Cafe Review - The Courtyard Deli, Falmouth

It was a really hot day in August and I sat outside in the 'courtyard' of the Courtyard Deli, Falmouth.  Nobody took my order for over half an hour - I was waiting for three members of my family, but I would have liked a coffee or tea while I waited.  My family were in Beerwolf  next door.  This place has developed from a book stall into a pub / bookstore and we all love it.  Apparently their food isn't really great (yet) so it might be worth popping next door for coffee / tea/ lunch.

I also had a long chance to look around the courtyard of the deli.  I think they could do more with the area.  The bins and air con unit from the pub adjacent are TOO visible and the table where I was sat was so sloping that the waitress had trouble putting glasses on it without them sliding downhill.  There was also quite a bit of litter around, plus flowers that needed deadheading more than my own at home.  And that's saying something.

Sooo, I was feeling worried about the food as the attention to detail in the 'courtyard' just wasn't there.  When my companions arrived we all ordered different dishes so I got a good idea of the menu.  My son ordered the homemade tomato and basil soup with garlic bread which he loved.  My daughter had the quesadillas which she thought were alright (we have them a lot at home so they might have had to live up to them!), my husband had a plate of local bread, cheese and charcuterie which he loved and I had some spinach filo pie with salads which was fine, although not outstanding.

I had a wander around the shop later and thought the interior was charming.  The friendly owner chatted to me and even provided a website for me to source a difficult to find ingredient that she didn't have in stock.  I was very grateful and I bought some local cheese.  A satisfying but not perfect lunch.

I was a guest of the Courtyard Deli but I was able to write what I wished

Quickjars Jam Jars - Handy at this time of year!

I used these great jars from Quickjars.  I have to say they were well packaged and so spanking new - it was lovely to pot up some compote into brand new jars rather than some hastily washed ones that I have been keeping.  So far, they have served me well and I still have masses to use.

Autumn is approaching and my veggie patch is telling me that it is now time to make jams and chutneys.  I made my first JAM of the year with some amazing plums that some visitors brought from their garden in Cheshunt. Thanks to C and S!  They were delicious just to eat but they brought me kilograms so I had to make JAM.

 Only........it didn't set.  I used the Pam Corbin recipe from the River Cottage Preserves book - I know my daughter used it last year and the jam did not set.  You need to boil it for longer than it says I think as this is not at all set.  Not even remotely, so it has now been renamed Plum Compote.  It is delicious on ice cream and last night we had roast apricots, mascarpone and a splash of the compote.  It was amazing and I wouldn't have ever thought of using runny jam.

There were still some plums left over so I made three plum cakes from a random web recipe that I can no longer find.  It contained ground almonds (but only 50g) and plenty of plums.  The large cake needed at least ten minutes longer to bake and it was still a bit gooey inside - but we really don't mind this!

I was given the jars free of charge from Quickjars but I was free to write anything I liked and use them as I wished

Southdown Farm, The Elephant Restaurant's Farm, Brixham, Devon

After touring Brixham Fish Market, we headed to Southdown Farm in Brixham where we were greeted very warmly by the owners.  They supply The Elephant with most of their raw ingredients.  Simon Hulstone from the Elephant proudly showed us around and even gave us some ideas for what he will use the ingredients for.

The gardens and poly-tunnels were in full bloom and we all had a nibble or two.  This is a multi-coloured beetroot from Dobies of Devon.  The candy stripes remain when raw but disappear upon cooking

 All of us avidly listening

 Borage - there was masses of this.  Perfect to add to a Pimms or Gin and tonic.

Southdown Farm also keep livestock and it was the day of the sheep shearing when we were there.  The well trained sheepdog was amazing at keeping them under control and it was all fascinating.

 Simon Hulstone treated us to a slap-up lunch in the beautiful and very hot courtyard of the farm

Delicious and nutritious!

I was a guest of The Elephant Restaurant and Dobies of Devon but I was free to write what I wished

Hotel Review: The Toorak Hotel, Torquay, Devon

I visited the Toorak Hotel in Torquay this week.  It is part of the TLH group.  I was at Oak House at the weekend, Bovey Castle last week and Dartington Hall a few weeks earlier so I had to look at this with new eyes as it was an entirely different experience and probably in an entirely different price range.  It was boiling hot and had no aircon (but what hotel in UK does?!)  The bedroom was OK.  It was not modern and the bright blue stripe around the ceiling was bizarre.  Why was it not white?  It was just me staying there and the room slept three people so it was spacious and ample.  The room was clean and tidy but at one point I did get a cobweb in my face so it might not have been used for a while.  I have just looked up the prices and discovered that the room costs about £133 for B and B.  I thought it would have been more reasonable.

