DRIFT Volume 24

SearchingSTILLNESSfor

Finding our rightful place amongst a landscape of wild winter intrigue

rift drift noun

1. the act of driving something along

2. the flow or the velocity of the current of a river or ocean stream verb

1. to become driven or carried along, as by a current of water, wind, or air

2. to move or float smoothly and effortlessly

THE PINNACLE OF LUXURY LIFESTYLE IN CORNWALL

On the cover

When it all lines up’ as featured from page 29, where photographer Rebecca Hawkey talks about how she finds calm amongst the chaos from behind her lens.

rebecca_hawkey cover featured she

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A sense of community is an enduring force that permeates our county. Whether it be farming, fishing, surfing, festival, island, small business or wellbeing, each has its own beating heart that brings people together for good. Photographer and DRIFT contributor, Rebecca Hawkey (29) captures Cornwall’s surfers as this band of intrepid neoprene-clad water warriors search for the perfect wave. The Isles of Scilly, due its remote location, has always had a particularly tight-knit community. Separated from the mainland by 28 miles of ocean, islanders come together in times of tribulation and celebration. In honour of this, and the characters who lie at the heart of Scilly, St Martin’s distillery SC Dogs (49) draws from the islands’ rich produce and venerable history, all while regenerating a family farm in order to create a sustainable

OurForewordcontributors

business for future generations. Festivals bring people together in a different way, offering escapism in the form of food, music and fascination of their eclectic mix of acts and artistry Rock yster Festival (61) is a leading example of this, curated by leading members of the Duchy’s chef community. Food also brings together businesses in Cornwall in the form of Truro Farmers Market, which is where La Pineta (79) found their feet before opening a neighbourhood Italian deli; and building connection through classes and small groups is something that mental health charity Sea Sanctuary (114) has been at pains to create via its new floating wellbeing hub The ARC. What becomes evident, is there is a place for everyone, no matter who or where you are and our very own DRIFT community welcomes all to join us as we navigate Cornwall’s waters.

Join our team

We have an exceptional and loyal team here at Leven Media Group but as a fast growth business we’re always interested in talking to outstanding individuals. If you’re a superstar of extraordinary talent then we would love to hear from you.

We invite you to continue your lifestyle voyage online.

Find inspiring stories and uncover more luxury content on Instagram @driftcornwall. Join our exclusive e-journal community at drift-cornwall.co.uk to receive recipes, reviews and insider knowledge of some of Cornwall’s most-loved luxury destinations.

Martin

Rosie

Lucy

Possibly the best Penthouse apartment in Cornwall

A stunning coastal property

At a glance

17 STANDING ALONE

Exploring the work of Naomi Frears

29 SEARCHING FOR STILLNESS

Through the eyes of Rebecca Hawkey

41 MADE IN PORTHLEVEN

Inspiration from Jude Kereama

49 COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Bottling island life with SC Dogs

61 FRUITS DE MER

The best of the Rock Oyster Festival

70 LUXURY HOMES

At the pinnacle of the Cornish market

79 LA DOLCE VITA

d e ent s de o Ital an c s ne

90 TALES OF RIVERBANKTHE

Explorations along the Helford River

98 EXQUISITE EXPERTISE

A triumph at the hands of iroka

107 BAY DREAM

The enchanting world of Carlyon Bay

114 FILL YOUR CUP

Taking the time with Sea Sanctuary 122 EVENTIDE final o d om am oo e at ld

Making sustainable living beautiful Artisan homeware handcrafted in Cornwall.

WORDS BY MARTIN HOLMAN

A painting by Naomi Frears is an artwork in search of its own definition. A recurrent element is the human figure but her treatment is, like so many aspects of this remarkably varied and independent artist, nonconformist. rears thinks for herself. Indeed, she’ll leave out the eyes, or include one but omit the other. She might not spare the nose or mouth, and o en she reduces the face to an outline to a jawline and sometimes to just its haircut. Heads ruin everything, she says, because they fix something about a person. I don’t want the head to dictate.

rears thrives on arms, however, especially when sheathed in sleeves. That means the hands can stay, too. But that is not a firm rule. There are no firm rules I see no reason to be consistent… nor to explain myself. This approach accounts for the eeting uality of the work. The only solid element seems to be the strong colour the figure is placed against. As you look, you begin to wonder if the person is meant to be in the painting at all. And that thought creates a striking sense of anticipation, a sensation not o en found in an image. Instead it is an essential feature of storytelling. But who is telling the story

a nt ng s fin shed hen t can stand alone tho t me ha ng the ge to g a t and change t.”

PREVIOUS

‘Hello There’, acrylic on canvas, 1 x 6 cm Naomi rears. hoto by Bob Berry

INSET

Naomi rears in her studio in St Ives. hoto by John Hersey

TOP ‘Tangle’, monoprint on paper, and ‘Boy’, oil on canvas Naomi rears. hoto by om Moore

ABOVE

( om le ‘The Collar’ a nt on anel , ‘ iet ’ (mono nt , ‘Elbows’ mono nt , ‘The Writer’ ac l c on can as , ‘Next to ou’ o l on can as , ‘ ake Wood’ (mono nt installed at Exeter hoenix Naomi rears

‘ABOVE

In My ther Life’, oil on canvas, 1 x 1 cm Naomi rears.

hoto by Steve Tanner

That uestion helps the viewer interpret ‘In My ther Life’, a painting that captivates the imagination. When you pay attention and take care, rears says about her own way with an image, things start to happen. That advice applies e ually to anyone who looks into this work. By following the dri of lines that move up the taut but seemingly careworn, tawny coloured surface of the canvas, events begin to unfold about the life of this painting and how it came into being.

Two details stand out from the m l e of marks, and both are hands. They poke through a cloud of white paint that half obscures a figure’s seated posture, rendering the dark presence curiously spectral as if it hides from being seen. ne hand rests on the knee of a leg arched in a semi reclining position, recalling a standard pose in fashion shoots, outdated now, in which a garment, invariably passively modelled by a woman, is displayed to accentuate the bodyline.

Is fashion the transient world of changing tastes this figure’s ‘other life’ A famous Italian romantic writer once set fashion and mortality in a fictional dialogue because both soon perish. The billow of white strokes enveloping this person curiously resembles a coating of Tippex, the chalky uid typist applied to delete an error. The similarity raises an intriguing uestion about who, in the imagined story of this painting, re uired

the correction r is the opposite of that fanciful metaphor true The whiteness might indicate that paint is being removed, taken back to a buried layer. In this scenario, the shape is slowly advancing into recognition, as if being slowly restored to view.

Caught in a ux of coming and going and ever changing roles, the viewer is le wondering if the masked figure of ‘In My ther Life’ is the semi erased or half arrived version of herself. rears provides the space for a narrative she claims she does not have the ability to conclude. Her audience does the rest so every encounter results in a different story or none. The onlooker has freedom to respond or turn away, to settle into an appreciation of the balance of line and the weight of colour. I love not knowing, rears says, hopefulness comes from not being fixed.

She recalls her early years as lacking roots. In childhood her father, a leading academic, uprooted his family from Leicestershire where she was born to move abroad for his job in rance. Travel became a fixture. resh from college she went east by motorbike with her boyfriend still her partner to akistan, India and on to Australia. n her return she knew she wanted to be in Cornwall, where she had holidayed with family and friends from fre uent visits as a girl, and St Ives became home.

or several years now rears has worked in a studio with a big window overlooking orthmeor beach. She can watch surfers and swimmers without being part of their world, turning away from the scene to work. The studio, for her, is where life is objectified and where she can stand back from the hurly burly of daily existence. She says she is filtering images all the time. The airy, spacious room has its own notable past life rancis Bacon rented it for six months in 1959 and stayed for three. In Cornwall to escape the pressure of exhibition deadlines, Bacon heard the studio was available while drinking in The Sloop pub. He worked intensely and completed several expressive figure paintings now considered transitional for his style.

rears describes herself as constantly hunting down an image. I worry my work to death There are stages when I am seduced by a painting or despair, but I’ve never, ever said ‘that’ll do’. So each canvas or panel is submitted to numerous alterations and rubbings out, with layers of oil paint scrubbed away with a rag soaked in turpentine. The history of abandoned images is hidden in

every surface. The image makes sense only when it arrives, she says, because it is never fixed at the outset. When that occurs, and the curtain rises on a new painting, rears obscures all past struggle even her own hand is hard to make out in the painting and the edges are always clean.

The search for an image can start with her sketchbook, her constant companion when she is away from her studio in Cornwall, travelling in Britain, rance, Greece or anywhere she likes to visit. She says that her sketchbooks are where ideas first emerge and she collects material avidly, much more than she will ever use. I’ve found that the best paintings can come from the worst drawings. She draws figures glimpsed brie y in a caf through a bus window or seen from the corner of her eye or she sketches bits of furniture or details of an interior. Sketching is like a pianist’s daily five finger exercises she draws to maintain her practice when she is on the move.

