The St Ives Food and Drink Festival 2013

We are very excited at Porthminster Beach to be hosting this year’s St Ives Food and Drink Festival, taking place 18th and 19th May. Now in it’s fourth year, the festival is a fantastic celebration of St Ives’ unique location – a true mecca for local and seasonal food from both sea and land, as well as home to many passionate food personalities.

During the weekend, visitors can meet chefs, producers, farmers, foragers, brewers and many more. The festival will be thoroughly interactive, going beyond the usual schedule of cooking demonstrations with mini cooking classes, encouraging young and old to get involved and get their hands dirty. The little ones can learn to make their own pasties, whilst grown-ups discover the rewards of foraging on the beach and coastal path with expert ecologist Caroline Davey of Fat Hen. Rory McPhee will show groups of enthusiasts how to collect seaweed and use it in their cooking, and there are even fishing trips planned from the beach, weather permitting.

In a marquee on the beach itself, you can taste the finest food and drink from St Ives and its surroundings.

“From wine, cider and beer producers, to chocolate and cheese makers, fruit and vegetable growers and meat, chutneys, curry and bread all produced in Cornwall, the food producers market at the St Ives Food and Drink festival is sure to delight the taste buds.”

As well as all this, Porthminster Beach Cafe will be running an Oyster and Champagne Bar during the festival, and there will be plenty of live music to encourage that festival atmosphere!

For more information, including travel and parking advice, visit www.stivesfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk and look out for our Exec Chef Michael Smith who is lined up for a cooking demo.

The St Ives Food and Drink Festival is sponsored by Aspects Holidays and Tregenna Castle Hotel.

“Thank you cafe people!”

More from those all important restaurant critics, the under 12s, whose happiness can make or break a family occasion….

This is from Beau, who loved our ‘tree pudding’ (Petit Fours!)

My name is Beau and I am 5 and I went to the  Porthminster Beach Cafe with my Brother, Sister, Mummy and Daddy, Nanny and  Bampy, Uncle Alec and his fried Al.  I was really excited when I got there  because I’d been there once before and had Lobster with pinchy claws.  It  was  lovely sunny day and I saw lots of people on the beach through the  window by our table.  I had yummy garlic bread and pasta, I had some of  Daddy’s fish and chips and one of Al’s muscles, I really liked the muscle.   Then I had the Tree Pudding (Petit Fours) which was brilliant, I had the turkish delight and the chocolate peanut butter ball, I shared the tree with my brother and sister.  After lunch we sat at the outdoor table next to the barbecue  and the man cooking there gave us two clam shells.  I had a brilliant time that day, thank you cafe people.
Beau Fulker

And this from Beau’s sister Robin, who seems to have enjoyed all three courses!

Dear Porthminster  Beach Cafe, I am Robin and I am eight years old.  My family, me, my Uncle  Alec, my Nanny and Bampy, and my Uncle’s friend Al, came to your Beach  Cafe.  ell, the food, gosh, I have NEVER, EVER tasted such delicious food.  For my starters I had garlic bread.  But oh, it wasn’t any old  garlic bread, oh, no.  The crisp hot crust burned my tongue like fire burning a log.  For my main I had battered fish and red hot creamy  chips.  It was HUGE!  But that does not mean I can not empty it.   A minute later it was…… EMPTY!  Finally it was time for pudding.   I had the tree pudding (Petit Fours) and ice cream.  Here is a picture of  my little brother enjoying his pasta. 

Thank you for reading, yours  sincerely, Robin Fulker.

We hope you all return soon, so Beau and Robin can get the VIP treatment!

Tomato pasta going down well?

Food Critics Beware!

We’ve had a great response to our appeal for the next generation of food critics. We thought we’d share a few with you, in the hope that these lovely words inspire more of our younger visitors to write about their Porthminster adventures. All those posted will get the VIP treatment next time their sandy toes grace our terrace, so keep em’ coming!

Firstly from Jay, our guest since the age of 3, whose way with words left us all smiling 🙂

Dear Porthminster Beach Cafe  

The last time I came here was on my Mum’s 50th birthday and my Dad had gone birdwatching so it was just the two of us. We shared the Cornish Charcuterie platter which was delicious but Mum ate the pickles as I wasn’t keen on those. For mains I had a Crab Linguine  and this was the first place that I ate it at the age of 3 – now I’m 10 and can have a whole plate to myself instead of about 4 spoonfuls. Mum had fish and chips, she doesn’t eat it anywhere else and she likes dipping the chips in the sauces, I like eating the bits of rosemary off the top of the chips. I look forward to coming in September when we are bringing my Nanny and Granddad and some friends from Australia for the first time, I hope that they love it as much as I do.

Thank You for reading

Jay

Jay enjoying a surfing lesson at nearby Porthmeor