dairy direct.
@trinkdairy on Facebook
Taste the tapas
Alverne Restaurant
Located in the centre of Penzance, the Alverne Restaurant and Lounge is the perfect place to while away a lunch or evening amongst friends. Serving a good selection of meals including tapas, tiger prawns, crab risotto and fresh fish daily; offering a separate vegan menu and an extensive wine list, there’s plenty to choose from at the Alverne so if you’re exploring Penwith, a trip to Alverne comes highly recommended!
www.restaurantsnapshot.com/Alverne
Statement pieces
Walkers Jewellery
With high standards of service and expertise, Penzance based Walkers design handmade jewellery and are happy to adapt, repair, and modify existing items. They stock both new and second hand gem and jewellery ranges in gold and silver. As the only workshop holding stock of Cornish Mined Silver, a variety of items can be produced, such as these unique handmade, hand engraved wedding bands (see photo).
@WalkersJewellers on Facebook
Blooming marvellous!
In Bloom
A florist for two decades, Lisa Cadman is delighted to have her own business in her home village of Porthleven! Inside she has adopted a natural style, stocking a selection of locally grown and top-quality Dutch flowers. Constantly changing with the seasons, with an unusual selection of houseplants, plus an eclectic mix of modern and vintage pots and vases, Lisa also offers floristry workshops, bespoke hand-tied bouquets and arrangements for all occasions, delivering to Porthleven and the surrounding area.
@inbloomporthleven on Facebook
Raw chocolate
Raw Chocolate Pie Company
Based on Fore Street in St Ives, Raw Chocolate Pie champions the benefits of raw food. Eaten raw, food maintains its enzymes, friendly bacteria and high nutritional value. Suitable for anybody with wheat or gluten intolerance, as well as vegetarians and vegans, Raw Chocolate Pie is also absolutely delicious! With generous tasters available to try in store, as well as a tempting choice of smoothies and ice creams, be sure to stop by and discover the benefits for yourself!
Stunning St Ives
Polmanter Touring Park
Polmanter is a family run business that has been welcoming guests to its award-winning touring park for 50 years. Offering five-star camping within walking distance of St Ives, Polmanter also now boasts two luxury self-catering apartments – Kerenza and Demelza. These apartments provide high-quality two-bedroom accommodation, stylish contemporary décor, far-reaching views, and the dog’s welcome too! Use discount code ‘CL19’ when you book an apartment for 2020 and the team will even throw in a bottle of fizz!
En plein air
Lighthouse Gallery
From 30th August until 15th September, popular ‘plein air’ painter Mark Preston returns to Lighthouse Gallery with a solo show of 35 new canvases. Mark paints in acrylics and most of his canvases are completed in-situ – an approach that is becoming more unusual. Mark and his easel are a common sight in Penwith, particularly along the coast path. He explains: “There is so much drama in the Cornish landscape. I love to immerse myself in those elemental qualities.”
A focus on fresh
The Cornish Barn
An oasis in the heart of Penzance with comfy chairs, a fully stocked bar, ping-pong and a retractable sun roof, at The Cornish Barn, you can enjoy the great outdoors come rain or shine. The new garden is the perfect spot for summer evenings, and don’t miss the team’s feast nights – held every other Friday until the end of September, with Cornish feasts of paella, lobster, flatbreads and more, all made using fresh Cornish produce.
Penwith provenance
St Buryan Farm Shop
With five-star Google and TripAdvisor reviews, this superb shop sources produce as locally as possible. In fact, it has its very own butcher, who makes the bacon and sausages and butchers all the home reared and local meats on site!
Owner Morwenna Bone makes all the cakes herself, as well as the pasties, which are made from meat and veg grown on their own farm. With drinks, food and crafts all made locally, if you’re looking for a true flavour of Penwith, this is where you’ll find it!
A personal service
Stylish Cornish Cottages
The self-catering marketplace has changed, something Stylish Cornish Cottages (SCC) have embraced. Online agencies such as Airbnb and HomeAway now account for over half of all European holiday home bookings. SCC is flexible enough to take advantage of the changes wrought by these industry giants, making them work for their owners. With a proven record of improving the profits of holiday cottages under their management, if you’re tired of impersonal agents and want more bookings, contact Phay at Stylish Cornish Cottages. Fully bespoke management service available.
www.stylishcornishcottages.co.uk
A taste of Naples
Totti
Named after Italian footballer Francesco Totti and serving traditional Neapolitan pizza, Totti produces high-quality pizzas sticking to the principles founded in Naples. There are nods to Italian football all over the shop, which is a hit with customers. Totti also serves single origin coffee from Yallah and various sweet treats from other local makers such as Moomaid, Cecil on Ice and Beige Donuts. Totti is predominantly a takeaway but if you can’t resist tucking in, there is capacity for up to nine people.
