Nothing quite beats a bit of sun and sand – especially when it comes paired with great company and an early summertime heatwave.
We headed down to the sunny South West with a van load of Blacklockers to catch up with some of our good friends. Driving from London and Birmingham to our favourite part of the world (Cornwall if we hadn’t mentioned) felt well worth it from the moment we hit the coast. It’s not just somewhere we love spending time, either, it’s where our meat and a fair few of our drinks come from too, including Harbour beer and Two Drifters rum.
Our first stop was to see Giles, who lives a skip and a hop outside of Devon in Sherborne, where he runs his family roastery on a rather idyllic farm. If you’re ever in need of a good brew, do keep your eyes peeled for Reads Coffee. Alongside a few cups of coffee for us all, Giles never lets us leave empty handed — this time it was bacon butties all round.
Next stop: Harbour Brewing. Aside from brewing some cracking beers, they’ve also got a knack for creating some very tempting merch. This year’s trip to Cornwall saw a particularly popular uptake in their new travel mugs. The team gave us a tour of the brewery and a taste of their latest batch before we headed down to the beach to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Some surfed, some sunbathed, and a good time was had.
Up early the next morning… easier for some than others (no names mentioned.) We stopped off at the Jamaica Inn for breakfast. It’s a kooky little spot that feels like it’s been there since the dawn of time. We love it there. The chefs always come out to shake hands and have a quick catch-up since the last visit, and it feels more like popping in to see your aunt or uncle before a long drive home.
Although in this case, we still had the best part of the trip to look forward to.
In convoy, we wound our way through lush green country lanes, with the sea peeking out beside us, to meet up with Ria, Ian Warren’s sister, who looks after the Blacklock herd. We met this year’s calves, were shown around the farm, and introduced to the various native breeds they care for.
Rearing native cattle is such an important thing to protect because these breeds are slower growing, better suited to the British landscape, and produce beautifully marbled beef with incredible depth of flavour. The care and patience that goes into raising them properly is something we’ll never stop championing, and seeing it firsthand is always a reminder of why great food starts long before it reaches the plate.
Trips like this are a chance for us to reconnect with the people behind what we do, the farmers, brewers, roasters and makers who put so much pride into their craft. Plus, there are certainly worse ways to spend a few sunny days than travelling around Cornwall with good people and a beach never too far away.