But she never draws around St Ives the town means her studio, which is where the hard

ABOVE ‘Leaper’ st ll om en all ng) rears

TOP Naomi Frears in her studio, St Ives. Photo by Steve Tanner

ABOVE Inside Naomi Frears’s studio

work happens. The thrill of handling tools and using materials stimulates her as much as the journey towards another painting. At first, progress is impulsive. Painting does have magic and am more mystified than ever by its properties – oil is a complete mystery to me, how it achieves its effects. That is the stage when she admits to feeling ‘dumb’ and detached from the intellect. Instead she lets the innate knowledge built up over years lead the way.

paint because can’t not paint. mages are clustered in groups around the walls like casual gatherings of people that spark conversations and coincidences, while tables are cluttered with sheets of drawing paper and small stretched canvases or blocks of wood. Work in progress includes designs frequently featured on the cover of the London Review of Books. She likes to be surrounded by shapes and colours. Photographs, postcards and lines of text by artists, writers and musicians –Frears frequently collaborates with other practitioners on organising exhibitions, performances and workshops – are pinned to walls and scattered over different surfaces. Words add a dimension to her imagery and from time to time are written or printed into prints and paintings as staccato phrases, the sort that we might taunt ourselves with under stress. An

integral part of a recent show were brief poems by her daughter, poet Ella Frears, whose debut collection was shortlisted for the Forward and TS Eliot prizes, that proposed relationships between works while complementing the temperament of the visual formation in verse.

Printmaking has a special importance for her. Frears’ career began with winning the printmaking prize at Sunderland College of Art in 1986 and regaining her confidence as an artist after a shaky start in the adult world. think like a printmaker, she says, even about painting. Breaking images down into layers, a requirement of many printing processes, allows her to stop, think and change a picture until it works.

These disciplines have also provided the ideal background for filmmaking. Since a strong sense of composition has long been a feature of her paintings, she felt completely thrilled from the first to learn from filmmakers and sound experts how to work with a digital camera – a new tool with new techniques. Her first film, Still Here’, opened at Newlyn Art Gallery in 2014. Composed frame by frame, it runs for 20 minutes over three screens, with each ‘scene’ lasting no more than a minute. She filmed quiet things in quiet places, the kind of easily overlooked, everyday details that fill her sketchbooks,

events spotted in passing, each quickly replaced by Temporarinessanother.isan

enduring theme in Frears’ work, one memorably captured by two films premiered in September last year. The first is titled n ther Words’ (Frears often finds titles in lines of poetry, like those by W.S. raham.) and was commissioned by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in xeter. She was fascinated by how arms and hands gesture demonstratively across eras through changing fashions in the museum’s costume and fine art collections to “signal and describe, push away, embrace, and even talk without words.”

The second film was shown next door to the museum as part of her simultaneous solo show at the Exeter Phoenix. Conceived in two sections lasting nine minutes, both were projected concurrently on adjacent screens. The first was filmed from her studio window in St ves and follows surfers as they come to the end of a ride. Frears observed that alighting from the boards involved one of three common manoeuvres collapsing, sitting down or leaping into the foam. ver and over, surfers disappear into the onward rush of water. The second section has a dark, indoors feel and is a collage composed of brief phrases, still images and an atmospheric droning sound like a sustained final chord. With these elements Frears recounts her memories of the days 20 years earlier

preceding her father’s death. Thus, on one screen wet-suited sportsmen are propelled back to earth as nearby, on the other, her father prepares to leave it.

The single title encompassing both parts, Men Falling’, has a bittersweet resonance, gently probing the deep emotion of lost intimacy with a delicate balance of humour and genuine pathos. Those qualities transcend much of this artist’s work. She achieves a rare fusion of doubt and hope, of losing and finding. And then perhaps losing again, the inevitable perishability that is the essence of humanity. Naomi Frears, however, leaves conclusions to others.

naomifrears.com

ABOVE

‘Shut p’, collage with paint and letterpress Naomi Frears.

Photo by Dom Moore

SearchingSTILLNESS for

WORDS AND IMAGES BY REBECCA HAWKEY

In 1996, at the age of three, stuffed between houseplants and my older sister, I sat in the back of my parents’ Talbot Avenger as we trundled down the M5. A somewhat spontaneous decision on their behalf to move us from the streets of Rayners Lane, London, to the verdant wilds of Cornwall. The gratitude I have for them is insurmountable to this day. Growing up here instilled in me a sense of adventure, wild spirit, and rugged soul. A need to get out and explore all that Cornwall tries to keep hidden. The harsh winds and rain that batter the coast in the bleak midwinter, whipping up sand and sea, make it my preferred season to spend behind the lens, recording mother nature at her most fierce and unforgiving.

I fell in love with photography, Ansel Adams in particular, during college. I came across his 1916 shot of ‘El Capitan’, taken on a Kodak 1 Box Brownie, and the composition, contrast and intimate grandeur evoked such an emotional response, not just for the subject but also the process, that I couldn’t forget it. I ended up borrowing a film camera for an exchange trip to Norway, which allowed me to capture the textures, tones and vast beauty that Kyrksæterøra has to offer. I was lucky enough to have the facilities available at college to develop this roll myself. I respect the patience it takes to see the outcome, instant gratification removed. I am still very much a novice when it comes to film and digital, but my love for both keeps me wanting to learn more.

PREVIOUS

When it all lines up

ABOVE Rebecca Hawkey

“As soon as I pick up the camera, I find calm amongst the chaos.”

ABOVE

When the light hits different

ABOVE

JB in the belly of the beast

TOP Sam on a successful sunset mission

JB going through the wall

In 2021, with four years of Australian living under my belt, I found myself on Cornish soil once more. Inspiration from an old friend had me dusting off my dilapidated Nikon and exploring the local breaks, shooting the kind of winter swell that Cornwall is renowned for. I found there to be something intrinsically harmonious about documenting someone doing something they love, especially surfing, where the connection between surfer and sea is palpable. Whenever I shoot surfers, and show them afterwards, their clarity for that particular wave is crystal. Their ability to recall exactly the moment in question is a remarkable demonstration of living in the present, and the concentration that the sport demands.

The combination of visual elements that the ocean and her visitors provide is a creative treasure-trove for me behind the lens. Playing with light, composition or shutter speed allows me to experiment with my creativity. It’s challenging, but supremely

satisfying when it works out. The level of joy is amplified when a surfer appreciates a shot, a moment in which two separate experiences collide.

When out shooting I ask myself an endless sea of questions; I wonder what the light will do next? Where can I be to get the best angle? Will they go for that wave? Time stands still and too immerse myself fully in the moment.

Photography to me has always been a practical response to something emotionally compelling. Landscapes, people, places or experiences that evoke a strong feeling, be it good or bad, is something I struggle to casually pass by without wanting to pick up the camera, to create a permanent narrative. Shooting grants me moments of simplicity that everyday life can occasionally lack. It’s enticing and enriching, and with another Cornish winter brewing, I for one cannot wait.

rebecca_hawkey

ABOVE

Matty finding some cover

ABOVE

Peaceful moments before the day begins

TOP

When the search pays off

Jowan doing what he does best

ABOVE

Appreciating the bigger picture

rebecca_hawkey

Made in PORTHLEVEN

WORDS BY DAN WARDEN

Recipes from Jude Kereama, owner and Head Chef of Porthleven’s Kota and Kota Kai.

SERVES INGREDIENTS4

CRAB RAVIOLI:

–

For the squid ink pasta dough: 125g pasta flour

1 whole large free-range egg 14g squid ink ½ teaspoon salt

For the ravioli filling: 75g lemon sole fillet ½tsp Pinchsaltofwhite pepper

150ml double cream 50g picked white crab meat 25g brown crab meat

CONSOMMÉ:

1.8kg ripe cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper diced

1 celery stalk diced

1 banana shallot diced

METHOD

For the crab ravioli:

1 fennel bulb diced

1 clove garlic

4 sticks lemongrass

10g Thai basil leaves

10g green basil leaves

1tbsp raw sugar

6 drops tabasco

6 drops Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch of celery salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2tbsp white soy sauce

100ml Lycopins tomato ponzu Seasoning

TOMATO SALAD:

30 heritage cherry tomatoes mix of red and orange blowtorched and peeled

For the dressing: 30ml fish sauce 60ml Japanese rice vinegar

90ml Lycopins tomato ponzu 1tsp sugar

1 bird’s eye chilli chopped ½ thumb ginger grated fine 50ml Tomoe Hidaka Kelp Concentrate

For the shallot crisps:

3 banana shallots (sliced into rounds on a mandolin)

Seasoned flour

For the garnish: Micro Thai green basil Micro red basil

Baby blue nasturtium leaves Nasturtium flowers

Crispy deep-fried basil leaves and Thai basil leaves

Crispy BasilPickledshallotsshallotsoil

Mix the egg, squid ink, and salt in a Robot Coupe to combine. Add the flour and mix until it resembles a breadcrumb texture. Remove the dough to a floured worktop and knead until smooth, approximately 8 minutes. Cover with clingfilm and rest in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Chill the Robot Coupe bowl down in a fridge, take out and add the lemon sole and salt and blend quickly till smooth, drizzle in the cream until it’s all incorporated and then pass through a sieve.

