WELCOME BACK

CUISINE

Welcome

BACK

WORDS BY DAN WARDEN

If only for a short while, it’s nice to know that there is a place in which to hang our hats and hide away from the world.

Dating back to the 12th century, the Victoria Inn lies at the heart of the quiet coastal village of Perranuthnoe, just a mile and a half from Marazion, and mere moments from the South West Coast Path. As inns go, it has to be one of the best placed in the area for those looking to explore the best of west Cornwall, and despite its proximity to the south coast, it lies only a short drive from its rugged northern counterpart.

Over the years, ‘Team Vic’ have established a reputation for awardwinning food, good local ales, ne wines and ro er ornish ciders, winning coveted awards that include Gold in Taste of the West’s Dining Pub category. This is also a place for weary travellers to hang their hats, with three gorgeous en-suite rooms available for bed and breakfast. With all of this in mind, and after much turmoil since the onset of the pandemic, with many hospitality businesses struggling stay afloat, we were delighted to hear that the Victoria’s bar was once again stocked and the kitchen ready to go with a brand-new menu. We were even more pleased to be invited to the re-opening night in May this year and, as we led in, took our seats and began to peruse the menu – our interest already piqued by the smells drifting from the kitchen – it was clear that we were in for a good evening.

Utilising the excellent wealth of local produce that comes with the turning of the seasons here in Cornwall – and paired with an exceptional list of wines – the starters soon began to arrive. From the oasted iced auliflower alad our

LEFT A warm welcome awaits INSET delicate balance of flavour and seasonality

TOP Why not make a night of it? ABOVE Peruse the Vic’s excellent wine list

CUISINE

personal favourite, with pomegranate, basil and a hot tahini dressing) to the Mussels, which were served in a garlic, white wine and clotted cream sauce, with spring onions and crusty bread; from the Arancini, to the an eared callo s resented whole, with samphire, spring onions, capers, and a saff ron and cream sauce , each was sim ly sublime. Pairing these with a crisp, wellchilled bottle of Clos de l’Eglise Macon Charnay, we were well and truly primed for the main course to come.

Between us, we opted for the chicken, pork, lemon sole and the risotto – descriptions that by no means do these dishes justice. The chicken wra ed in cris y serrano ham and stuff ed with tomato and spinach – was absolutely divine, as was the Lemon Sole, presented with lemon gremolata and Cornish ‘earlies’. The cider-poached Primrose Pork Belly, paired with Cornish veg, a celeriac and sage purée, and a decadently sticky port and orange sauce also impressed, as did the Summer Vegetable Risotto, which provided a delicate balance of fl avour and te ture, than s to its airing with parmesan and crispy onions.

ounding off the meal with two ime and Strawberry Crème Brûlées and a very generous cheese board, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves drawn to our accommodation upstairs. Beautifully decorated and the erfect level of cosy aft er a day spent by the sea, the bedrooms at the Victoria Inn are both welcoming and unique; each feels boutique by design, and we could easily imagine whiling away a few evenings here aft er e loring the best of west ornwall.

Lying just moments from the sea, with an ethos that champions great food and service to match, the 12th century Victoria Inn is a safe port in any storm – a welcome respite for those hoping to escape an increasingly busy world.

victoriainn-penzance.co.uk

ABOVE Each plate brings with it a unique taste of Cornwall

CHARITY

Everymoment MATTERS

Local supporter Josh Belcher is picking up the pace to keep the Cornwall Air Ambulance rotors running.

The impressive rural landscape that ornwall offers its local residents and out-of-county visitors is both beautiful and enchanting, but when the unthinkable happens it can be less than ideal for land ambulances to navigate, and when every second counts in an emergency, time is not on side. The Cornwall Air Ambulance takes an average time of 12 minutes to arrive on scene in the most rural locations, and attends more than 1,000 incidents every year. Nobody wakes up expecting to take a ride in the air ambulance, but when it matters most the team and their helicopter are there to help in those critical moments.

It may come as a surprise that Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust doesn’t receive any government support towards their running costs, which is approximately £5 million a year. They rely solely on the generosity of the li es of us to ee the helico ter flying, and fundraisers mean their loyal supporters can get involved in raising money for this lifesaving charity. A popular fundraising activity for Cornwall Air Ambulance supporters is competing in running challenges, and along with bene tting hysical and mental health, running events raise a substantial amount of money for the charity every year.

The winner of this year’s London Marathon charity place for CAAT, Josh Belcher hopes that his participation will bring attention to the importance of the charity who hold a special place in Josh’s heart, ever since Josh was airlifted as a baby. was airlifted by the crew to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in 1993 after having a bad reaction to olio dro s. y mum remembers how quickly the helicopter came – it only took six minutes to reach us from the base in Newquay. Then, in October 2015, the air ambulance came to my dad when he suffered a ulmonary embolism.

Although now living in London, Josh hopes to spread the message that Cornwall Air Ambulance is there for everyone in their time of need, whether a resident or visitor. lot of my friends in ondon often go to ornwall on holiday, and this has given me a great opportunity to shine a light on how vital the service is to everyone that visits Cornwall, not just the residents. It’s great to see how respected and well nown the charity is nationwide. year after his father died, osh com leted the Hackney Half Marathon, raising £1,296 for Cornwall Air Ambulance. He hopes to raise over double the amount this time, with a goal of £3,000. With supporters like Josh rallying to keep the Cornwall Air Ambulance in the air, we can hope to rely on the team’s life-saving service for a long time to come.

cornwallairambulancetrust.org/getinvolved/events

CHARITY

Adele Blandford

ABOVE LEFT Josh as a baby with his Dad TOP each incident, erran orth ABOVE RIGHT rystal alace alf arathon