Great Cornish Food Safari Showcases Cornwall’s Agrifood Sector

Food and drink champions from across the UK have travelled to Cornwall for the first-ever Great Cornish Food Safari, offering a detailed look at the county’s growing reputation as a leading food destination.

Over three sunny days, Truro-based Great Cornish Food hosted 20 delegates as part of its Raising the Bar programme. Visitors arrived from across the UK, including northern Scotland, Wales, the Cotswolds and Sussex, to explore Cornwall’s food, drink, farming and fishing sectors.

📷Delegates from across the UK and members of the Great Cornish Food team on the first-ever Great Cornish Food Safari.

Showcasing a £2 billion sector

The safari highlighted how Cornwall’s £2 billion agrifood sector is evolving, with a focus on reducing waste, repurposing ingredients and using science to stay competitive.

Richard Bain, Managing Director of Great Cornish Food, said: “Our first-ever food safari showed how Cornwall is growing a resilient agrifood ecosystem and highlighted a wealth of stories of transformation, sustainability and innovation.

“These are the factors that will set Cornwall apart as these things become more and more critical to the success of the agrifood sector – one of the pillars of our economy.

“It’s also been great to see our local food businesses swap experiences and ideas with our visitors as well as generating new trade contacts. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Delegates were encouraged to share ideas with Cornish producers, making the visit more than just a showcase event.

📷The group learned about mushroom production at Mushlove Cornwall.

Visitors inspired by Cornwall’s approach

Among those attending was Katrina Reynolds from Berwick, Northumberland.

Katrina said: “Our visit has been totally inspirational. It’s given me confidence in what we are offering at the other end of the country.”

Katrina Reynolds, who runs an emerging food tours enterprise and a small hotel, added: “We’re a proud, hard-working and creative people in a rural area just like the food and drink businesses we’ve met in Cornwall, who are doing a great job of shouting about what’s on offer. We all need to celebrate what’s on our doorstep.”

Behind the scenes of Cornwall’s producers

The tour included visits to a wide range of businesses across Cornwall.

At Lynher Dairy near Ponsanooth, delegates saw cheese-making up close and learned how milk for Cornish Kern comes from the dairy’s own Ayrshire herd less than two miles away. Sustainability has become a key focus for the dairy, which is now one of Cornwall’s B Corp enterprises.

In Falmouth, Chocolarder demonstrated how high-grade chocolate is made, including innovations that use ingredients which would otherwise go to waste, such as orange peel and gin-soaked figs.

At Fentenfenna Farm CIC near St Columb Major, Managing Director Luke Berkeley explained how more than 30 tonnes of waste apples are processed each year to create drinks under the Wasted Apple brand.

Visitors also met Mushlove Cornwall, an eco-focused business growing speciality mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane and producing powders and tinctures linked to wellbeing.

On the Roseland’s Trelonk Estate, Phytome Research showcased how science is being used to develop plant-based pharmaceuticals, with potential applications in understanding plant nutrition.

📷Getting the inside story about vodka production at Colwith Farm

From pasties to premium spirits

Delegates also experienced hands-on activities and tastings.

At Cornish Premier Pasties in St Columb Major, each visitor had the chance to hand crimp a Cornish pasty while learning about its protected PGI status.

Camel Valley vineyard at Nanstallon hosted a tour led by second generation wine maker Sam Lindo, demonstrating how technology and robotics are being used to improve productivity and consistency.

At Colwith Farm Distillery near the River Fowey, Steve Dustow explained how the family farm has added value by producing Aval Dor vodka, now one of the most highly awarded vodkas in the world.

📷Managing Director Luke Berkeley (right of picture) hosted the tour of Fentenfenna Farm.

Sustainability at sea and on the plate

In Newlyn, one of the UK’s busiest fishing ports, the group explored how collaboration is supporting more sustainable fishing practices.

Over lunch at Argoe with the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation, delegates sampled hake throat, a lesser-known cut often discarded in the UK but considered a delicacy elsewhere in Europe.

The safari also included visits to Flora at Trelowarren Estate, Four Boys restaurant in Rock, and Nancarrow Farm near Truro, where wider discussions with producers and specialists took place.

Supporting future growth

The tour started and ended at the Great Cornish Food Store in Truro, home to the Raising the Bar programme.

The programme aims to strengthen Cornwall’s agrifood sector and is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The event brought together producers and visitors to exchange ideas, build connections and highlight the role Cornwall continues to play in shaping the future of food and drink in the UK.

📷The three-day Great Cornish Food Safari started and ended at the Great Cornish Food Store in Truro.