The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend: Celebrating Cornwall's Rich Fishing Heritage
When in Rome... well, you know the rest. In the spirit of embracing local culture, when I was down in Cornwall last week, I did as the locals do—I bought some fresh, local fish. Why wouldn't I? Cornwall, with its coastline jutting into the Atlantic, is teeming with an abundance of fabulous, fresh, and sustainable seafood, arguably the finest in the UK. It would be a shame not to take some home!
One of the best places to source fresh seafood in Cornwall is the Great Cornish Food Store, located in Truro. This store is more than just a grocery shop—it's a celebration of all things Cornish. The seafood counter there is, quite simply, one of the best you'll find this side of the English Channel.
The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend: A Unique Event
Last week, while visiting the store, I learned about an exciting upcoming event: the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend. Happening on 26th and 27th October, this event will be showcasing the delights of fresh, sustainable seafood from Cornwall’s waters. There will be live demonstrations, talks, tasting stations, a seafood bar, children’s activities, and even sea shanties! It's the store's first large-scale event, and if Ruth Huxley, the store’s founder and CEO, is behind it, you can be sure it will be something special.
Ruth Huxley is a visionary who set out in 2016 to create an outlet dedicated to promoting the best of Cornish food and drink. Her goal for the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is to celebrate the fishing industry, which is the lifeblood of many coastal communities in Cornwall. "We want to shine a light on our brilliant fishing industry," Ruth explained, "and encourage people to explore lesser-known species and different ways of using them."
Ruth Huxley, The Great Cornish Food Store
The Challenges of Seafood Consumption in the UK
The seafood industry faces unique challenges—from the geographical distance between producer and consumer to a lack of knowledge about how to prepare and cook the different types of fish available. Because of these hurdles, only a fraction of the seafood caught in UK waters is actually eaten here. Events like the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend aim to bridge this gap by bringing the fishing industry and consumers closer together.
It's been 40 years since chef Keith Floyd first sang the praises of West Country seafood on his TV series, and yet, as a nation, we still lag behind our European neighbours when it comes to eating fresh fish. The Great Cornish Food Store is working to change that by making the seafood accessible and educating people on how to enjoy it. During the Seafood Weekend, their cafe will transform into a seafood bar, serving delectable dishes like lobster bisque, monkfish satay skewers, classic crab sandwiches, pan-fried squid, and the freshest fish and chips made with gurnard.
Newlyn and its fishing fleet
A Collaborative Celebration of Cornish Seafood
The event is a collaboration between the Great Cornish Food Store and the Cornish Fish Producers’ Association (CFPO), which represents over 160 member vessels. CFPO's chief executive, Chris Ranford, will also be speaking at the event about the importance of the fishing industry to Cornwall’s economy. "The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is a great opportunity to celebrate how crucial the seafood sector is to our economy," Chris said. He highlighted the variety available, including sustainably caught sardines, hake from an MSC-accredited fishery, and megrim sole (also known as "Cornish sole"), which offers a tasty, affordable alternative to Dover sole.
Chris Ranford: Cornish Fish Producers
Meet the Experts at the Seafood Weekend
Throughout the weekend, attendees will have the chance to learn from some of the leading seafood experts, including Pete Murt, head chef at Rick Stein’s flagship The Seafood Restaurant, and Stephane Delourme, former head chef at Rick Stein Restaurants, who will be demonstrating the art of shucking and cooking oysters. Acclaimed fishmonger Annie Seabourne from My Fish Kitchen will also be on hand to show how to cook, pick, and enjoy crab.
Pete Murt, head chef at the Seafood Restaurant
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust and their Good Seafood Guide will provide advice on sustainable fish choices, and children can enjoy mobile rock pooling led by the Rock Pool Project. The Great Cornish Seafood Weekend is part of the Agrifood Sector Development Project and is supported by the Good Growth programme, funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Chef Stephane Delourme
For more information on the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend or to book your free tickets for chef demonstrations, visit www.greatcornishfood.co.uk.
Recipe: Salt-Baked Red Gurnard
Gurnard is a fantastic fish that has become increasingly popular in recent years. This salt-baked red gurnard recipe brings out the best in its flavor:
Ingredients:
Whole gutted gurnard, one per person
Stalks of flat leaf parsley and thyme
Ground sea salt
Instructions:
Stuff the body cavity of the gurnard with parsley and thyme.
Sprinkle a layer of salt in a roasting pan, place the gurnard on top, then cover it with more salt until fully enclosed.
Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, crack the salt crust, and peel it away from the fish.
Remove the skin and serve the flaky, delicate fish with a fresh salad or chips.
The Future of Cornish Seafood
Cornwall is blessed with some of the best seafood in the world, and the Great Cornish Food Store is helping to lead the charge in making sure more of us appreciate it. Events like the Great Cornish Seafood Weekend are crucial in educating consumers and bridging the gap between the incredible fish that comes out of Cornwall's waters and the dinner plates across the UK.
So why not come down and experience the very best of Cornish seafood for yourself? It's a feast for the senses and an opportunity to learn more about the rich heritage that Cornwall's fishing industry has to offer.
Cornish scallops
