Food for Thought

Last Wednesday we were treated to a real food adventure.  Now it is fair to say on Tuesday night when I remembered I had booked us all in for a 'Family Foraging Day' with 7th Rise I moaned quite a lot.  The thought of being outside in the pouring rain whilst absolutely shattered was not my idea of fun.  We were craving a duvet day watching Frozen.  What actually happened could not have been further from this.  So, on Wednesday we packed our waterproofs and headed off for the 'lay-by'.  As the place we were heading for is a little bit of a secret so you just get a postcode and a lay-by to park in.  All a bit secret squirrel! We quickly realised we were the only people booked in.  Another big sigh.  Maybe we should of cancelled.  Still we were fully clad in waterproofs, we had paid for it.  We decided to embrace the conditions.

We met Matt our guide for the day and headed off for a 15 minute walk down the fields, spotting a couple of deers on the way to The Lost Cottage.  What an apt name.  The magical little cottage really is straight out of a fairy story, and I doubt changed much in the last 100 years.  7th Rise is brain child of Thom Hunt who continues to make a name for himself both on television and across the country as an expert in all things wild.   Thom's vision is to create a 'space and opportunity for the public to learn about and have incredible authentic experiences in wild environments'.   Whilst Thom is away filming his team have been running family days.

Well what a day.  The Lost Cottage is nestled on the edge of the River, Matt is a fish lover so told us all about the mussel and oyster beds we could see and took us on a tour of the site whilst looking at plants.  Part of the Tregothan Estate the house used to provide the charcoal and lime for the area.  On site there is access to the river, hammocks nestled into the trees, an outside bar, various animal hides in different stages of drying, an outdoor kitchen, a tree house and an abundance of plants to eat.  Matt's knowledge provided an interesting education for us.  Bethany seemed the best forager strapped to my back screaming like a little bird demanding yet more and more blackberries!

After a good hour and half exploring we collected various foraged bits from around the grounds and Matt set about cooking us a truly delicious lunch of hot smoked mackerel with potato cakes and foraged greens. Given our business I always maintain that food tastes better outside, but it really did taste amazing, washed down with  raspberry home brew.  So after our adventure we now have the following to do list: create a hot smoker out of the numerous bbq's we have had left behind this year, build a clay oven (The Lost Cottage has one in the making at the moment) and forage  for the tasty offerings around our amazing coastline.

Rarely do rainy days off become such a memorable experience, if you get a chance to go foraging, I can't recommend it highly enough, especially if you are lucky enough to get to experience the beautiful 7th Rise and their fantastic team.

Puddle jumping at Heligan (again!)

Now, back to reality.  So, it has been a bit damp this week. Saturday was pretty horrible, with thunder, lightning and a lot of rain.The summer is proving to be one of extremes.  Saturday night we were on a weather warning, then come Sunday we were down on the beach getting burnt.  If you are coming to stay in the next few days come expecting all spectrum's of the great British Weather and you will not be disappointed!

As I write this my little heart is still pounding after an adventure that went slightly wrong.  We went to Heligan for our weekly visit today.  A few hours well spent jumping in puddles!  On the way back instead of my usual Caerhays drive to encourage sleep I thought I would explore
Hemmick Beach after reading about it.  Well  I obviously missed the bit about the road to it.  Scary does not to it justice.  For the first time ever I lost my nerve and considered phoning for help!   I attempted a three point turn at one point only to become wedged and decided the sides of the car would have to be sacrificed to the hedges as it got narrower and narrower and narrower.  (if you don't believe me check out google earth as Richard did when I got back). I pulled myself together and continued on the extremely narrow lane to the beach.  What a view.  What a location.  Cornwall at it's best. I highly recommend going to Hemmick.  Just park on the National Trust carpark at the top of the hill to avoid any nervous breakdowns!

A feast full of fun

This week sees the welcome return of the Mevagissey Feast Week.  A full programme of events is available from reception along with a summary on the daily notice board.  Highlights include the Fish Procession, the amazing Mevagissey Male Voice Choir,  a fishing boat race, crabbing and the finale of fireworks from the harbour.

Many moons ago Richard and I went to the Carnival, it was fantastic watching the processions through the small streets  - it really is worth a visit.  As for the fireworks which go off over the harbour - I still maintain they are the best I have ever seen and I am a lover of fireworks!  It is a late one but it is well worth it.  We are having a rare night out on Saturday for dinner, and then watching the fireworks as a birthday treat for Richard.