Season with the pepper and fold in the white and brown crab meat, place in a piping bag and chill. Roll out the pasta dough in a pasta machine, folding over and putting it back through while bringing the thickness setting down to number 2. Cut the pasta sheet in two and on one side pipe 4 mounds of fish mousse on to it leaving room between each mound. Brush the other side of the pasta sheet with water and place on top of the other sheet and seal all around the mousse

mounds, pushing out any excess air. Cut out with a round cutter. Cook the raviolis in a pot of salted simmering water until it floats, refresh in ice water and then wait to reheat when needed.

For the consommé:

Mix all ingredients together and blend in Vita-Prep mixer. Pass through a chinois with muslin cloth making sure not to squeeze the cloth so only pure clear liquid comes out.

For the tomato salad:

Add the dressing ingredients together and marinate the tomatoes. Dredge the shallots in the flour and deep fry on 160°C until crisp.

To assemble:

Place marinated tomatoes as a base. Warm the ravioli and a pot of hot water and place on top of the tomatoes. Pour the consommé around and then garnish.

Crab Ravioli, Tom Sam Marinated Heritage Tomatoes, with Tomato, Ginger and Lemongrass Consommé

HawkeyRebecca

HawkeyRebecca

SERVES INGREDIENTS:4

For the cauliflower puree:

1 banana shallot

1 clove garlic 25g 25mlbutterrapeseed oil

250g cauliflower florets 250g chicken stock 50ml double cream

2tbsp white miso paste

Salt and pepper

For the lobster bisque:

1 carrot diced ½ white onion diced

1 celery diced

METHOD

For the cauliflower puree:

1 fennel bulb diced

300ml sake 200ml Ninben Shiro Dashi

50ml Tomoe Hidaka Kelp stock concentrate

1l lobster stock

1l Truefoods Fish Stock

¼g saffron threads 4tbsp red miso paste

1tsp gochujang chilli paste 2 yuzu zested

50ml Tosa yuzu juice 100g chilled butter finely diced

For the saffron mayonnaise: ½g saffron threads crushed 50ml warm water

1 cup Kewpie mayonnaise

For the sea vegetables: Samphire Salty fingers Sea Wakameastor

For the hake and kataifi-wrapped monkfish: Hake fillet (80g per portion)

Monkish scampi tail

Kataifi pastry Egg wash

Seasoned flour

For the garnish: Seaweed Corianderpowdermicro cress

Sweat shallot and garlic in rapeseed oil and butter until translucent and then add cauliflowers florets and cook till completely caramelised. Add stock and reduce till there is no liquid left and then add half of the cream. Blend in Vita-Prep mixer and season. Pass and add more cream if needed. Keep warm.

For the lobster bisque:

Fry of all the vegetables until caramelised and deglaze with the sake. When the sake is completely reduced add the lobster stock, saffron, and fish stock. Reduce by half on a high heat. Season with red miso paste, gochujang paste and yuzu. Whisk in the butter and finish with a grate of yuzu.

For the saffron mayonnaise:

Reconstitute saffron threads in the warm water. Reduce liquid until the threads have let out all

their colour and cool down. Stir into mayonnaise and spoon into a piping bag.

For the sea vegetables: Blanch in plain water and mix with a little butter to glaze.

For the hake and kataifi-wrapped monkfish:

Trim the monkfish tail and then cut in half. Roll in seasoned flour, then the egg wash. Lay out some kataifi pastry and wrap the monkfish to cover. Deep fry till crispy golden brown. Panfry the hake fillets.

To assemble:

Spoon a little cauliflower puree in the middle of a bowl. Add some sea vegetables. Next place the monkfish and hake fillet beside each other. Add a blob of saffron mayonnaise in the middle and garnish. Serve the lobster bisque in sauce jugs for people to pour around their own bowls.

an Fried ake and atai -wrapped onk sh campi with o ster is ue, Cauli ower and ea egeta les

Strawberry, Meringues, Shisho Cress, White Chocolate Mousse & Yuzu

SERVES INGREDIENTS:4

For the yuzu gel ½ cup water ½ cup sugar

1 cup yuzu juice 6g agar agar

For the strawberry sorbet and strawberry sauce: 10g glucose syrup 350g sugar 275g water 500g strawberry Boiron puree Lemon juice to taste

METHOD

For the yuzu gel:

For the meringues: 100g caster sugar 100g egg whites

100g icing sugar sifted

For the strawberry gel: 250g strawberries, washed and hulled 100ml water

1g agar agar

1½ gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water

For the white chocolate mousse: 150g melted white chocolate cooled 8 egg whites

Pinch of salt 50g caster sugar 200ml double cream

For the dacquoise: 150g almond flour 15g 100g100gcornfloureggwhitescastersugar

Pinch of salt

For the garnish: 16 strawberries hulled and diced Red shiso cress

Green shiso leaves chopped

Add sugar, water, and agar agar into a pan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add in yuzu juice. Let set and put into a mixer and blend until smooth. Put into a piping bag until needed.

For the strawberry sorbet and strawberry sauce:

Bring the glucose syrup, water, and sugar to a boil. Add the strawberry purée and then chill. Pop in an ice cream machine and churn. Keep some of the syrup in a squeezie bottle for the strawberry sauce.

For the meringues:

Whisk whites till stiff then gradually add all the caster sugar, then the icing sugar. Spread half of the mix onto baking sheets and bake at 120°C. The other ½ mix can be put in piping bags. Pipe small domes of meringue and bake at 120°C for 2 hours and then into the dehydrator to crisp up overnight.

For the strawberry gel:

Make a purée by simply blending the strawberries until smooth and passing through a fine strainer. Combine the purée, water and agar agar in a pan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool slightly before adding the soaked gelatine. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

For the white chocolate mousse:

Whisk 4 egg whites and salt into stiff peaks. Sprinkle and whisk in the caster sugar. Whisk double cream to soft peaks and fold into the white chocolate. Fold in the 4 remaining egg whites gently to keep the mousse aerated and light. Pop in a piping bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the dacquoise: Make the meringue by pouring egg whites into a bowl and mixing until frothy. Turn to high speed and slowly add sugar until shiny and glossy. Combine the almond flour and cornflour and fold into the meringue. Spread thinly onto a baking sheet and cook at 150°C for 10-12 minutes until golden. Use a small round cutter to cut out discs. Leave to cool in the oven switched off until crisp.

To assemble:

Marinate hulled and diced strawberries with the strawberry sauce and chopped shiso leaves. Place a dacquoise disc on top of a little strawberry sauce. Pipe a circle of white chocolate mousse on top and press down with a spoon to form a well. Add chopped strawberries. Pipe 3 big dots of strawberry gel and 3 dots of yuzu gel around the discs. Add a quenelle of strawberry sorbet on top. Garnish with meringue shards and red shiso cress.

HawkeyRebecca

My link with Scilly goes back many years. Brought up a stone’s throw from the Cornish fishing village of Cadgwith, I spent my childhood messing about either in or on the water. We would watch the fishing boats land their catch and eavesdrop on the conversations spoken with thick Cornish accents on the ‘stick’, the wooden bench opposite the net lo s where the world was put to rights by the cove’s salty sea dogs. If we were lucky, on regatta days we would be rewarded with a ride out in one of the fishing boats followed by listening to an evening of Cornish songs, as the fishermen raised a toast with a rum and shrub. Many of the Cadgwith fishermen had strong links with Scilly, some spent long summers there, returning to the cove

with tales of their Scillonian compatriots. It seemed a magical world away and one that as children we longed to experience.

We began holidaying on Scilly when I was 11 and our annual family pilgrimage for the last two weeks of August was greatly anticipated. We stayed in a little chalet on the island of St. Martin’s owned by Jinny and Cuth Stevens and for two weeks every year we had our very own island paradise, yet we were just 28 miles from the Cornish mainland. In those days, life on Scilly was simple. We walked to get our milk each morning in churns from Carron Farm. There was no mains electricity and the hum of the generators was the soundtrack to our walk to the Seven Stones pub of an evening, where rum and shrub was of course the local tipple.

Using pure Scillonian water and local ingredients, the fi st and onl m d st lle on the Isles o c ll s ottl ng the t e s t o sland l e.

INSET

Andrew Walder and Richard Stevens

TirrellChristopher©

The Somerset Four Poster Bed

Shrub, for those that don’t know of this heady cocktail, is a local elixir that dates back to the 1600s when rum was a brisk smuggling trade in Cornwall. If the night was too stormy to bring the contraband ashore, the smugglers would sink the barrels of rum to the sea oor to be retrieved when the waters calmed. Sometimes, sea water ingress would taint the rum, but no-one wanted to the waste the contraband and so a sweet, spiced liqueur was made that could be mixed with the rum to take away the taste of the saltwater.

