Finding Friendly Food

It’s time to leave London, rent a car, and drive a few hours south west to Cornwall. A place I have dreamt of going for 25 years since I read my first Rosamund Pilcher book. We’ve booked a perfect flat on the top floor of a building with views of the St. Ives harbor, the town, the beach and the ocean. One small problem. I went to bed last night feeling unwell, woke in the night with a high fever, and generally feel about as sick as I ever have. We manage to get ourselves to the rental car place (wearing masks) and I park myself in the passenger seat and do something I almost never do; I fall asleep in a car. I wake a few times to see Stonehenge off to the side of the road we’re on and to help navigate to the gluten-free bakery I discovered during the planning of this trip. I don’t go in since I’m feeling so sick. 

We get to our flat and remember that it has two bedrooms. Since I’m so sick we decide we’ll both sleep better if we stay apart. This isn’t quite the romantic birthday trip I fantasize about. Once we’re settled in, my boyfriend drives over to a grocery store to get provisions. I want chicken soup so I ask him to buy all the ingredients and I’ll talk him through how to make it when he returns. I give him instructions about gluten-free noodles and if he can’t find them, to just buy rice. He comes home with more gluten-free and dairy-free foods and treats than I can imagine. We find, during what turned into an extended stay, that the grocery stores in Cornwall are well prepared for a girl who needs to eat the way I do. I wish the grocery stores at home treated me as well. Oh, and it didn’t occur to me until I was telling this story weeks later that I could have just asked him to buy premade soup as long as he checked the ingredients. 🙂

Our first morning in Cornwall we wake to a beautiful view and surprisingly good weather for early December. Sadly though, I feel awful and take a Covid test to find that I’m positive. It’s my first time and not the birthday present I am hoping for. I’m now confined to our airbnb for a few days and feel grateful for such a well chosen location. We’re lucky to learn we can extend our stay so 4 nights turns into 9.

Back to my birthday though. I mentioned a gluten free bakery we stopped at in Redruth on the way to St. Ives. BB’s Bakery is AMAZING! Not only are they gluten free, they offer all of their cupcakes dairy free as well. We’ve preordered for pickup to be safe. It took much deliberation, but I’ve chosen Dark Chocolate with Raspberry filling. Let me say that I’ve baked my own birthday cakes for the past 10 years and I’m very good at it. These were just as good. And Sarah at the bakery is lovely to work with. While my boyfriend is in the shop he picks up a few other treats and they are delish as well. Some of the cafes, coffee houses and bakeries in town sell goodies from BB’s so if you can’t stop by their shop in Redruth you’ll still be able to enjoy them.

Since I’m sick and contagious, instead of the various restaurants we’ve booked reservations at, we end up eating a lot of takeout. A couple of the highlights include: 

• St. Ives Street Food Kitchen where I have gf vegetarian teriyaki noodles.
• Beck’s Fish and Chips in Carbis Bay near St. Ives has amazing gluten-free Fish and Chips. They have gluten-free pizza too, but I didn’t try it. At least not yet.
• The Flapjackery has as many flavors of flapjacks (not the American kind, but the one’s made with oats and golden syrup).

A trip to Cornwall wouldn’t be complete without Cornish Pasties and lucky for me, I find a few places that offer them in a gluten free and dairy free version. Some places that offer them require ordering in advance, so if you’re in the mood, I suggest you call ahead. We pre-order and pick up the first one at Made Marion Gluten Free, near BB’s Bakery in Redruth. They have a large menu of sweet and savory items, and if I were well, I’d try more. We drive over to the coast to eat them from the car with a nice view. The one I try is dairy free with steak. This pasty is hearty and filling and delicious, but note, I don’t see it offered from their website anymore. They do have a vegan version, though. I eat my second one, also dairy free with steak at a shop in Padstow at a place called Chough Bakery. This one is good too, but different. We sit on a bench, looking at the harbor and enjoy a peaceful lunch. 

Once I am feeling a bit better, we take car rides and go for short walks. I should mention that I’m an endurance hiker so a short walk to me may be a long one to you. I never go inside any establishment due to Covid, but we manage some outdoor treats and coffees along the way anyway. And such amazing scenery. Some of our favorites are:

• Parking at Sennen Cove and walking out on the SW Coast Path to Land’s End where we enjoy chips at Land’s End Restaurant and Bar.
• Parking at National Trust Godrevy and walking out towards the lighthouse. I swear it was like walking in a watercolor painting. No food here, just a nice walk. 
• Parking at National Trust Kynance Cove and walking out to Kynance Cove Cafe where we drink oat milk lattes and eat gluten-free flapjacks.  
• Visiting Mousehole, we walk around for a bit, but I’m not in the mood to eat, although I notice a few menus with friendly food.

I’ve now been sick and testing positive for over 10 days and it’s time we leave this most beautiful part of the country to meet the rest of my boyfriend’s family in Devon and the Cotswalds.