The traditional cornish pasty plays a big part in Fowey’s annual Royal Regatta. Every year on the Thursday of Regatta week the Red Arrows do an air show. Fowey is the most fantastic location for their aerobatics and it really draws a huge crowd. After their flypast the Arrows team always return to Fowey by helicopter to join in the fun. A big part of this fun is the arrival on shore of a giant Cornish Pasty that is then paraded around the town with much music and merriment before being cut up and devoured. Any new Red Arrows team member always has to help carry the pasty.
Did you know that an estimated 2 million pasties are made every week in Cornwall and 90% of them are eaten outside of the county? Such is its popularity that Cornish Pasty manufacturers have applied to the EU to have the recipe given protected status, just like Parma Ham and Champagne!
Potato, onion, swede (or turnip), diced beef, skirt, white and black pepper encased in pastry is the recipe after protection. The humble pasty’s beginnings go back to the 1800s when it was developed to meet the hungry needs of Cornish tin miners. Its shape and design meant it was a very practical way of eating a hot meal whilst in less than salubrious surroundings. The pastry case, with its trademark crimps, allowed it to be handled by dirty hands often tainted with arsenic. This “handle” was then discarded though nowadays, the whole thing is eaten. Despite the growing popularity of alternative fillings like lamb and mint or cheese and onion, the traditional pasty recipe is still the favourite around the world. The Cornish pasty is very nourishing, containng protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. If you look at a pasty, the pastry is only a case and the filling is cooked in its own juices, not in fat. Not even a quarter of it is fat. So how about that - tasty, nutritious, proper Cornish and low fat. The Cornish know a thing or two about good food! Even clever food!
Wow, what a week!
Much of our time has been spent writing the copy for this years Richardson hotels group mailshot – a brochure type newsletter littered with great special offers available in 2007 from all of our 7 hotels. Not only have Candace (Deputy Manager) and I been toiling over a hot PC but our Head Chef Mark Griffiths has come up with some fantastic quick and easy recipes that are often used on our menus here at the hotel. So you too will now be able to entertain your friends (Fowey Hotel style) in the comfort of your own homes. Hmmm, that’s given me an idea to include a recipe of the month in this blog!
If you are not on the Richardson Group data base yet, and would like to receive a copy of the group mailer at the end of December, simply call The Fowey Hotel (0800 243 708) and ask for a brochure to be sent to your home. This will then automatically mean that you will receive any special up dates that the hotel and group are offering.
A funny thing happened last Saturday. My friend brought 8 of her family into the hotel for her mum’s birthday. They all sat in the main Restaurant and ate from the gourmet menu. Strict instructions were left with the Restaurant that the cake was to be served after the desserts and with the coffee. As requested, Joy – Lounge Manageress (our longest serving member of staff of 50 years!) carefully walked into the lounge where the party were having their coffee and accidentally dropped the cake in front of them!! They in turn found this highly hysterical and started crying with laughter. Amazingly the cake “bounced” very well and was virtually perfect once re-presented to the Birthday girl. As you can imagine Joy was mortified!!! The Birthday party said that they hadn’t laughed so much in a long time and wanted to thank Joy for her classic entertainment.
We hope some fun and laughter will also be had on November 25th when we look forward to welcoming the amateur dramatic company “Murder by Appointment”. The Murder mystery evening will be taking the theme of Agatha Christie with some guests (should they wish to) dressing up in dinner suits and evening dresses. With the hotels beautiful old lift and Victorian décor we are hoping it will make an ideal setting. I am sure I will have lots to report after the event, stay tuned………
Some gossip hot off the presses is that Fowey is about to be graced by the presence of TV stars Dawn French and Lenny Henry. Word is that they have bought a huge house just down the road from the hotel so we hope we’ll be seeing them about. Richard and Judy, as well as Gloria Hunniford have been regulars here for some years – would be nice to see some new famous faces about the place!
Anyway before I disappear for another week, here is one of Mark’s recipes. Bon appetite!
Hot Chocolate Fondant with Cornish Clotted Cream and Caramel Sauce
Serves 4
4oz unsalted butter plus extra to grease 4tsp cocoa powder to dust 4oz quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 5oz caster sugar 4oz plain flour 4oz Cornish clotted cream Sauce 3oz sugar 1floz water ½ pint double cream
Method 1 Prepare the sauce by placing the sugar and water in a pan and place on heat to melt. 2 Once melted, raise the temperature until the sugar boils and turns to an amber colour. 3 Remove from heat, add a little more water to make a syrup. Allow to cool slightly, and then add the cream. 4 Prepare the ramekins by slightly creaming greasing with butter and dust with the cocoa powder. 5 Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, take off heart and stir until smooth; leave to cool for 10 minutes. 6 Whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar until pale (best with an electric whisk), and then fold in the chocolate mixture. 7 Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in with a spatula. Divide mixture into the 4 ramekins and cook for 12 minutes at 160°c. 8 To serve – turn each out on to a plate and serve with a scroll of Cornish clotted cream and caramel sauce.
My first Blog entry!!!
Well it seems quite apt that I am submitting my first blog entry on the 10th anniversary of Mr and Mrs Richardson buying The Fowey Hotel! My how times have changed!!! 10 years ago I had no idea what the internet was and now I am writing diary entries for the whole of the cyber world to read!!!
Owners Keith and Anne called into the hotel today, quite conveniently timed in light of the fact that we were all in the middle of a site meeting regarding the pending refurbishment work planned here at the hotel over the next 6 months. It’s mainly the public area’s that will be having the face lift and the design story board looks really great. None of us can wait to see the end result – goodness knows the hotel is definitely ready for it!!!
Rich colours and plush fabrics are going to be used throughout, but we have still managed to retain the hotel’s character and charm. It’s looking as though the work will start at the beginning of the New Year and although there may be a few weeks of paint pots and ladders to negotiate our guests should really appreciate the work. The entire team is very excited!!
Besides the Bar, Piano room, Drawing room and Hallway being completed the stairwell will be getting some TLC as well as the Ladies and Gents cloakrooms – this being long over due as I am sure you can remember if you have visited us within the last 5 years. Essentially all of this refurbishment work is to raise the standard of the building by offering a more comfortable and stylish hotel. After this is completed we will be aiming our sights at AA four stars and plan to give our fellow competitors a run for their money. The two AA Rosettes that we currently hold (and have since 1997) for our food still remain strong and this is where we feel our guests want The Fowey to be. Until we hear otherwise we will continue in the same vein and remain offering the same good food that our guests enjoy (and often return for!).
Well if this blog entry makes it to its final destination (ie. your PC) then I will have been successful in my first transmission. If I have been successful then tune in again soon for the next instalment of the Fowey Blog…