As is o the case within Cornwall’s communities, coincidences appear around every corner. I was delighted to discover a rum distillery has been started at the very farm on St Martin’s from which we would collect our milk, set up by Andrew Walder, together with wife Hannah, parents Steve and Julia, who own the family farm, and none other than Jinny and Cuth’s son Richard, Andrew’s cousin by marriage.

nce a thriving ower business, Carron Farm was sadly hit by the fact that early daffodils could be imported by air more cheaply than they could be from Scilly and so its fields, along with the majority of ower fields across the islands, had become pretty much redundant. Andrew had followed a career in the Merchant Navy, with the British Antarctic Survey in the Antarctic. His wife Hannah remained in Scilly with

their young family, but a er the birth of their third child Andrew knew it was time to ‘come home’.

“We were trying to think of a business that would regenerate and diversify the farm, explains Andrew, “and so initially we came up with idea of SC Salt, creating a business where we could use the fields at the back of Par Beach. As producing sea salt is really energy ine cient because you’re basically boiling or separating off all the water we wanted to harness the power of the sun on Scilly for natural evaporation, using solar pumps to pump the water out of the sea up into the plant. It was something of a testbed operation but with some grant funding, we put polytunnels in the fields behind Par Beach to house the salt pans and it’s now a thriving small business, selling online and in shops and delis around Scilly and

WhileCornwall.successful,

SC Salt proved not to be hugely scalable and so Andrew knew that to achieve the family’s goal of creating a sustainable and scalable business for the future of the farm they would need a rethink. During his time at sea, Andrew’s ship The Ernest Shackleton needed an engine replacing, so while in dock in Scotland, a crew visit was organised to a local whisky distillery. It was a er spending time there that Andrew’s fascination with this incredibly technical process began.

So, not surprisingly given the islands and Andrew’s seafaring history, rum came to “Wemind.started

talking about the idea of a distillery and that it would be really interesting to think about creating a ploughto bottle, really authentic, provenance based distillery where you’re literally growing the ingredients, using local water, fermenting and distilling everything from scratch all on St. Martin’s. As well as using produce from all around the different islands, says Andrew. “It’s exactly the same principle as ower farming. We asked ourselves, what benefits do we have on Scilly that you don’t have elsewhere, that you don’t have on the mainland and further afield It is the fact that the islands rarely get frost, so you can grow crops that you would never be able to grow elsewhere in the British Isles. We planted trial fields of sugarcane, which were prolific, it looked like you were in the Caribbean! So we started to scale that and then started to grow barley, of which we have harvested the first trial crops from the fields overlooking the Eastern Isles, with the ultimate aim of making the first Scillonian plough to bottle whisky.

Andrew and his father Steve spent two years just testing, as the key thing was to get the base fermentation process right. The whole thinking from the beginning was not to rush anything. “There’s a long lead time with all of this, but it’s based on the idea of seeing the field systems back in action again as well as not transporting backwards and forwards from the mainland, So that was the original idea, and we received European Regional evelopment und grant funding for the distillery setup. We repurposed the packing sheds and old ower glasshouses on the farm and installed a professional distillery setup. It was much bigger than the scale that we had planned to start off with, but we knew that if we could grow it, we could have a business the same as any successful Highland distiller, employing local people and using local farmland and

Whileproduce.thatwas

the main vision for SC ogs, another big part of the project was based around the island community. Scilly is a place where everybody gets on with their day to day lives, but when someone needs help then the island communities immediately come together. “It’s really quite

INSET

Steve and Julia Walder

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TOP LEFT

TOP RIGHT

ABOVE LEFT

SC og Capt’n Stevens by Imogen Bone

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SC Dog Bruce Christopher by Imogen Bone

SC Dog William Gibson by Sue Lewington

SC Dog John Nance by Imogen Bone

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The SC Dog distillery at Carron Farm

emotional when this happens says Richard, “and so we wanted to echo that community spirit in what we were trying to do; not only working with other local businesses but championing each island and celebrating its community and people.

“We settled on the brand name SC Dogs. SC is obviously the fishing boat prefix for the Isles of Scilly, and the sea dog reference is about honouring island characters, telling the stories of how they’ve in uenced and made Scilly what it is today. Each of our products celebrates the history of one of those sea dogs, and we commission local artists to create character portraits for the bottles, with the original artwork being gi ed back to the island. So far, we’ve worked with local artists Imogen Bone and Sue Lewington and when you pick up a SC Dogs bottle you can see the character looking back at you through the glass.

SC ogs started off producing a white rum and a vodka. They then brought in oak barrels for ageing and last summer, launched a gold rum and a Tresco honey spiced rum. The hives are in the Abbey Gardens, but the honey that

they produce is not publicly available. Andrew explains further: “They approached us and said we’d really like to create a product with you that celebrates one of the island’s characters, Bruce Christopher, who set up the original beehives on Tresco. The honey from Tresco is a distillation of all the different subtropical plants in the Abbey Gardens and other plants on Scilly and so it was a perfect match between us distilling the rum and the bees distilling the avour. The collaboration was so successful that the original Tresco hives couldn’t produce enough honey, so a beehive community has recently been created near the Abbey Gardens, solely to produce honey for SC Dogs’ rum. It’s part of a community bee project aimed at bringing back bees to the community across Scilly and obviously honey across the islands.

I’m intrigued as to how the first SC og character was chosen and I’m not surprised to find that there is a ‘salty’ tale behind it. While doing some historical research Andrew discovered that his great, great, grandfather John Nance, who had lived in Bleak House on St Martin’s was a rum smuggler. The well documented story tells of how Nance used

time make a change

to row the hundred nautical miles across to France in the family gig, smuggling rum and brandy back to the island. Fitting then, that he became the first SC og as The Spirit of John Nance White Rum.

Andrew spent time at a Speyside cooperage in Scotland, carefully selecting a range of oak barrels that are all now laid down on St Martin’s. The first barrel aged expression will be ready this autumn, which will be a Scillonian cider brandy, similar to a calvados, that’s been made using cider from Westward arm on St Agnes. The Hicks family have run Westward Farm since the 1600s and the cider brandy will pay homage to SC og Jack Hicks, the current owner’s great grandfather who was the last lighthouse keeper on Bishop Rock Lighthouse to watch over the islands and the last Trinity House pilot to be put aboard a vessel from a gig.

What we’re genuinely trying to create, sums up Richard, is a livelihood for the future

generations of the Walder family, to employ local people, regenerate the fields which would otherwise have been le fallow, all while creating an authentic premium product that people want to drink without compromise.

As you walk across St Martin’s now, the fields are starting to come back to life again and, together with other thriving St Martin’s businesses, there is a real buzz around the island. Fitting then to raise a toast to the sea dogs of the past with a rum and shrub but sadly, alcoholic shrub has been relegated to the history books and is no longer produced. So, it is with a tot of pure SC ogs Gold Rum, named a er William Gibson who would put to sea whatever the weather and whose cutter the Queen II now lies under the sand on ar Beach, sometimes laid bare by big winter storms, that I toast SC ogs but, who knows, in future perhaps an alcoholic Scillonian shrub will bring the tale full circle!

scdogs.co.uk

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CUISINE

With a plethora of festivals taking place across the Duchy during spring and summer, it can be a daunting prospect knowing which to choose. For some their history lies in Cornwall’s surf culture; others are embedded deep in maritime traditions; but for one, whose coastal location overlooking the Camel Estuary and Padstow is breathtaking, it is the oyster that takes centre stage. Now in its 12th year, Rock Oyster Festival makes the grounds of the 17th century Dinham House its home and has grown in size, stature and splendour to become a goto event on the Cornish festival calendar.

Eagerly anticipated, this year’s festival was curated by one of Padstow’s culinary sons, Jack Stein, who brought together an A-list line-up of friends to celebrate food in Cornwall. From beyond the Tamar, Gizzi Erskine and Rosemary Shrager brought their uni ue culinary air to the demonstration stage. Homegrown signature dishes came from Emily Scott, of Emily Scott Food at Watergate Bay; Gidleigh ark’s Chris Eden, the first Cornish born chef to hold a Michelin star in their home county; Adam Handling, Head Chef and

owner of gly Butter y at Carbis Bay and Ross Geach from Padstow Kitchen Garden who hosted the Mussel Beach barbeque feasts throughout the weekend.

The site was a heady mix of sights, smells and tastes with the daily beach barbeque sending up enticing smoke signals. Pre-bookable masterclasses saw foodie fans learn from their chef heroes, whether that be baking bread, foraging or fish preparation. For those who preferred a more mindful moment, a gentle SUP, sea kayak, aerial yoga or a visit to the Spa Morvoren – new for this year and offering delights such as hot tub sessions or an Olla Hiki Sauna were on offer to gently ground the body and mind. Pop-ups took care of grumbling tummies and, with plenty of room to roam on the magnificent site, the air was laid-back. The festival boasted an enviable soundtrack from internationally acclaimed headliners Laura Mvula, Happy Mondays, and Passenger as well as the gentler tones of sea shanties and local musicians serenading those who wended their way through a festival for the senses.

