Rick Stein's Cornwall (2021 - 2023)

Deep in the Cornish countryside, Rick Stein takes us to meet an extraordinary family who are making some of the best Gouda cheese in Britain, from which he cooks a tortilla dish with caramelised apples, onions and Cornish Gouda. In the fishing village of Mevagissey, he discovers the origins of the sea shanty and the history of the pilchard fishing industry, when shoals of pilchards were so large they would attract killer whales.

Rick Stein meets young chef Tom Adams, who runs Combeshead Farm, a leading field-to-fork restaurant in Cornwall. Here they grow and produce all of their own food, from sourdough bread to pork pies, as well as rearing a small heard of Mangalitsa pigs, a hairy, old-world breed which produces exquisite hams. Rick tries out a new recipe – pork chops with a sloe berry sauce – before moving on to the village of Rock, where his son Jack holds a clam bake on the shore of the Camel Estuary.

The town of Launceston in east Cornwall is bypassed by many who visit the county, yet Rick discovers that it’s home to an unusual superstition and a rare type of Norman castle. In the far west of Cornwall, Rick meets Graham Fitkin and Ruth Wall, two musicians who combine modern and traditional ways to make some extraordinary compositions. Rick rounds off his trip by cooking an alfresco dish of Cornish mussels with cider.

Rick Stein meets his good friend, the actor and comedian Barry Humphries, who fell in love with Cornwall in the 1960s when he escaped London to develop his now famous character, Dame Edna Everage, with near-disastrous consequences. Barry talks about his friendship with Britain’s favourite poet, John Betjeman, and asks Rick to review his homemade fishcakes. Rick also goes fishing for crab, before cooking a simple yet delicious crab omelette. And he takes a dip in the chilly north Atlantic with an eccentric group of wild water swimmers called the Perranporth Blue Tits.

Rick journeys inland from the majestic Camel Estuary to one of Britain’s finest vineyards, where he joins in harvesting the grapes to discover that the Cornish weather is perfect for making some of the best wine in the country. Just off Pentire Point, as the sun sets, Rick rides the gentle swell of the North Atlantic with an old friend, casting his line to hook Britain’s fastest fish, before firing up the barbecue to cook his catch with a recipe inspired by a trip to Goa. Rick joins Tim Smit, best known for starting the hugely successful Eden Project, who reveals to Rick his new and ambitious idea in Cornwall.

Rick explores one of Cornwall’s hidden secrets, the secluded and stunning Fowey Estuary, joining his friend on a boat trip to learn about the history of the area and getting a unique view of the beautiful buildings along the river bank. Downstream, after a meal of crab scotch eggs at a fashionable new restaurant, Rick discovers that the historic town of Fowey was once a hotbed of piracy. Just above the town is a family making a prize-winning Cornish vodka, which Rick uses to make a delicious pancake with a wild blackberry compote and Cornish clotted cream.

On the wild north Atlantic coast, Rick heads out to sea to go fishing for lobsters with his old friend and celebrity chef Nathan Outlaw and learns about a revolutionary new conservation programme which is making lobster fishing a sustainable enterprise. In the historic and pretty harbour town of Port Isaac, Rick and Nathan cook up a fabulous lobster risotto. At Tresillian House, near Newquay, Rick meets with head gardener John Harris to find out more about his Victorian walled garden, an oasis of calm where Rick discovers how harvesting by the phases of the moon means better tasting veg. Rick cooks a Cornish Briam, a tasty slow-cooked dish of fresh vegetables.

Join Rick for a trip on the world’s busiest chain ferry that links Cornwall and Devon across the Tamar River – on the Torpoint ferry Rick chats to ferry controller Mike Bright. Following this short journey, he explores Torpoint, a town on Cornwall’s Rame peninsula, with historian Harry Bennett. Now for a real highlight of the series, Rick visits the mystical woodland setting of Golitha Falls, near Liskeard, to find the spectacular cascades and waterfalls. Whilst here he also chats to the very lovely Dawn French about all things Cornwall, including why she’s made it her home. Rick then heads down to the south coast to visit Seth Pascoe at Cornish Seaberry Co to learn how and where his produce grows. As well as being great to cook with, Cornish Seaberry have partnered with Cornish drinks companies Colwith Farm Distillery and Driftwood Spars Brewery to create vodka and beer flavoured by their berries.

