Catch of the day: five great hidden foodie destinations in the UK

02.01.2024 - 11:56 / theguardian.com

Britain’s most southerly port, Porthleven has swapped its traditional products of tin and china clay for some of the best gelato, seafood tapas and freshly caught fish on the Cornish coast. The Harbour Inn (doubles from £109 B&B; harbourinnporthleven.co.uk) is the place to stay, a recently refurbished pub with rooms right by the sea, serving up fish caught in nearby Newlyn and a “Chip Shop Upgrade” – curry sauce, pickled egg and onion and bread and butter. Elsewhere, Amelies (ameliesporthleven.co.uk) overlooks the fishing boats and offers small plates of Cornish mackerel pâté and salt and pepper squid, crispy pizzas and fragrant bouillabaisse. Leave room to choose at least two of the 30 flavours of ice-cream at Nauti (nautibutice.co.uk) and then stock up on Cornish treats at Pengelly’s (pengellys-porthleven.co.uk) before finally heading back home.

The largest village in Wiltshire’s bucolically beautiful Nadder Valley, Tisbury is surrounded by working farms and the 9,000-acre Fonthill Estate, all of which contribute to a thriving foodie scene, loved by locals and visitors, who come to stay at the charming Beckford Arms (doubles from £125 B&B; beckfordarms.com). A gloriously rambling pub with big flame-filled fireplaces, bushels of hops above the bar and a blackboard menu of shotgun cartridges as well as daily specials, it’s the perfect rural retreat. Enjoy candlelit dinners of meat and game from local producers, and vegetables from the Beckford’s kitchen garden.

The Beckford is an ideal base for exploring Tisbury and the surrounding area, dotted with farm shops and restaurants. Dip into Messums (messums.com) – an arts centre and gallery which also has an exhibition space in London – to see the latest display and tuck into coffee and artisan cakes, or a lunch of modern British dishes in the airy restaurant. You could also pop into Bird & Carter (birdandcarter.co.uk), in the neighbouring hamlet of Fonthill Bishop, a firelit eaterie that makes the perfect place in which to refuel after a ramble through the rolling Fonthill Estate.

Five minutes’ drive from the pub, Tisbury’s quiet high street offers a handful of foodie emporiums. Try the Tisbury Deli (tisburydeli.co.uk), filled with cheeses, charcuterie and hand-picked Mediterranean goodies. There’s also Provenance (provenanceonline.co.uk), which produces fresh salads, pastries and cakes each day, along with pantry goods, such as pickled wild garlic buds and relishes, and at-home meals to takeaway. All ingredients are locally sourced and every product is additive and preservative- free. Further up the street, the Beckford Bottle Shop (beckfordbottleshop.com, pictured above) has a 3,000-strong collection of wines and more than 2,000 spirits to peruse, with