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INSET Chef and author Tom Hunt

Celebrating at a boutique festival that combines music and merriment with an intoxicating culinary line up.

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TOP Serving up a feast ABOVE Music from the main stage

ABOVE Food writer and cook

Melissa Thompson

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Le to right Rick Stein and festival curator Jack Stein

ABOVE pen fire cooking at Rock Oyster Festival

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Le to right Chefs Jude Kereama and Emily Scott

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Le to right Lottie Bedlow and oyster perparation

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Looking out across the lights of the festival site

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AN ETERNALholiday

Arranged over three oors, this impressive modern home is set in an elevated position enjoying breath taking coastal views with easy access to the village of ort Isaac. The property boasts cotemporary d cor throughout with generous accommodation. ind your way through the entrance hallway into a vast open plan kitchen, living and dining room complete with a wood burner and balcony for alfresco meals. To the rear is a T snug and a bright sunroom that leads out onto a patio with a larger raised patio garden beyond.

n the second oor the master bedroom enjoys far reaching sea views, an en suite bathroom and a sea facing balcony, with two further double bedrooms, one of which has an en suite and the other has access to a roof terrace. n the top oor there are two more en suite bedrooms, one with its own private balcony. A double carport with storage rounds off The Lawns, providing a perfect world of comfort and convenience.

THE LAWNS

s stant al fi e ed oom o e t th aston sh ng e s o t to sea ac oss the gged no th o n sh coastl ne.

LUXURYliving

Located just three miles inland from the coast, and at the end of a private driveway, this handsome and substantial Grade II Listed seven-bedroom detached house is set within ten acres of delightful gardens and grounds, including two one-bed holiday cottages, an outdoor heated swimming pool and various outbuildings. There is also 2021 planning consent for two substantial new detached dwellings.

At the centre of the house is a stunning family/ dining room overlooking the front walled gardens, complete with a beamed ceiling, granite flagstone floor and a stone fireplace and woodburner. The large kitchen enjoys a feature Aga at its centre within a large fireplace, and countryside views, while the sitting rooms looks over the southerly front gardens with access through French doors. Upstairs you’ll find a generous seven bedrooms, two of which are en suite, a family bathroom, and with two holiday cottages the property is more than accommodating for family, guests or events.

A handsome and thoroughly renovated Grade II Listed detached house with two one-bed holiday cottages and ten acres of delightful gardens and grounds.

Finished to an extremely high standard throughout, this uni ue property offers the lucky new owners a rural setting within easy reach of all that north Cornwall has to offer. A welcoming entrance hall frames the sea view through a oor to ceiling window, and offers the warm embrace of a double sided woodburner, the other side of which can be found a spacious and yet cosy lounge with a separate dining room. The bespoke fitted kitchen boasts granite work surfaces, a feature range style cooker, a walk in pantry and separate utility.

To the first oor are four ex uisite double bedrooms, the principal room offering a recently re fitted en suite with marble effect tiling, and to complete the home is a modern, recently refurbished family bathroom with a wet room style walk in shower and a sumptuous bath tub.

forBUILTfamily TREAMBLE

A rural, four-bedroom family home with sea views towards the famous sandy dunes and golden sands of Holywell Bay.

AVISIONVictorian

North Tamerton House is thought to have been built in 1852, and is the former rectory to the parish of North Tamerton. Approached via a mature tree-lined driveway, the house retains a wealth of classical proportions typical of the late Georgian and early Victorian periods, with large sash windows, traditional shutters, marble fireplaces and impressive plasterwork. Set in around 5.35 acres of mature grounds, these include a paddock, a grass tennis court, orchard, play area and beech woodland.

There are four well-presented cottages adjacent to the house, currently generating a reasonable income through holiday lets, with potential to develop the business further, or adapt to a home with income and a multi-generational setup. Gracious period charm, combined with versatile secondary accommodation, income potential, and splendid gardens with far-reaching views are what make this property so captivating.

An attractive, early Victorian former rectory with magni cent countryside views and four holiday letting cottages set in over ve acres of gardens and grounds.

Back in 2020, Italian-born Valentina Langley was busy working away at her day job in Cornwall and looking after two young children alongside her husband, Tom. Devoted parents who were also climbing the career ladder, they rarely had time to look up from dayto-day life and consider their hopes and dreams, aside from the possibility of a trip back to Campania to visit Valentina’s family someday.

Then Covid-19 arrived, and everything changed. Valentina lost her job almost immediately as a result of the pandemic – a stressful experience for any couple but particularly one with young children to consider. After the initial shock, Valentina picked herself up, dusted

herself off, and began to consider the road ahead. The complete break with normality caused her to rethink what she wanted to do and chase a dream she had always quietly cultivated – to import great produce direct from small family producers in Italy and show people a different side of Italian cuisine.

With her roots in the Campania region not far from Naples, Valentina has a deep love and knowledge of southern Italian food culture. Growing up, she would watch avidly as both her grandmother and father performed miracles in the kitchen. Campania and the southern provinces were historically poor regions, where ingredients were typically made to go a long way. It’s a

On a mission to bring the authentic food and avours of Italy to Cornwall, one delicious cannoli at a time

ABOVE Tom and Valentina Langley

A deli with authenticity at its heart

style often called cucina povera’ and quite different to the pizza and pasta most of us associate with talian food today.

Because people didn’t have much, they came up with creative ways of extracting maximum flavour, explains alentina. They used grain, beans, rice and pulses as staples, grew and foraged for seasonal fruit and vegetables, and salted, dried and cured meat and fish to make it last longer. The cured meats we know and love today were born out of this need to preserve, in order to spread the sustenance from precious meat.

alentina loves living in Cornwall and says the food culture here is one of the things that first captivated her. The quality of produce in this part of the K is amazing, and the passion and dedication of artisan food producers is so similar to the talian way, she explains. felt at home straight away. Nevertheless, she missed the food and culture of her homeland and the global pandemic greatly intensified that. As she recalls oing through di cult times, with all that worry and being cut-off from family and friends back in taly Let’s just say

had a bit of a craving for home comforts, and for cannoli

So, jobless and with a feeling of nostalgia for her country of birth, alentina took the plunge and set up a business importing artisan cheeses, cured meats and other delicacies from a network of small suppliers across taly. Beginning with a stall at Truro Farmers Market, she sold these products along with an irresistible array of talian street food. very week at the Lemon uay market, which thrived during the pandemic, regulars would make a beeline for the La Pineta talian Deli’ stall to see what fresh delights lay in wait. The selection would vary but typically featured arancini (traditionally made from leftover risotto a great way of eking out another meal the next day), panzanotti (deep-fried pizza typically made in Naples the cooking technique was a cheaper alternative to oven cooking) and cannoli (sweet, fried pastries which originate from Sicily).

The endeavour was a true family enterprise from the beginning, with husband Tom involved in every aspect and the couple’s

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A taste of taly on Little Castle Street

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La Pineta’s street-food stall at Truro Farmers Market

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two children often joining them at Saturday markets. Within a year the business became so successful that Tom was able to give up his day job and join the operation full-time. A hamper and picnic service launched, and such was demand that the business required a new home to spread its wings. So, in May 2022, La Pineta talian Deli opened on Little Castle Street within Truro’s burgeoning independent quarter, where small boutiques and cafés offer an alternative city centre shopping experience.

alentina and Tom’s trattoria has fast become a neighbourhood hub for talian food and culture. Pop in for coffee and you’ll find talian radio playing in the background, and yesterday’s La Repubblica on hand. Fresh talian breads are baked every day, plus pastries and the famous sweet Sicilian cannoli in an array of tempting flavours. Homemade pasta and sauces are available, and on any one day the street food options might include fried fish cones, arancini, focaccia panini and

proper talian pizza. Most guests can’t resist leaving with a portion of alentina’s tiramisu the stuff of local legend destined to be enjoyed later that evening.

There’s a deli counter packed with the finest talian produce, including olives, charcuterie and cheeses, while hard-to-source ingredients fill the shelves alongside recipe cards and hints to inspire keen cooks. The hamper service continues, with people popping by to hand-pick a few items and leaving the rest to alentina and Tom’s discerning tastes. Carefully sourced talian wines showcase the many regions and styles of talian viticulture, and there’s a plan to host tasting evenings and other events further down the line. alentina says n taly the local trattoria is the beating heart of neighbourhood life we’re on a mission to recreate that here in Truro. This is a family business so everyone can expect a warm welcome, whether they’re stopping for a coffee, picking up a picnic hamper, or grabbing something to heat up for dinner that night.

Meanwhile, the market stall where it all started continues, with the La Pineta Street Food Stall appearing alongside the other Truro Farmers Market traders on Lemon Quay every Wednesday and Saturday. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without the market,” says Valentina. “There’s a great atmosphere every week, and a real sense of community. That connection with customers – whether at the market stall or the deli – is really important to the whole concept. We’re passionate about the food and the products we’re selling, and we love sharing knowledge and ideas. I thrive on seeing the excitement

as people visit the stall or deli and discover what we have for them to try!”

