Set in 66 acres of meadows, woodland and oak-lined streams in the Cornish countryside, Coombeshead Farm takes oft-talked-about good restaurant practices such as sustainability, ethical sourcing and animal welfare to whole new levels.
Opened by Pitt Cue co-founder Tom Adams and New York-based British chef April Bloomfield in 2016, Coombeshead Farm aims to be completely self sufficient. As well as having its own pigs, sheep, chickens and bees the farm is home to fruit and vegetable crops and a bakery, with Adams – who’s from a family of farmers – taking a hands-on approach to his ingredients like no other chef in the country (he’ll often be found in the fields feeding his pigs and foraging for mushrooms). As a result, the restaurant barely uses fish or shellfish, choosing to serve only what it can rear or grow.
Dinner is served Thursday to Sunday with Adams and his team serving a five-course set menu (£80) from 7pm prompt, while lunch is a three-course offer for £40. Menus change on a daily basis but a meal will likely feature some of the country’s best bread, pickles, fresh cheese and terrine as well as larger meat dishes and foraged ingredients.
Nose-to-tail dining has very much become ‘a thing’ in this country, thanks primarily to the work of St John’s Fergus Henderson; at Coombeshead Adams and his team are working even harder in their approach to ensure farming in a sustainable and responsible manner. Not only is a meal here delicious, it leaves a good taste in the mouth for other reasons.