I say rare, but this week we were out at one of the 'Eden Sessions' watching Paloma Faith.  It was a stunning evening with great music and company.  Cornwall is a fantastic place to catch a little bit of culture outside, especially with the amazing long evenings.

For a bit of alfresco culture why not visit one of the following:

9th July - Spandau Ballet at the Eden Project
21st July, The Jungle Book at Pentille Castle
25th July - 23rd August - 946 from  Kneehigh Theatre at The Lot Gardens Of Heligan
29th July - The Manificent 3 from Miracle Theatre at Pencarrow House
19th August - Mama Mia outdoor cinema at Caerhays Beach

There are rumours flying around that we are in for a bit of a heatwave,  It looks like Cornwall is set to bake next week.  We are full to the brim next weekend but if you fancy a spot of Cornish sun then why not head down before the schools break up in mid July to make the most of the fantastic weather?

Here at Little Winnick we are pretty full at the moment, with only a hanful of pitches available over the next ten days - it really is lovely to see.  Our wardens who live on the park are away at the moment, and we always like to have someone on the park so we are camping (I know, twice in a week!).  This time it is all of us.  We have stretched to an electric hook up this week so we can listen to Glastonbury on the radio when the girls are in bed whilst listening to the river and watching the stars.  Sounds Lovely doesn't it?!  It is!  I am testing out a new canping kitchen and gas stove - so far so good.  We had sausages last night and bacon this morning.  It was in fact sweet cured bacon from Kittow Butchers who supply our shop.  Wow it was good!  We are stocking their sausages and bacon in the shop.

Not a good place for the diet

So I have concluded the Little Winnick reception/shop is the worse place to be when on a diet.  I made a Victoria Sponge that has a layer of some of the local black current jam in it and scones using Trewithen Dairy yoghurt.  I have never made scones with yoghurt before but my mother in law (who some of you may have met at the site) assured me it was how she did it each week for the cottages - she was right it is amazing  - this is the recipe in case you want to make some.  Anyway, it means I had to have a slice a cake this morning (quality control) and it is only 11am.

As I was uploading things for the website and blog I was amazed by the super fast broadband, it still amazes me how quick it is.  This is true across the whole park which is covered by 5 points to ensure you can access the WiFI wherever you are.  If you would like to connect up just pop into reception to purchase log in codes.

My first guest in reception this morning made an interesting comment as I was rushing around unloading the papers, bringing in the fresh milk and sorting out the bread.  He said 'I bet you can't wait until this place closes and we (the guests) all go home'.  My answer was NO!'.  We love our lives, it is a lifestyle that is our families way of life.  We fail to get through a meal without debating things or making plans.  We thrive off seeing guests enjoying the park and everything that is near by - the park feels like it has lost it's soul a little in the winter when it is empty.  On rare summer days out we are busy snapping pictures for the blogs and bursting with enthusiasm to share with people.  Next week we are going out for Richard's birthday to Bedruthan Steps for lunch- a very child friendly local hotel that does yummy lunches...I will update you what it is like in due course.

Talking of the winter and the rest of the season (obvioulsy not meaning the two are the same!) we have had interest recently in seasonal pitches for the rest of the season and storage over the winter.  Currently we are offering seasonal pitches 1st July -1st November with winter storage for £1400 on a hard standing pitch - this includes your electric and use of the facilities.  Please give Heidi or Richard a call if you are interested.                                                                          

Snap shot of bank holiday weekend

As promised here are some of the pictures from the bank holiday.  We had a brilliant weekend, it was lovely to meet lots of you and see all your lovely tents, vans, motor homes, pets and children.  My favouirte was the VW camper van with matching trailer!

This weekend is a lot quieter as half term comes to an end and the children return to school.  As I mentioned in the last blog though we are now offering 7 nights for the price of 5, meaning you could have a weeks stay with us from £55.  

After a mixed week of weather, I can confirm as I sit here in the office typing it is glorious - blue skies with a slight breeze.  Fingers crossed it stays that way as my brother gets married this weekend (we are very excited!).

'tis glorious here today

My oh my what wonderful weather.  It is absolutely stunning here today, very hot with blue skies.  I have just made the mistake of sampling another ice cream.  Today's lesson is not to eat ice cream whilst working in reception as I am now covered in melted ice cream!!  I do have a warm glow about me though having strolled around the site taking some piccies for this; it is wonderful to see so many happy campers, people who didn't know each other at the start of week now having a beer together and hearing children shrek with laughter whizzing down the slide.