For Valentina, Tom and their children, it’s been an incredible journey. Daunting and exhausting at times, they’ve emerged from the pandemic with a flourishing business based around their passion for Italian food and culture. And, despite the long hours, with all those canolli on hand they’ve certainly created a little piece of ‘la dolce vita’ right here in Cornwall.

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t’s a family affair

The Helford River sits between the western edge of Falmouth Bay and the Lizard peninsula. It’s creeks and secluded shores are home to a wealth of wildlife and are renowned for their marine ecology. Fringed by ancient oak woodlands that dip their branches towards the river’s still waters as if curtseying before royalty, the banks are verdant in spring and summer with every shade of green on the spectrum. With over 30 miles of shoreline which culminate at the head of the river in Gweek, the Helford is a place of peace, play and Gweek’sexploration.history

is thought to date back as far as 450 BC when tin was traded with the Phoenicians from a port at the mouth of the Helford. Its name comes from the Cornish

for a ‘forest village’ indicative that the oak woodlands on the river’s banks perhaps once covered the whole of this area of the south Cornish coast. It was a thriving port between the 15th and 17th century due to Cornwall’s ourishing mining industry and although now operating at a more sedate pace, it still has a working boatyard and is home to the Cornish Seal

HelfordSanctuary.village on the

river’s southern banks, immortalised by Daphne Du Maurier in her pirate romance Frenchman’s Creek, is quintessentially Cornish. Its winding lanes and thatched cottages are chocolate-box pretty and there are many footpaths from the village that meander along the edge of the creek, where the author honeymooned a er she was married at the chapel of St Wyllow in 1932

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Discovering the magical majesty of the Helford River and the sub-tropical splendour to be found on its shores.

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Dawn on the south bank of the Helford River

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In the grounds of Bosloe House

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TOP Boats moored at Gillan Creek ABOVE Frenchman’s Creek at high tide

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The laurel maze at Glendurgan

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The track leading to Durgan

and can be explored both from the water or on foot. The National Trust’s circular walk takes you through carpets of woodland owers in spring and summer while in the shoulder months, sheltered coves afford respite from the weather and the local pub, The Shipwrights Arms provides welcome victuals.

In season, the Helford River water taxi links Helford village with Helford Passage. Backed by the Ferryboat Inn, this gentle stretch of sand is perfect for families due to its sheltered position and safe bathing waters. Rows and rows of shells line the beach as the tide drops and here, along with Porthbean Cove on Helford’s most southerly reach close to Nare Point, you might be lucky enough to find a tiny pink cowrie shell or two – what we fondly refer to as the ‘little pigs of the Helford’ due to their colouring. From here, you can follow the South West Coast Path towards Rosemullion Head, a walk that reminds me of Mediterranean climbs as you look down upon the yachts and the clear blue water. The meadows here in summer hum with the sound of bees, while there is welcome cooling shade as the path goes through the trees before dropping down into the hamlet of Durgan.

Here is where the National Trust-owned, Grade II-listed Glendurgan Garden meets the sea. Set in three shaded valleys, this incredible exotic garden is something of a sub-tropical jungle. In spring, its majestic magnolia trees are in full bloom, their owers akin to giant pastel tea cups, while the lawns are carpeted with a host of wild owers. The garden was established by the

Fox family in the 1820s and they imported plants from all over the world giving the garden its rich horticultural diversity. Glendurgan is perhaps most famed for its maze. Planted from cherry laurel in 1833, this living puzzle provides hours of endless delight as visitors make their way to the thatched summer house that marks the centre. A recent major restoration has seen the pathways and steps returned to their former glory and an ongoing pruning and feeding process keeps the hedges neat, tidy and healthy.

ABOVE Magnolia in bloom

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Durgan itself is a sleepy hamlet, surrounded by small cottages and houses, some of which are available to rent as holiday homes through the Trust. The road pulls steeply out of Durgan, halfway up which is a path that leads to a little piece of heaven. Grebe beach is sheltered from all but the wildest of winds and has become a Mecca for wild swimming enthusiasts and paddle boarders alike. On a summer’s day you would be forgiven for thinking you were on a Greek isle such is the colour of the water and the way the trees are silhouetted against the deep blue sky.

While Grebe is favoured by many, my slice of Helford paradise requires a few more footsteps. You can park at the National Trust car park at Bosveal and sidestep off the main track down to Grebe through Candy’s Gate. It’s rolling fields in summer are reminiscent of alpine meadows with its grasses dancing in the breeze and as you emerge from the woods, the grand Arts and Cra s style manor that is Bosloe House overlooks the estuary.

You can also wend your way from Mawnan Smith and amble through Carwinnion woods or begin at Mawnan Church; all will take you to Porth Saxon (or Porth Sawsen as it is sometimes known). Backed by the South West Coast Path, this is a gentle cove where walkers and sailors meet to relax on its shores and waters. Sometimes there is a little hustle and bustle as the Helford River Sailing Club retrieve its dinghies from the back of the beach and head out in small otillas to the oating pontoon. At other times, there is just the just tink-tink sound of rigging against masts from yachts moored nearby.

With its boathouse at one end, whenever I’m here I imagine myself in a Du Maurier novel, transported back to the mid 17th century. Sadly, these shores and woodlands are no longer the hiding places for dashing French pirates but such are their beauty that I’m more than content just to be here with my literary daydreams.

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View to the river from Bosloe House

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On the walk to Porth Saxon

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TOP National Trust holiday cottages at Durgan ABOVE The gentle peace of the Helford

WORDS BY ROSIE CATTRELL

Heralding back to ancient Egyptian days, when interior design was manifested in simple textiles, animal skins, murals, sculptures and painted urns, we’ve long harboured a desire to make the spaces around us beautiful. While styles, materials and technology has unfolded over the years, the fact remains the same; interior design in the hands of an expert can mean the difference between a roof over your head, and a space that emanates safety, comfort, contentment, and even joy.

Having designed and furnished some of the most exciting projects in the south west since 2006, iroka’s reputation precedes it. With an impressive

portfolio under its arm, and a team of experts in everything from interior design, kitchen and flooring design, and even window dressing, it comes as no surprise that the team was top of the list when Mark and Bridget Tomlinson – business partners and owners of Boskensoe Barns –were looking to convert their collection of farm buildings into luxury holiday retreats, as Mark explains: “We had been existing customers of iroka, probably for well over 15 years, as the interiors team have always had a style we very much liked. We were chatting with Luke one day and mentioned that we were about to start working on some barn conversions. He suggested we let him have a look and the rest is history.”

Combining the quaint heritage of an old farm building with the contemporary style of a ve-star holiday rental, Iroka has truly left its mark at oskensoe arns.

Located on a working farm in the idyllic countryside village of Mawnan Smith, and surrounded by fields and Cornish country, Boskensoe Barns is made up of five enchanting barn conversions, each one a perfect picture of peace and quiet amidst the calm, contemporary interiors that have transformed the spaces at the hands of iroka. “We were commissioned by Boskensoe Barns to turn these gorgeous old farm buildings into five-star holiday rentals, explains iroka’s Managing Director, Luke Weller, “and that is exactly what we did! The Stable, Long House, The Pig House and The Mill were all converted from abandoned farm buildings into luxury spaces, just made for relaxing. We wanted to preserve the heritage of the buildings while adding a modern and contemporary look to each barn. Exposed beams are in keeping with the rustic feel of the farm, while the Scandinavian inspired interiors add a modern and luxury touch.”

For our first four lets (Mill House, Long House, The Stable, Pig House), Luke originally helped us with tweaking the architectural layout of the property,” says Mark. “This was all we were going to do with iroka at first, but we then became interested in a more ‘designed’ interior style for our barns and used iroka’s team to help come up with a full design, as well as oversee manufacture and installation of designed items like the kitchens and bespoke wardrobes, as well as wall panels and lighting. They helped with the decision making and could visualise the flow of the design a lot more naturally than if we had been trying to do it ourselves on top

of our day job! They were happy for us to say if we didn’t like something or if we had our own suggestions, so it did end up feeling like a collaboration rather than having just handed the project over entirely.” Bringing together a classic Cornish country history with a carefully narrated interior unique to the expert eye of iroka, these first four conversions laid the foundations for something really special. Five years after the completion of these four charming conversions, and ready to convert barn number five, Mark and Bridget would return to iroka again for help with the completion of what would be the jewel in the Boskensoe Barn collection; The ranary. For The ranary, Mark reflects, “the process was handled more entirely by iroka. We did still have our own input, but were a lot happier (and busier than we had been five years earlier) to just let the iroka team go through the process.”

Originally our ideas would have been very middle of the road, slightly contemporary but quite basic,” Mark admits, looking back on the collaboration. “When iroka started to become involved with the first four barns, our ideas quickly changed and we knew we had to get a lot more interested, a lot sooner. We became aware that we needed to aim higher in the market to make the business a success. At times we questioned this, but now looking at our letting figures we are glad we went the extra mile. When developing The Granary, we knew from the outset that we needed to exceed the design quality of the original barns; iroka managed that and more.”

