Sergeant Sausage's West Country investigation
I've just been on a road trip to Cornwall, and
while I was there I thought I'd give the Cornish Fry a try. But before my partner and I left
Norwich we thought we would just get set up for the long trip with the dish
that keeps Britain on the roads, It would be rude not to!
The middleweight at KO's diner on
Hall road (£4.99 including tea and toast) is always a good choice, although I
do like my eggs so I got an extra egg. Owner, chef and Norwich boxer Sam Sexton
wasn't in that day but the breakfast still stayed the distance, for me the quality
sausages are knockout on this plate 8/10
We
were heading far west and decided to break the journey just outside Glastonbury
and stayed at Beltane
B&B, I'd chosen it because they offered a decent bed and good
breakfast, the eggs were layed by these ladies.....
It
was a very relaxing place to stay, although the owners were a bit fussy about
electronic devices in the nicely laid out dining room. I managed to get a snap
in though.....
Again
the sausage was the star of the show, a good size and locally produced, as were
all the ingredients, but I do like a bit more on my plate. 8/10
After a restorative visit
to the Chalice Well and White Spring in Glasto, where we met some druids, we
headed to Cornwall. We glamped in
a hobbit hut just near
the Eden project in the Luxulyan valley, it was pretty neat, and all we had to
bring were sleeping bags and clothes.
Willow the Hut
The view from the front door
It
was a charming and really good site in an area of outstanding natural beauty
and great vfm at only £40/night for our hut.
Naturally
I was curious about the local fry-up and whilst looking for places to get one I
came across the Lifebuoy in Fowey. It
was only about five miles from the hobbit hut so we set off on a damp and misty
day looking for breakfast. This is what we found in the steep and winding
streets of Fowey (pronounced Foy)....
Ahoy my hearties! The Lifebuoy Café
Find a table and rest your weary sea legs, its
waitress service
Mixed cutlery in a glass, traditional sauces in a
traditional bread tin, all on the table when you arrive.
Welcome to Breakfast Club, there are only two rules…..
Which
is when we fathomed out that our complete failure to get out of bed, (well we
were on holiday) meant there was no Breakfast Club, it had stopped serving at
half twelve…..
Luckily I spotted something rather special on one of
the boards, and it seemed a splendid suggestion.
An excellent filter coffee, with sugar in a
dinky little flip top bowl type affair.
Plenty for the little ones to do…
So I decided to tie up my knots knowledge,
whilst I waited for….
The Hogs Pudding Bagel, four chunky slices of delicious local delicacy served
in a toasted bagel of your choice.
The sweetness of the cranberry jam went really well
with the herby flavour of the hogs pudding, and the richly buttered bagel was
just right.
A fine selection of cakes too
We
vowed to return the following day to sample the fry-up, after all, it was the
whole point of the holiday!
***************
The Second Wave ***************
Alarm
clock firmly set, we managed to sleep in again, but this time got to the café
just after eleven, plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.
We sat at a different table this time where we found
this old sea dog.
This time I went for a lovely cup of tea, in
a proper mug, all included in the price.
We were in no hurry, and it was the perfect place to
do just that.
Hello Sailor! The Fat Buoy of Fowey, well
worth waiting for.
The locally sourced meats from Kittows butchers tasted
fantastic.
The eggs were huge, rich and cooked just how I like
them.
Full to the gunwales? Aye Aye!!
After that stunning breakfast we visited Kittows butchers
which was a gastronomic treasure chest, next time I think will have to try the
New York Cornwall experience!
Okay
so it took two attempts, and that’s probably due to my inability to get out of
bed, well I was having a good time! But I had been looking forward to this trip
for ages and the opportunity to review a fry up for my favourite fry up
inspector was not going to be missed.
Cornwall is very much geared towards tourism, and the local food is a
huge part of that experience. We
had a fantastic holiday and the inspection in Fowey was just one of the things
that made it really special.
Upon entering –
They’ve really gone for the nautical theme in this small but perfectly formed
café, its all very much in keeping with the place and not too overboard. There are some lovely touches such as
the old ice cream sign by the counter, and the ‘feel good’ signs on the walls,
and its all very bespoke, not just like something out of a packet. It feels
like a comforting and unique place to be eating breakfast and the décor just
adds to the experience. Its an open kitchen so you get all the delightful
breakfast cooking smells. Nice to see they have the same table cloths as
Harty’s too! 9/10
Service – We
missed breakfast club on the first attempt and the waitress was really
apologetic that she couldn’t serve us breakfast, but it did mean we got to
visit twice! The whole experience
was very laid back, life seems to just move at a slower pace down here. One of
our fellow diners asked for the bill when they were ready, the chef remarked
tongue in cheek ‘in about an hour’. We didn’t feel like we were being hurried
along at all, but the service was efficient and we weren’t kept waiting. When
we returned we were made to feel very welcome. It was all good. 9/10
Contents – 1
sausage, 2 bacon, 1 egg (I ordered an extra egg, because I love them!) ,
mushrooms, beans, hogs pudding, 2 slices of toast (not pictured) 8/10
Presentation –
Big plate, big breakfast. It looked like a fry up, it was a fry up. Presented
by a professional. 9/10
The food – You
can’t go wrong with locally sourced products, especially when they are of such
an outstanding quality. The
sausage was incredibly meaty, in fact I don’t think I have tasted such good
quality before, it wasn’t at all spiced, purely porky (I’m very pleased that
Kittows do mail order!) The bacon was thick and tasty, cooked so it just melted
in your mouth, full of flavour and again top quality. The Rosedown Farm free
range eggs were huge and tasted incredibly fresh, the yolks were so rich and
went perfectly with the buttered toast.
Mushrooms, again perfect, juicy and flavoursome, beans at exactly the
right temperature. The Hogs
pudding, which is a kind of spicy white pudding, had more kick this time round
without the sweetness of the cranberry to temper it, herby and spicy this local
delicacy is yummy. 10/10
Value for money – Great vfm at £6.95 including tea and toast, the
extra egg was only 80p and worth every penny. 9/10
Veggie option –
Yes, although we didn’t try it, I’ve no doubt it would be great.
Overall – Perfection
is something we all yearn for, and I’m not sure we will ever find it, but the
Lifebuoy comes damn close. It
really pushes the boat out and the quality of the ingredients, the service, and
the cooking are all aboard. Norwich has got some great breakfasts, House being
one of my particular favourites, but Cornwall is no light ship when it comes to
fry-ups. If you’re ever in Fowey,
set course for the Lifebuoy. 9/10
Sgt. Sausage
Beppe's Cafe, London - Read about it here.
Maggie's Cafe, Lewisham. Read about it here. 
Cafe on the lane, South Woodford - Read about it here.
Frizzante Cafe @ Hackney City Farm - Read about it here. 