@tottipizzashop on Facebook
Interiors inspired
Interiora
Specialising in bathrooms, tiles, flooring and doors, Interiora stays abreast of the latest technologies and trends, which makes for a forever evolving showroom. The friendly and knowledgeable team have more than 20 years’ industry experience between them, promising to work with you to create a room that’s practical, aesthetically pleasing and budget friendly, all at once. Interior design can be a tricky business at the best of times, so why not transform your home with the experts at Interiora?
Stop and stay a while
Zennor Chapel
Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the small and very picturesque village of Zennor, Zennor Chapel Guesthouse café serves delicious home cooked food with gluten free and vegan options available, open 10am until 5pm. It’s an ideal midway point for anyone walking the coast path from St Ives to Land’s End, or for anybody wishing to stay the night and make the return trip in the morning, with en-suite bathrooms, free WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities.
www.zennorchapelguesthouse.com
Stunning artwork
Driftwood Contemporary
Located in some of the most beautiful coastal areas in the UK, including Padstow and St Ives in Cornwall and Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast, Driftwood Contemporary has a strong portfolio of artists with a constant stream of outstanding new work coming into the gallery every month, keeping the walls fresh and exciting all year round. The team also offer flexible payment options, including interest free credit, making pieces by the world’s most highly coveted artists affordable for everybody.
www.driftwoodcontemporary.co.uk
Elevate your lifestyle
Sweetlime
Located in the centre of St Ives, Sweetlime is filled to the brim with stunning pieces sourced from around the world. Many items are exclusive to – or designed by – the shop, including unusual jewellery, accessories, gifts and homewares, many of which have been designed by the owner, Elspeth J. Walker. Get set for days on the beach with Sweetlime’s range of Hammam towels, beach bags, exclusive kaftans and festival inspired jewellery or find that unique piece to elevate your interior design.
Look after your locks
Karina Zimmer
Situated in Carbis Bay in St Ives, Karina Zimmer Hair Design is a friendly unisex hair salon. The dedicated team of highly trained staff are passionate about your hair, your needs and your expectations and deliver the ultimate hair experience. Sam also specialises in world renowned Great Lengths hair extensions and has been working with them for over 20 years, perfect if you feel like adding thickness or length to your hair.
A wild space
Tanglewood Wild Garden
A natural garden and woodland where the grass is never cut closer than four inches and there is no shortage of bramble, gorse and thistles, founded on the belief that to encourage wildlife some areas have to be left wild and untouched.
The dog-friendly gardens are spread across nine acres and feature four ponds, providing a great place for a family picnic. The garden has evolved over the years and has become a secluded, quiet and unique garden where you can just be.
www.tanglewoodmaycontainnuts.co.uk
Coastal style
Tin Coast Design
New independent coastal brand Tin Coast Design has just opened its first interiors and lifestyle shop next to the Prom between Penzance and Newlyn. Mixing Californian breeziness with traditional English beach style, the shop houses furniture, lighting, mirrors and homeware, alongside modern art and eclectic, one-off pieces, including antiques and must-have vintage. A website is on its way and September sees the launch of Tin Coast’s Interior Design service.
@tincoastdesign on Instagram
Award winning style
Hunter & Walsh
Hunter & Walsh have recently been awarded ‘South West Hair Salon of the Year’ in the British Hair and Beauty Awards 2019 and are finalists in the Hairdresser’s Journal British Hairdressing Business Awards ‘Hair Salon of the Year’ category (to be announced in September), showing that they really are at the top of their game. So, if you want to experience award-winning hair styling, you know where to go.
Historic beauty
Little Jem’s Jewellery
A traditional family run Jewellers established in 1988 by Ms Jamie Wright – there’s little Jamie doesn’t know about the industry. Little Jems have shops in Penzance and Truro, offering a unique collection of Georgian, Victorian, Art Deco, bespoke and modern jewellery, all individually chosen for expert craftsmanship, flawless stones or historic beauty.