From a beautiful timber staircase and feature slat walls, to integrated bespoke carpentry, carefully considered fixtures, fittings and subtle details throughout the property, there is nothing mundane about The Granary, and indeed, any of the Boskensoe Barns. Designed in-house, the custom kitchen and utility features a matt black longline handle, contrasting wonderfully against a light, driftwood-style slab door, while integrated LED strip lighting illuminates a full-height Caesarstone splash back and worktop with streaks of grey vein, finished with draining grooves. The cabinetry, produced by German manufacturers AGKU, was installed by their dedicated, specially selected and highly skilled trades and craftsmen, and possesses the sort of quality that iroka is proud to incorporate.

The cosy living room is the essence of Hygge, a defining characteristic of Danish culture which draws on the feeling of comfortable conviviality that brings with it a feeling of calm contentment. One particular highlight of the room is the wood burning stove feature wall, designed by the iroka team and thoroughly thought out, incorporating Bridget’s idea for a slate split-face tile chimney breast, slate hearth,

bespoke oak shelving, lined log store, modern inset wood burning stove and finished with a handless, stone-top storage unit and accent slatted wall panelling. Hues of deep forest green and stone grey brings a settling calm over the room in promotion of relaxation and calm contemplation in the cosiest of rooms.

Tones of rich greens and earthy rust notes layered with textures of matt cotton velvets and linens bring a restful, calm feeling into the bedrooms, very much in keeping with the farm setting. Light wood furniture fitted and installed by the in-house delivery team complement the stunning A-frame beams that crown the master bedroom, while handmade curtains and roman blinds dress the windows throughout the property in neutral, simplistic fabrics, hung by iroka’s in-store specialist. Let’s not forget the striking contemporary bathrooms, adorned with rich, dark herringbone tiles against the statement oval-shaped freestanding bath, while the contrasting brushed brassware finishes off the look with a high-end finish, and the over-sized walk-in shower provides a luxurious addition amidst the neutral base of the light grey porcelain stone tiles.

When it comes to the finest details that find home in The ranary, not to mention the rest of the Boskensoe Barns collection, I think it is fair to say that no element has been overlooked by the keen eye of iroka. From the floors and doors to the handles and hinges, every piece of furniture finds purpose in its rightful place in this wonderful space, just waiting for the next visitors to make a home here for a weekend, a week or an extended indulgence.

All of our barns are five-star rated, Bridget concludes, with a well-earned pride shining through in her voice, “which is certainly reflected in the interiors clean lined, relaxing, clutter free, user friendly,

contemporary and stylish, with designer and bespoke fixtures and fittings, all whilst still being warm, homely and comfortable. They are great as a base for travelling and exploring Cornwall, or for hiding away and enjoying the luxury of Boskensoe Barns. The Granary is all of that, but with an added W W factor. Classy and elegant with top class fixtures and fittings, being more private and yet still dog and child friendly.” Touched by the hand of iroka, The Granary is the cherry on top of the stunning collection of holiday properties that is Boskensoe Barns.

iroka.comoskensoe arns.co.uk

WORDS BYBay HANNAH TAPPING DREAM

The stretch of south Cornwall from Gribben Head to Black Head, taking in St Austell Bay and its villages and beaches, has o been referred to as the ‘Cornish Riviera’. In its heyday during the early 1900s, this area was the summer escape of the well-heeled and became famous as the home of author Daphne Du Maurier. However, it wasn’t famed simply as a seaside destination as nearby St Austell’s China clay deposits were found to be the largest in the world and throughout the 19th century it employed thousands of Cornish men and women. Local landowner Charles Rashleigh, invested in the construction of a safe harbour for ships, as well as houses and factories for the workers, resulting in a population of some 3,000. By 1910, Cornwall was producing nearly 50%

of the world’s China clay and the ‘Cornish Alps’ (pyramids created by the mining waste) stood sentinel as a reminder of the area’s industrial heyday.Fast

forward to today, and the majority of the China clay production has moved to Brazil, but its rich history still defines the local landscape in the form of the mining mountains as well as the clay pits that are home to the iconic Eden Project. Charlestown, which forms part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site inscribed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 6, now offers safe harbour to a historic eet of Tall Ships and is owned by Eden Project cofounder Sir Tim Smit, bringing the area’s economy full circle.

The sustainable regeneration of on iconic seafront brings a cornucopia of experience, community and spirit to the Cornish Riviera.

Such was the diversity of St Austell, mining gave way to music and the leisure complex on the beach at Carlyon Bay, known latterly as Cornwall Coliseum, became one of the largest indoor venues of its kind during the 1980s. As a teenager, it was the height of cool to attend a music concert here; Carol Decker’s rendition of China In Your Hand in 1988 caused open-mouthed awe from myself and a gaggle of teenage friends as we attended one of the last major concerts before its demise.

Despite its iconic status as a music venue during this time, the beach itself couldn’t compete with the sailing waters of Falmouth and St Mawes, St Ives’ arty following, Newquay’s hip surf culture or the uber-chic industrialAustellasRockdestinationssecond-homeofPadstow,andPolzeath.ItfeltifCarlyonBayandStwerethepoor,relativesand

as such, the area became overlooked and neglected for many years; a destination sought out by neither residents nor visitors. Local’s snobbery in Cornwall can be as tangible as that of its holiday makers and I’m ashamed to write that I was somewhat sceptical at the thought of a visit this summer. With the excitement of that T’ au concert a faded memory, how would Carlyon stand up against Cornwall’s finest coastal locations

I’m delighted to say that its more than holding its own. The Carlyon Beach development is one of Cornwall’s biggest regeneration projects and is in the first phases of transforming a brownfield site into an exceptional coastal experience. Investment company, Commercial Estates Group (CEG) is set to invest £250M to create an unrivalled beachside resort that will put the area firmly on the destination map. CEG’s claims are bold: “Carlyon Beach will be carbon neutral in operation, achieve a 68% reduction in carbon emissions, deliver 200% biodiversity net gains, and be a high profile example of delivering Cornwall Council’s carbon neutral 2030 objective. The aim is to attract 223,000 new visitors to St Austell each year who will spend an additional £14.2M in shops and services annually, equating to a spend of £150M in St Austell over the next 1 years. These figures are huge, but if delivered will see the sustainable regeneration of the area back to its former glory, with 500 new homes plus shops, restaurants, cafés and a full range of leisure activities.

For those who have stayed away (myself sadly included) you may not know much about the Carlyon Bay. It actually consists of three beaches; Crinnis with its distinct rocky

outcrop; Shorthorn where the Sandy River meets the sea; and the unbroken stretch of sand of Polgaver, home to a nature reserve. Unlike many of Cornwall’s most popular beaches, parking is easy, we find a space just above the slipway to the beach and wander down with beach bags over shoulders. My first impression is of an easy-going Mediterranean vibe, helped by the beautiful weather and the calm sea. I think it’s the nature of the sand and the way the beach ever so gently shelves towards the water that is reminiscent of a Spanish bay. Tar uin’s ags utter gently on the breeze and all around are picnic tables where couples and families of all ages add to the murmur of the wind and the gentle lapping of the waves with quiet, content conversation accompanied by coffee and pastries in the shade of the parasols.

The expanse of Carlyon Beach is a safe haven for paddling toes and sea dipping. For the more adventurous, Cornwall Waverunner Safaris has a base here in the summer months. addleboard and kayak hire affords a serene way of exploring the coastline. Gliding over the tranquil clear waters, the seaweed below harbours a plethora of sea life as glossy fronds of kelp intertwine with sea spaghetti in an ethereal underwater garden. Adrenaline-fuelled jet ski safaris take in the coastline at a different pace but whichever mode of ocean transport you opt for, each reveals an exquisite view from the bay back to the beach, normally only afforded to bobbing seals and circling gulls. Embracing the outdoors, as has become our bent since Covid made it our safety net, Sweat Cornwall conducts boot camps on the sand, while sun prayers welcome Saturday mornings courtesy of Elm Yoga.

Returning shoreside, Carlyon has everything you could wish for in terms of a beach day. Large sail-like canopies cover a range of pop-ups that cater for all tastes. Pasties y out from the ever popular G 1 asty Shack while Manor Made Cornwall’s stylish cake shed serves homemade bakes, the ubiquitous Cornish cream tea, sausage rolls, freshly brewed coffee and speciality hot chocolates. For something more substantial, and perfectly placed so close to the sea, the Harvester Seafood Shack has a daily catch menu from local waters including mackerel, scallops and mussels. Jasper’s Kitchen is a family favourite with handmade, stone-baked, freshly rolled pizzas joining gourmet burgers to sate post-swim appetites – followed, of course, by a trip to Callestick’s kiosk for that all-important Cornish

Grown-upsice-cream.

can quench thirsts at the Shoreside Bar, selecting from local beers, wines and spirits, plus adventurous cocktails to accompany the sound of music as it dri s across the sands from the covered pagoda where live bands entertain beach-goers into the evening throughout the season. While the sun might be setting on the summer we took pleasure from a little piece of paradise, that while discovered late in the season, gave us an insight into a corner of coastal heaven that will no longer be overlooked. As the regeneration project gains pace, we look forward to returning next year to discover ever-more new developments in the bay – a place where preconceptions have been overturned and dreams are destined to be made.

carlyonbeach.com

So the saying goes, ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’. And it’s true –it means we essentially, as humans, need to look after ourselves and our own needs before we can look after others. t sounds obvious and makes perfect sense when we look at a literal empty cup and its inability to pour its contents into others. But, if it’s so obvious, then why can it be so hard to put into action?

