Helford

Duchy Oysters from the river.

Oysters, you either love em or you hate em. To some they're a salty bogey, to others they are a treat. Fresh from the sea they encapsulate the fresh ozone salty taste of the seashore in there gnarled barnacle bound shell, pure and simple food served straight up. Note: best enjoyed by the sea with a pint of Cornish Ale...Fact.

This year hasn’t been a good year for the blog, it’s been over ten months since the last posting on the the subject of making sloe gin, which by the way the is looking great, dark rich and perfectly clear, the Sloes and damsons have been removed and it’s all been bottled up for storage until next year.

There are few experiences about London that I really enjoy, and one of them is leaving. Escaping town and heading to the West Country. Down the busy A3, up to the M3, passed Fleet and then onto the A303, then you really feel like you're leaving. Passed Stone Henge on your right and then into the rolling open plains between Andover and Shaftesbury, huge expanses of arable land, endless fields of wheat and rapeseed that appear to go onto into the distance forever, blending into the sun which, on a late summers evening is like driving through a Constable painting.

There is a place in Cornwall I spent holidays as a child and over the last 3 years have since returned to in the late summer. It’s a place I’m reluctant to suggest to many people about, as the very reason I love it is the fact it still feels relatively undiscovered and quiet but, I’m still not sure if any body actually reads this blog so what the hell. Beyond Falmouth and just before reaching Helston, there is a turning off towards the coast which will lead you to the very end of a long sea estuary. It will appear a river if you didn't know any better but, in fact you will reach the very end tip of the Helford estuary arriving at the small parish of Gweek an old pilchard fishing village.

There are no main roads leading to Helford only small lanes that will send your sat-nav into a panic attack! Honestly the best navigation will be to keep the river on one side of you, have rough idea of where the cost is and head in a general direction until you find somewhere with a place name and find yourself on the map, any way the best way to discover the area is to get lost and see where you end up (you could ask the locals but, you may have a job understanding them)!

All along this stretch of estuary are creeks hidden by wooded banks with a dark and ancient feel to them, brilliant for walking and exploring especially Frenchmans creek which, you may know of if you have read the book. Such is the quality of the water in the creek that it happens to have some of the finest British Oysters, home to the Duchy's own oyster farm no less, supplying Muscles, Scallops and of course Oysters, some of which are delivered to the Ferry boat inn just across the river and the rest will mainly go to various London haunts.

Pan fried Scallops with curried deep fried cauliflower. 

What about the food, well I think the photos explain that, the Cornish produce especially the fish is really rather good, if you can find it. Sadly there aren't many fish mongers left in the area, due to the lack of demand, most of what comes off the boats will go either to the restaurants and hotels in the area or up to London. However with a little bit of research and asking a few locals it's not impossible to find places at the right time where you can pick up fresh fish only hours after it's been landed. After spending three years there we have just about managed to find everything we need directly from the source such as the hand dived scallops from the diver, or the small sorting house where the day boats deliver their catch to. If you fancy finding a bit of wild nosh yourself, with a little bit of local knowledge and maybe a few tips from forager John (river cottage hand book), there is plenty of wild bounty to be found, cockles, clams, muscles and sampfire, hand picked within moderation of course, make extremely tasty eating and rewarding for that matter. It's shame there aren't more places that sell the incredible produce from the area but, unfortunately during the winter months the trade simply isn't there to sustain smaller shops. If you do get a chance to visit the area, here's a few recommendations and useful links:
The Ferry Boat Inn
Helford River Cottages
Boat Hire
Fishing Trips

View from the Ferry Boat inn

Baked Dover Sole with Cider and Thyme

serves 2

1 medium sized Dover sole

half an onion finely sliced

3 Bay leaves 

4-5 sprigs of thyme

half a glass of Medium dry cider

Butter

Gut and Clean the fish then dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, have a large serving plate warmed ready to transfer the fish to when cooked. In a large baking tray, layer the finely sliced onions in the center of the tray along with the bay leaves, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Place the fish on top of the onions and bay leaves then rub a little butter onto the top side of the fish season with salt and pepper and place the sprigs of time on top. pour the cider in around the fish then securely cover the baking tray with kitchen foil, bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, take the fish out and place on the warm plate, loosely cover with kitchen foil to keep warm. Strain the juice from the pan through a sieve into a small pan. Simmer the sauce over a medium heat, add a generous knob of butter and reduce slightly. To serve, peel the skin off the top side of the fish and pour over the cider sauce. Serve with minted new potatoes and peas.