Rick heads into the bowels of Cornwall with author Philip Marsden, deep into the China Clay pits, to discover what is known locally as White Gold, one of this county’s most important industries. He then climbs the Cornish Alps, huge slag heaps created by the clay mining and some of Cornwall’s highest land. After a wild swim with Shonna Hands at one of Cornwall’s picturesque hidden coves, Polridmouth, Rick cooks a simple recipe for BBQ sea bass with a fennel mayonnaise – telling you how to make the perfect homemade mayonnaise in the process. In the far west of the county, on the Land’s End peninsula, Rick introduces us to his niece, Lucy Stein, a modern artist who explains her deep spiritual connection to Cornwall – including a wander at Boscawen-un stone circle close to St Buryan.

In this episode of Rick Stein’s Cornwall you will explore the world-famous Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden in St Ives with artist Anthony Frost – noted for his abstract works consisting of brightly coloured prints and collages. Fish for red mullet on the Lizard with fishermen, Danny and Tommy Phillips – two wonderfully Cornish gents from Cadgwith Cove which is located in a must-visit spot on the south coast. Then you’ll meet Sophie Alexander and Stephen Holloway at Source Kitchen in St Ives to chat about their artisan produce and hyper seasonal dishes. Finally, travel further down west to the tiny village of Porthgwarra to meet RSPB Chough expert, Paul St Pierre. Recipes in episode 11 include red mullet on confit potatoes with black olive tapenade – cooked at Source Kitchen.

In episode 12 of Rick Stein’s Cornwall, you’ll visit quite possibly the prettiest church in the world, St Just-In-Roseland Church. Explore the waterside haven of St Mawes by foot and water with Alex and Olga Polizzi from Hotel Tresanton as well as meeting chef Paul Wadham. Then it’s up to Launceston to be introduced to some of the best meat in the country at our Cornish butcher, Ian Warren from Warrens Butchers. Their steaks are simply fab. Rick then explores potter Jack Doherty’s studio in Penzance before returning to Padstow to listen to Dave Brown and St Merryn Ukes – a rather good local ukulele band. Recipes in episode 12 include steak with béarnaise sauce to celebrate meat from Cusgarne Farm.

In episode 12 of Rick Stein’s Cornwall, you’ll visit quite possibly the prettiest church in the world, St Just-In-Roseland Church. Explore the waterside haven of St Mawes by foot and water with Alex and Olga Polizzi from Hotel Tresanton as well as meeting chef Paul Wadham. Then it’s up to Launceston to be introduced to some of the best meat in the country at our Cornish butcher, Ian Warren from Warrens Butchers. Their steaks are simply fab. Rick then explores potter Jack Doherty’s studio in Penzance before returning to Padstow to listen to Dave Brown and St Merryn Ukes – a rather good local ukulele band. Recipes in episode 12 include steak with béarnaise sauce to celebrate meat from Cusgarne Farm.

Rick Stein’s Cornwall episode 14 guide: – Visit Lamorna Cove – Explore the National Trust coast around Botallack tin and copper mines – Search for Cornwall’s oldest building Recipes in episode 14 include Cornish bouillabaisse.

As Rick’s Cornish odyssey nears its end, he takes a break in the city of Truro, where he discovers an unusual ghost story and tours the magnificent cathedral with friend Daphne Skinnard. He also meets a family passionate about offal, who prepare him a meal of pickled ox tongue and beef heart tacos, and in the county’s most northerly parish, on a wander to Hawker’s Hut, he tells the story of an eccentric vicar who would retrieve the bodies from nearby shipwrecks and bury them in his church graveyard.