We often find our pile of responsibilities grow, the commitments we have deepen, and before we know it, we’re running around trying to be everything for everyone and not actually taking a look at what nurtures us, feeds

our souls, and gives us a zest for living. The contents of the cup gradually sink lower and lower, and even when we feel like we can’t pour much more, we still try.

Some people may have the opposite problem, and find they have the time, but no motivation to do the things that would fill their metaphorical cup. This is another big issue in itself, often stemming from poor mental health for a variety of reasons. Those who struggle in this department will often feel better when they do step out of their comfort zone and take action, if they can dig deep and find the motivation to make the first step to try.

Exploring why we should do the things that ll our cups’, with ea anctuary.

LEFT Set sail with Sea Sanctuary

ABOVE

Sunset aboard Irene of Bridgwater

Both scenarios can lead to us isolating ourselves more, shying away from connection with other people, and not having the will or energy to do the things we know will probably make us feel better once we’ve done them. As humans, it’s important to try new things, engage in activities that speak to our soul, and have opportunities to interact with others and some may even be in the same boat. While we may not make time to do them, and say we’re too tired, we don’t have time, or we don’t like the idea of making plans, doing things that encourage connection or push us to try new things can often be highly energising and inspirational the positive effects of which can seep into other areas of our lives.

Finding time to do the things that give you joy

It may be that resting, relaxing, doing gentle yoga, walking by the sea; those kinds of things fill your cup, and help you feel more energised. But equally, it could be a case of wanting the thrill of being in a big city, heading to the theatre, trying a new type of artistic activity, going sailing, surfing, or skydiving that really brings you joy. Doing things that make us happy give us the revitalisation we often so desperately need to feel alive and connected to the world around us.

What’s more, reaching out to people and doing these activities with others can make the experience even better. Meeting new people can often encourage connection and remind us of feelings we didn’t know we were missing. Studies have shown that social connection actually reduces anxiety and symptoms of depression even though someone suffering from these things can find the thought of social engagement daunting –and can help us regulate our emotions. Not only this, but social connection can also help improve our sense of self-worth and esteem, give us more empathy capability, and can boost our immune system.

Since the pandemic, it’s been easy to be less social. We work remotely more where we can, we limit our plans now we’ve gotten used to being indoors, and many people suffered with isolation and loneliness during the lockdowns and restrictions; that hasn’t

ABOVE One of Sea Sanctuary’s two new ‘blue health’ therapy pods

ABOVE Located in prime position to help fill your cup’, overlooking the peaceful Penryn river

TOP Irene of Bridgwater offers therapeutic sailing experiences

ABOVE

TOP n board The ARC, Sea Sanctuary’s floating wellbeing hub

Irene offers a calming environment in which to boost your wellbeing

necessarily gone away. You might want to ask a friend to come with you for an activity, a day out, or just a catch up. But if you don’t have anyone to ask or that’s free to join you, sometimes looking into activities and classes near you can be a good way to see other people. Small classes or community groups can not only get you out of the house, but can also be really cathartic and see you express your feelings, and help to improve your mental health.

Building connections with proven techniques to boost your wellbeing

So why not try something new to fill your cup? Writing classes can help you get things out of your mind and onto the page, and many studies have shown that writing has a positive impact on your mental health. Keeping things inside can cause psychological distress, so expressing your thoughts through an artistic medium can really help to process them and relieve stress. It’s also been shown that writing and reflecting on what we’ve written can help raise self-awareness, which helps us in future situations and can be a good way to begin to understand ourselves better.

Perhaps writing isn’t for you, but maybe trying your hand at something artistic is. And before you try it, remember to go with an open and curious mindset, with zero expectations of how good you have to be. ften, the key to embracing and getting the most from an artistic task, is to focus less on the end result, and more on the process.

ou don’t need to be the best, or even good at anything you fancy trying – the act of being there, with others, and creating, is what really benefits your mental wellbeing.

If you’re less of an artistic person but fancy trying the practise of yoga for gentle body movements and breathing exercises, you’ll be pleased to know that the National Institute of Health has shown that yoga can help to manage stress, support better mental health, encourage mindfulness, and improve sleep quality.

ooking a er your mental health to keep your cup full

So, your cup is feeling fuller, what now? f you’ve been working on doing the things that make you happy and improve your wellbeing, that’s something to be proud of. Keep making time to do those things and look after yourself we often undervalue the things that really help us to feel connected to the world around us.

The calm waters of Falmouth

TOP

If you feel you need some further help to set you on the road to better mental health, you can also consider speaking to a qualified mental health professional, who can help you with individual therapy, to work on things that might be hindering your Whilehappiness.manypeople

turn to therapy when they’re really struggling, when you start noticing seemingly small things that impact your wellbeing, it can be a good time to reach out. Working with someone you can trust and build a relationship with can help you feel heard; it can help you understand yourself better, giving you a safe space to explore emotions, develop, and grow, and give you someone in your corner who can help you when things get tough.

Award-winning mental health care by the sea

Based in Falmouth, mental health charity Sea Sanctuary began in 2006, and has built its services around its blue health ethos the belief that time spent near water and blue spaces has a positive impact on mental health. ts award-winning, therapeutic sailing programmes see client sailors step aboard a historic tall ship, Irene of Bridgwater. Built over a century ago, Irene is a 120ft gaffer and one of the last traditional West Country trading ketches to sail our seas. She’s quite a sight to behold, and has featured in Hollywood films, including Pirates of the Caribbean

Sea Sanctuary also offers a range of wellbeing classes on board its floating wellbeing hub, The ARC, which is a 180ft Dutch barge permanently moored right on the water in Falmouth. This year, Sea Sanctuary added two brand new therapy pods, soundproofed, and with views of the water, so individual therapy can be undertaken in a private and peaceful place.

There are a range of wellbeing and support groups to encourage connection, as well as educational courses to help you on a journey to better mental health. Find out more about Sea Sanctuary and the services they offer by visiting the website.

seasanctuary.org.uk

ABOVE The ARC Wellbeing Hub

TOP

Eventide

WORDS BY SAM MOORE

Ialways felt a bit different growing up. I was more at home in nature, surrounded by beauty. I struggled to stay focused in the classroom and found my ga e was always looking out of the window. Memories of my childhood are intertwined with the smell of woodsmoke, the dampness of the woods and leaves in autumn, the heat on the sweet grass in summer and the sound of water from the chalk bed rivers of Hampshire. All these things made me feel at once alive, calm and nostalgic. The seasons are everything I love about England and I welcome each one and their gi s. I’m ruled by the moon and the elements, and I love to breathe in a night full of stars, the remnants of a sunset, a heavy moody cloudy sky that bursts heavy rain onto my skin. As I have grown into myself, and weaved elements of this into our brand, it is what I want to share with others a love of our planet and the people in it over everything else.

I grew up building dens, that was where I felt content. ast forward to today and my job is similar it’s funny how sometimes you come full circle. f course, life takes twists and turns as you find out who you are. It isn’t always obvious, but some of the interests we’re good at as children can develop, not only into that which we we’re good at as an adult, but also into what fulfils us. Life changed hugely when I jumped two feet into life in Cornwall it has the ability to wrap you in its arms and let you know it’s ok to be you.

Those elements from my childhood now underpin my work, but it’s deeper than that. It’s only through my journey in becoming a mother of four, learning about our family’s neurodiversity, that I can appreciate the sensory rich experiences which have enabled us to cope with the modern world and to learn how much it helps others too.

We recently received the results of our family’s NA, a mixture of Celtic and Nordic heritage, it was no surprise to us that we are descended from hunter gatherers and shelter builders. I love that this is who we are and it makes complete sense how much it is engrained in my family. We are made to provide and work with the land, using our rich sensory systems, and I think that our education system needs to embrace this more. I feel passionate about helping others to positively embrace their uni ue talents as I know first hand how it feels to need a different way to learn my family is the same. Isn’t it time that we start recognising abilities rather than seeing di culties Being neurodiverse doesn’t have to be a barrier, I believe it can be your superpower. Maybe now we just need the setting to help us embrace these talents and enable our children to see beyond the constraints and realise their full potential.

Sam Moore, along with her husband Tim, own Wild Tipi, a family run business rooted in nature, community and forming connections.

wildtipi.co.uk

PhotographyWestcottVerity©

INSET

Sam Moore, husband Tim and family