The view from my room was pretty bad, and I was a little worried about security as there was a flat roof beneath my open windows.

I spent a few hours by the outdoor pool (included in the room price) which made me feel like I was in Europe.  I have to admit that I swam in the indoor Aztec Spa pool as the outdoor pool felt too chilly and was filled with children.  There are two very nice pools within the Aztec facility - both open for free to residents.  One was cooler, rectangular and larger, the other was warmer and not so much for doing lengths - more of a leisure pool.  There were other leisure facilities that children would love and if I had been there longer, I would have used them.

As the sun went down, the outside terrace was perfect.  Overlooking the tennis court here, safely in a chair of course!  The bed was comfortable overnight and the wake up call was efficient and on time.  The bathroom was clean.

I was a guest at The Toorak Hotel but I was allowed to write what I chose.

Devon Restaurant Review: The Elephant, Torquay

Drinks in the bar beforehand

As a guest of Dobie's of Devon Seeds and The Elephant, I enjoyed a feast from the tasting menu when I visited the restaurant in July.  The tasting menu was superb and we were seated in the new conservatory, around a private dining room that has been created.  The table is glass topped and has many of the micro herbs growing within it.  The spelt bread was homemade, served warm one loaf between two and the accompaniments were rillettes, mushroom hummous and butter served in mini flower pots - lovely!

This chilled lovage vichysoisse soup with apple and celery was refreshing yet tasty

The heritage carrots course - everyone's plate was different!

A poached egg with crunchy red quinoa

                             

The hake topped with an amazing tuile of squid ink.  Very tasty

The two types of lamb - the only meat that appeared (after the rillettes with the bread)

The amazing dessert: wild mini strawberries and a coulis plus a homemade lemon verbena panna cotta plus meringue.  The pre-dessert (not pictured) featured cherries with a green water ice made from sorrel.  Amazing and perfect for the hot summers day.

Each course was enhanced by a matching wine, I won't be discussing this as I chose water!  The standard was incredibly high and everything was so beautiful.  I seem to have omitted photos of two dishes: the beetroot dish with apple mustard and elderflower - I must have just tucked in!  It was a lovely dish that was healthy and beautiful.  Also the scallops with coconut, basil and langoustine cream.  Yum.

I was a guest of Dobies and The Elephant but I was free to write anything I wished (or nothing)  for my review

Brixham Fish Market, Devon

I had a look around the world famous market at an unearthly hour of the morning with Dobies Seeds and Simon Hulstone from The Elephant - 6am in July 2013 I think

Auction in progress

The amazing machine that analyses the type of fish, weighs it and labels it

View of Brixham harbour very early in the morning

A prize turbot that would wholesale for a lot of money

Review: A Day at Bovey Castle in the Sunshine

Bovey Castle is a stunning place (or resort as they call it) nr North Bovey in the middle of Dartmoor National Park, Devon.  It is a hotel, golf course, spa plus bistro and restaurant.

We visited on a stunningly hot July day and made the most of it.  You can just see the edge of the Boules pit in the foreground of the photo above.  We spent a lot of the day on those two sun loungers that are almost out of the picture.  And yes, I did get sunburnt....! Grrrrr.

There are many public rooms where you can slurp a cuppa or read a magazine but we were really impressed with the bistro lunch.  There is a beautiful terrace where you can sit in the sun or shade and admire the stunning views.   Above you can see the Lemon Sole that I ordered and the homemade fishcakes that my partner devoured.

Thanks to the generosity of my Australian friend, I had a Spa Experience which meant my first time getting a Hot Stone Massage (this was fairly firm on my back and was preceded by a blissful foot scrub) and a Mini Facial which was exquisite.  The beautician was very skilled and made me feel lovely.  My partner used the gym and then we had the indoor pool and sauna to ourselves as we made the most of them.  There was also a steam room but I am  not a fan of them.  My only quibble was that the Ladies changing rooms had a rack of lockers but they were all locked and had no keys.  I would have liked to use one and the changing room was consequently rather cluttered with everyone's clothes and bags.

Day membership (which my partner used) was £25 which includes all activities and towels excl lunch and golf.  There are some good Groupon deals for the golf at the moment (July 15).  Overall I would highly recommend it.  They say that children are very welcome too - it was during the week and we saw none although we did see the Falconer heading out with his dog and birds.