This is the third day of our Great Cornish Pasty Adventure. Read about day 1 and day 2.
We woke up to a beautiful pink and orange sunrise and went for a walk through the hedges to reach the coast, picking blackberries that stained our fingers crimson.
After our walk we head down to the town centre. Today we had a number of pasties to eat, so we started early. First up, Pasty Presto, the ‘home of the worlds best pasties’. We had a traditional steak and veg – it was good, but we hadn’t found the winner yet.
We head over to St Ives Bakery, who hadn’t yet taken their pasties out of the oven. We had a good feeling about the place though, so head down to a little cafe (The Vintage Store and Coffee Shop) we had seen on the waterfront to have coffee while we were waiting. Oh boy, am I glad we did.
We were on a pasty adventure – but something unexpected happened. I literally found the best scones I have ever eaten. We found out afterwards that this cafe was a venture of St Ives Bakery – their scones were moist, soft, warm – and served with clotted cream. I guess the view wasn’t bad either…
As soon as we were done, we rushed back to St Ives Bakery. I ordered two – we got the beef made with shortcrust pastry, and a veg made with a flaky almost-puff-but-a-little-denser pastry. Winner! Ding ding ding! I’ve found you. I sat on the beach and devoured the piping hot parcels of goodness.
All the pasty contestants sure came close. We literally did not have one pasty that was anything but delicious. But, St Ives have won us over with their variety and all round good baking. However, Occombe Farm pastry was pretty damn good – crispy but soft and flaky at the same time.
Afterwards we wandered around the Barbara Hepworth Gallery and Sculpture Garden, and tasted Cornish fudge at all the little stores we could find. There are still a whole heap of stores that make the fudge in the traditional way, in all sorts of flavours – coconut, coffee, whisky…
Stuffed, happy and ready to head home, we walked along the beach and dipped our toes in the ocean. We then made our way back over the headland picking more blackberries as we went, and started the long drive back home to London.
Apart from a short detour to Gnome World (which was sadly closed), we shot all the way back up. Oh – except for a pitstop at the Screech Owl Sanctuary, where Dylan spent the entire time talking in high pitched voices at all of the owls. I have never seen a person so excited by owls! And pygmy goats… of course.
