By the beginning of July, most seasonal businesses in West Cornwall look as though they are almost ready.

Seasonality is a cornerstone of modern hospitality, but what happens when seafood menus stay exactly the same year after year?

This season, our popular Winter Warmer Wine Suppers are returning to provide heart-warming sustenance in the darker months. The great value menu showcases the freshest seafood hauled from Cornish waters, alongside seasonal fruit and veg from our local market gardens and organic growers. Optional wine matches have been devised for each dish by the experts at Ellis Wharton Wines, with standard and premium wine flights available.

The idea is to tempt you out of hibernation with soulful, nourishing dishes, and to bring families and friends together inside our thick granite walls and around warm fires, to bask in the glow of good food, wine, and company. Storms may rage outside, but our little pub by the sea offers a true culinary sanctuary.

You’re invited to peruse the menu below, but do remember that some dishes may change slightly depending on seasonal availability of ingredients, with sea conditions particularly having an impact at this time of year.

The menu is available every evening we are open during November, December and January, excluding 18th – 31st December.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

 

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Winter Warmer Wine Suppers 2023/24

Two courses £28, Three courses £35

Flight 1 Wines: Two Courses £11 / Three Courses £15

Flight 2 Wines: Two Courses £18 / Three Courses £25

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Cuttlefish & red wine ragout, aioli, pangrattato

 1 Palazzi Chiaretto Rose (Italy)

2 Foncalieu Piquepoul Rosé (France)

 

Scallops, hogs pudding, scallop roe taramasalata, capers & raisins

1 Riviera Sauvignon Blanc (France)

2 Piruetta Albarino (Spain)

 

Home smoked trout, marinated mackerel, lightly pickled squid

1 Il Folle Grillo (Italy)

2 Chateau Dereszla Dry Tokaji (Hungary)

 

Endive tarte tatin, blue cheese, green tomato & date chutney

1 Kraal Bay Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

2 Didier & Catherine Champalou Vouvray Sec (France)

 

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Hake, Jerusalem artichoke lyonnaise, smoked tomato & thyme butter sauce

1 Domaine de Moulin Camus Gamay (France)

2 Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais Villages (France)

 

Sea Bass, cannellini beans, chestnut mushrooms & mussels

1 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

2 Mas De Cadenet Provence Saint Victoire Rose (France)

 

Cod, roasted celeriac, silver skin onions, pancetta, parsley

1 Domaine Austrac d’A Viognier (France)

2 Didier & Catherine Champalou Vouvray Sec (France)

 

Crown prince Squash Gnocchi, purple sprouting, sage, beurre noisette, pine nuts

1 Allan Scott Holmes Point Pinot Noir (New Zealand)

2 Domaine Ferrandiere Grand Vin

 

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Steamed treacle sponge, cider baked quince, crème fraiche sorbet

Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure, Monbazilliac (France)

 

Dark chocolate delice, caramelised white chocolate fudge ice cream, honeycomb, Pedro Ximenez

Mas Amiel Vintage (France)

 

Blenheim apple mousse, Granny Smith sorbet

Fiori di Campo Organic Prosecco Spumante (Italy)

 

Cheese, Finn, Westcombe, Blue Monday (£4 supplement)

Served with crackers, homemade chutney, apple

Kopke 10 year old Tawny Port

In 2012 The Tolcarne Inn opened its doors with Chef Proprietor Ben Tunnicliffe at the helm. Ten years later, we’re proud to be known as one of the top places to enjoy fresh fish in the whole of the UK. Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes, as we follow the journey of a typical dish – from fishing boat to fork! 

 

It’s first-thing, and The Tolcarne’s rustic wooden tables are yet to be laid for guests. Later they will play host to dog walkers, real ale drinkers and food-lovers, all soaking up the atmosphere of this historic maritime inn, but in the meantime Chef Director Ben Tunnicliffe is hard at work, pouring over his ideas for the daily menu. 

 

 

“The day hinges around an early morning conversation with my fish merchant, as well as any calls from day boat fishermen who sell us their catch direct” explains Ben.

“I get out my notebook and start scribbling away, combining the best of the catch with the seasonal, fresh produce already arriving at the kitchen door.”

 

 

Newlyn has for long been one of the busiest and most important fishing ports in the UK and over 50 species are landed here.

When Ben took the helm at The Tolcarne, Newlyn lacked a strong draw for the foodie crowd, but the town’s raw beauty and industrious vibe appealed to him. 

 

 

The town now boasts an acclaimed filmhouse, a neighbourhood wine bar, an artisan cheese shop and numerous other successful eateries as well as galleries – it’s one of the most vibrant places in Cornwall right now.