We have spent the day wisely cutting the grass whilst the sun is out to help up.  Richard is pictured in charge of the lawn motor - it is a job and a half cutting all the grass here.  Richard has also been busy in charge of the pump which is pumping the water out of the swimming pool.  Sadly too much is needed to be done to open the pool this year however we are currently deep in thought as to what will become of it in the future.

We have started to gear ourselves up for the forthcoming bank holiday - we have a good number of bookings and a number of guests arriving who will be here for a large section of the summer.  We already have two seasonal pitches on site which helps create a really lovely atmosphere as people get to know one another.  Please do contact us if you are thinking about a seasonal pitch.

Too many ice creams to choose from!

Hello!

Things are going well here - we have had a steady flow of guests; both those who have booked in advance and people off the road.  It is so lovely to finally be sharing all our hard work with people!  Still, no rest for the wicked, we have had the tree surgeons back on site today pruning more trees and are already turning our thoughts to future improvements in the close season.

We have also had a lot of interest from rallies.  We are very fortunate to have a large rally field which is separate from the rest of the site.  Accommodating up to 40 pitches we have already booked in people for this season and there us lots of interest for 2014.

Perhaps the most exciting news I have to share with you is opposite...the ice cream freezer has finally arrived.  The many problem we now have is I feel the need to have an ice cream each afternoon...

This week also saw some much needed days out for us as we had friends visiting and what an education in Cornish weather it was.  We headed to St Ives and on route the weather did not look in our favour - heavy rain and wind.  In fact we came close to turning round as we had a pregnant friend with us.  However as we turned the corner into St Ives we saw a glimmer of blue.  We headed straight to Porthminster Beach Cafe for lunch which I can sum up in one word - WOW!  The food was amazing.  We had Jessica who is 9 months old with us and the service couldn't have been better - she was looked after better than us in fact!  After an utterly delicious meal we headed onto a deserted Porthminster Beach - it was stunning; blue skies, clean sands and clear sea.  We explored the back streets of St Ives and admired much of the local art work whilst basking in the sun.

Our second outing saw us go to Fowey.  Although it is their festival week it was very quiet.  Yet more wandering around the streets, down the Espanage to Ready Money Cove, which again was deserted, it was so peaceful and relaxing. By the time we made it to the cove a grey, overcast day had turned into a scorcher and I was regretting not bringing a hat for Jessica.  Luckily I have a baby carrier for Jess as the tiny streets of Fowey are not great for pushchairs.  We made our way to The Galleon for lunch - another very accommodating baby friendly place to grab lunch.

Then one evening we were treated to a meal out at Sam's on the Beach.  What a location and what delicious food.  One of our favourite haunts did not fail to impress with a yummy crab and scallops pizza on the special accompanied by a scrummy local wine.  Well worth a visit - but book to avoid disappointment.

Our final outing of the week was Padstow via Griggs.  Griggs is a agriculture shop selling a great selection of clothes including Joules, Merrell, Frugi and Barbour to name but a few.  My friends got Hunter Wellies for half the price they had seen in John Lewis!  Padstow was busy but lovely - there is nothing better than exploring the fishing harbour, eyeing up the cakes & pasties in Chough Bakery or smelling the fish and chips from Rick's.

Now back to work...and the diet!

the dreaded sea mist

Now I am not going to lie to you.  Despite our sun burn from yesterday contradicting me, the sun does not always shine in Cornwall.  Today we have had the dreaded sea mist in for the best part of the day.  It started glorious, in fact I shocked the world with my lily white legs and put poor Jessica in a summer dress.  By the time we had done our four mile stroll down to Little Winnick the sea mist had come in from the coast and it is now flipping freezing.  The strange thing about sea mist is you can be in one place and it is dull and horrid, yet a mile away it is glorious and bright.  Luckily the week ahead looks much more promising.

My walk got me thinking about the glorious walks around here, we really are so lucky.

From the park you can walk into St Austell. It is about four miles but it is all on cycle trails through the valley so it is very enjoyable.  Then you could get the bus back as the bus stops right outside the site. We can recommend doing the St Austell Treasure Trail  (or any of the Treasure Trails - they are brilliant fun).  You get to learn so much about the place.  It is a great family activity that does not cost very much but gets you exploring a new location.  We have Treasure Trails for sale at Little Winnick  for £4.50.