well, you know what they say! if you love something, go to the source.
and if you know me well, you know of my deep love for anything and everything seafood, and indeed—that includes good old rick stein.
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rick is a british chef and food show host from the uk, with whom i have had an obsession with ever since i was younger. maybe it is his softly spoken voice, his love of poetry and food writing, or his silly, weird way of interviewing people. he is not cool by any means. but, i have adored him forever.
he is a master of cooking fish and seafood and has many restaurants in his beloved town of padstow, cornwall. he was more famous in the 90’s i suppose, which was when i was growing up (‘86 baby here), and his shows dominated the tv. in my house, anyway. i still enjoy those older shows now, even if somewhat dated. i find myself watching re-runs if i ever choose to have a couch dinner. i don’t watch that much tv, but if i do it’s usually rick.
so, the next installment to our ‘back to europe’ trip was cornwall, but most importantly—the pig.
our last stop in the uk, before mallorca.
a note on marriage and compromise
we try to go back to the uk at least once a year—that is enough time for me anyway. andy often goes back often, and generally a few more times than me, if he feels the need to. as much as we are very happily married, we are both fiercely independent people too, and with that, we are very respectful of each others wants and needs—with many things of course, but especially when it comes to family and travel. living so far away from family, and having different relationships with our hometown and families means we have different priorities when it comes to spending real, quality time with them. i would never want to stop him from going back to see his family, just because i didn’t want to make the trek (for whatever reason).
last christmas was the first christmas in 15 years that we chose to spend apart. we were sad of course, but we have such an excellent, open dialogue within our relationship that when he suggested going back to spend christmas in worcester, i told him he should go. i also expressed my absolute need not to travel back, i had been traveling a lot that year and couldn’t fathom another long-haul flight—and so that was that. people we’re shocked to say the least, but those particular people need to stop living in the past, and stop having these antiquated views on marriage. we are 15 years into our relationship, and have been very happily married for over 10 years. he is my greatest love and happiest place.
my family very much understands my lack-of-want to go back to my hometown, and are again—very respectful with my wishes. dad always says he prefers to come visit us anyway. and so, i’ll take that.
the pig, harlyn bay
we have had our sights set on staying at one of the pig hotels for a while, and so with it being andy’s dads 70th birthday as well, we decided on his birthday gift—a two night stay at the pig, harlyn bay.
“when the first pig opened in 2011, i wanted to deformalize the country house hotel,” mr. hutson said.”
“the pig hotels avoid all the usual country house folderol: no michelin-starred restaurants, croquet lawn, poolside champagne or golf courses. instead, guests get to play house in beautiful 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century buildings and eat affordable, tasty food from ingredients mostly grown on the property or sourced within a 25-mile radius.”
we pulled up and our breath was instantly taken away. it was raining—of course it was raining, it was july in the uk. almost guaranteed rain with a british summer! but even with the rain, somehow it was perfect. we were ready to kick back, and have a very cozy, red-wine-soaked, reading-a-book-in-a-nook kind of stay.
our room was like cosy cabin, and the bath inside the room was a real, unexpected treat.
despite the rain, we explored the grounds, which included a massive on-site vegetable garden and an allotment, two restaurants, and many sitting rooms. after a gorge around the vegetable garden, we all agreed it was time for an afternoon tipple. we chose the drawing room as the spot for our afternoon refreshments. after selecting a lovely bottle of natural wine from tillingham wines (somewhere else i am desperate to go and stay), and a cup of tea—we sunk into the unfathomably cozy couches for the afternoon.
dinner that night was at the main restaurant in the main house and was delicious. i had fish for my entree, and it was superb. you could literally taste the freshness of every ingredient. like, you could taste the land it was grown on in the best way possible. i don’t know how else to describe it!
after a little amaro digestif and nightcap, it was time for bed, and little did i know i was about to have the best sleep of the trip yet.
the sun came out the following day, much to my delight. i was kind of sick of the rain if i am being honest. we headed to breakfast.
as a rule, i am never that hungry for breakfast. i’ve always been the same. sometimes, i might fancy something on toast, but very rarely.
i had some fruit, and everyone else got a full english. had i have been in the mood, i think i would have chosen a full english too, as there really is nothing better—but alas, i enjoyed my cappuccino.
we headed into to padstow town, for a walk around the harbor and take in some of the undeniably cornish sights.
prawn on the lawn—padstow, cornwall
i have wanted to eat at a prawn on the lawn for quite some time now. they are a cornish based, seafood centric restaurant with a european flare. think small plates, and natural wine. a perfect lunch stop in my eyes.
the food was great! nothing too fussy, just excellent ingredients with relatively simple preparations—which is exactly what i search for. and if you have been here a while, you’ll know that is my mode of operation.
we spent the rest of the day perusing the town of padstow, stopping for coffees along the way. everyone decided on a ice cream on the way back to the car, which was a perfect end to our afternoon in padstow.
we headed back to the pig for a little rest, before the evenings dinner—we were finally going to rick’s restaurant. a place i have been dreaming about going since i was a little girl. to say i was excited, was an understatement.
rick stein, the seafood restaurant—padstow, cornwall
on first glance, you could tell that this place had been around for a while. not in a dated way, in more of a classic way. similarly to the river cafe in london—it felt of a time. it felt very 90’s in the best possible way.
we entered through a grand conservatory of sorts and were greeted by a friendly host.
one thing about me is i love a white tablecloth. give me a restaurant with a white tablecloth, anyday. it doesn’t have to be a fancy place—it could be a traditional red sauce joint that has been there for years, or indeed a quintessential steak house. but give me a white tablecloth (and a very dirty martini), and i will generally be happy.
we all ordered a glass of white wine and the host took our orders.
the food was good. it was okay. the food was fine.
admittedly, it was as i expected it to be—very classic, very simple, very 90’s. but something didn’t quite hit for me in the same way some classic restaurants do. this was the kind of restaurant my grandad robin would have taken us to when we were kids. he always had great taste. but it certainly felt of a time, if that makes sense. right down the somewhat dated plates, and twisted metal vases that adorned the table.
i had oysters to start and then a french ragoût with turbot, which were both very delicious, don’t get me wrong. but looking back to my comparison of river cafe, the food here was very different. some might say, it doesn’t stand the test of time quite like the river cafe still does.
overall, we had a wonderful evening with great company and incredible wine. i was happy. i had made the pilgrimage.
i will still watch all of rick’s shows repeatedly, back to back. because his food and travel shows still inspire me so deeply. they inspire me not only to want to cook for people but to travel. and so, here we are, full circle.
secret france will still be my favorite series of his yet. but mediterranean escapes comes in a close second. i go back and watch them, at the very least—one episode, once a week.
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we retired back to our cosy room at the pig for one last night. we went to bed fairly early, as we had a flight out of bristol the next morning (a 3 hour drive from where we were). but it was on to arguably the most exciting part of the trip next—mallorca.
talk soon
xo
I’ve been saving and pinning photos from the pig hotels for years! The decor and ambiance just look/feel like a hug. What a dream!