St. Piran and the Veggie Patch

Last week I was in London to record a number of interviews for radio in conjunction with Davidstow, the cheese makers (and have lunch at Hix, Soho, always a good reason to visit London!).  It surprised me that so many people were curious about St. Piran and how he is celebrated here, in Cornwall.  I forget sometimes, because I am so used to it, how steeped in history and legend Cornwall is, so I was happy to re-tell the story and chat about how important keeping those traditions alive it to us here.  It was also a great opportunity to promote all things Cornish, especially the fantastic range of local produce I am able to work with.

Before I caught the train up, I was fortunate enough to have lunch at the Seahorse in Dartmouth (I know that’s just over the border!) where my family and I were greeted warmly by Mitch Tonks, as usual.  Lunch was delicious and showcased the wonderful seafood we have around the South West coastline and the respect with which Mitch treats it.

Keeping to the theme of the South West’s bounty, our latest venture is to try growing some produce for ourselves.  Nothing too big but my dad has been banging on for years about how great it is to cook what you grow yourself, so we thought we’d give it a try.  Danny, who can turn his hand to almost anything, has been out digging over the little patch we’ve acquired and it’s been quite exciting choosing what we’re going to grow and buying in seeds. Dad is in Kent, where a hosepipe ban has just been declared – a nightmare for growers and farmers, let alone gardeners.  However, we will wait and see whether the Cornish weather is kind enough for our crop to grow!  Fingers crossed!