 

 

The fish market has been modernised in recent years and many major suppliers are based here.

However, Ben also has a license to buy the catch direct from vessels known as day boats – these small fishing boats go in and out with the tides, fish immediately offshore, and use traditional and sustainable techniques to catch their low-impact quotas.

 

 

 

Amongst other things, today Ben has sourced some beautiful red mullet, one of his favourite ingredients. Red mullet has a lovely flavour and texture which allows it to stands up to other strong flavours – it works especially well in Mediterranean-inspired dishes.  

This will go onto the blackboard served with Cornish mussels, gnocchi and pesto – one of the more substantial dishes on the menu today.

 

 

The format of lunch at The Tolcarne is a ‘small plates menu’, the idea being that guests order a selection and build their own seafood feast. 

Fish and shellfish are partnered with fresh produce from market gardens and community farms, hence the menu naturally evolves with the seasons. Ben’s ethos is to combine flavours simply and instinctively, letting the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.

 

 

Below is Ben’s recipe for Red mullet, with mussels, pesto and gnocchi. He of course makes his own gnocchi and pesto, but in this recipe we’ve suggested replacing these with shop-bought versions for ease.

 

 

Ingredients

4 portions of red mullet – filleted, scaled and pin bones removed 

1 kg mussels – cleaned

2 large carrots

2 sticks Celery

1 bulb of Fennel

4 banana shallots

Homemade/shop-bought pesto

Fish/light chicken stock

Gnocchi, homemade or shop bought

Method

Wash the mussels in cold water removing any barnacles, and any stringy bits from where the shells open and close. Refrigerate until required.

Peel and roughly chop the vegetables to similar sized pieces, and sweat in some olive oil without colouring until tender. Add about ¼ pt of stock and the mussels. Cover with a lid and cook until the mussels are all open – discard any that don’t open. Add the cooked gnocchi. Stir and bring back to a gentle boil. Stir in a generous amount of pesto, taste and adjust with more pesto and/or seasoning according to taste.

Whilst the sauce is finishing, fry the red mullet fillets in a hot frying pan with a splash of oil. Do most of the cooking on the skin and just turn on to the flesh side to finish. I always slightly undercook fish as residual heat will finish the cooking process.

Serve in suitable bowl-type dish, with the cooked fillets of red mullet on top. You could add flourishes such as asparagus if in season, or some sundried tomatoes for added colour. 

We’re recruiting for our two well-regarded pubs, The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn & The Packet Inn Smokehouse, Rosudgeon.

As we get ourselves organized and ready for what promises to be yet another busy season in West Cornwall, we’re looking for aspirational people to become part of our foodie family.

We’re always keen to hear from people with a passion for food and drink; we have kitchen or front of house, full and part-time positions available. Whether you’re a young person keen to train on the job, or an experienced chef looking for a senior position in a beautiful part of the world, we’d love to talk to you.

We have two sites.

One in Newlyn, The Tolcarne Inn. Here as you might expect, we focus on the bounty of the sea. Offering the very best of the landings at Newlyn Fish Market or direct from day boats (we are licensed to buy direct from the fishermen themselves) this incredible seafood is paired with the freshest seasonal produce, predominantly direct from local growers. Chef Owner Ben Tunnicliffe has been working closely with local farmers, and benefitting from the amazing produce grown throughout the year, for over 20 years here in West Penwith.

The second is a little more inland. At The Packet Inn Smokehouse, as the name suggests, we cook with smoke over charcoal. Focusing on the same very best quality produce, here again seasonality is the watchword. However, at The Packet the setting lends itself towards a meaty menu and so – as well as fresh seafood and locally-grown fruit and veg – we work with premium meat producers like Primrose Herd & Homage to the Bovine.

Our Chef Director Matt Smith and Owner Ben Tunnicliffe oversee both kitchens to guide the cooking in line with our ethos. Our aim is to provide genuine hospitality in the true sense of the word, in relaxed settings, with the highest standard of food and drink. In short the kind of places we enjoy eating at ourselves with friends and family.

We are currently particularly looking for:

Head Chef – The Tolcarne Inn

Food Prep Assistants

Commis Chefs

Chef de Partie

Assistant FOH Manager – The Packet Inn

Floor and Bar Staff

If you fancy a new challenge this year working with great ingredients and aspirational teams in our beautiful West Cornwall settings, get in touch today. Email our Chef Director Ben to get the ball rolling – ben@tolcarneinn.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you soon!