Bite
17 Salcombe ; butcher, baker, Quba
sailmaker…
Sunny,
sparkling Salcombe. Darling estuary on the South Hams, favoured sailing holiday
retreat of Mary Berry and birth place of Jack Wills - what's not to like?
So happy to be here in Salcombe on a sunny Friday morning. All
smiles and good mornings as I walk along the high street heading for my first
coffee. I duck into Salcombe Coffee Co
where I join a small queue for breakfast and am tempted by the tomato &
mozzarella muffin idea. Great coffee, quite small and cosy - if you want an
alternative with waterfront view try the Ward
Room, who use Clifton Coffee and there's some fine art on the walls by
Dartmouth's own Peter Barber.
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| The tempting breakfast muffin at Salcombe Coffee |
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| Great artwork from Peter Barber on the Wardroom's walls |
Coffee sorted am off to find the best baker in town, which is easy,
as it's the Bake House. In the bag
go cheese straws, a slim bronzed baguette and some Bakewell slices.
A trot
along to one of three delis (Salcombe
Deli my fav) fills the basket with Quikes Hard Goats, Tintagel Smoked
cheddar and some Rocky Road
for later... well a girl can get hungry you know.
Now into the Harbour Master's Office to say hallo and see how the
summer's been. Adam Parnell says he's seen some changes this year in the
visitor's pattern, the overall numbers have been down, but they have all stayed
longer with continuing journeys to Kingsbridge etc, so the total number of
nights stayed is the best for three years. This is good news for the town as
everything begins to slow down after the October half term, but what a fabulous
Indian summer we have right now and for those who can slip their moorings
easily, there are vacant buoys in the top spots and even a bit of space on the
harbour pontoon.
I’ve heard that you guys
don’t like too long a hike before lunch so we’ll stroll along the cliff path to the Winking Prawn (an institution here with new sister the Cracking Crab opened on Polzeath Beach
this summer) with the best crab sandwich out of town; very family friendly, they
even have a dressing-up box for heaven’s
sake – jump in!
If there’s time you’ve got to head up and round the bend to Overbecks as it has stunning views and a veritable jungle of
agapanthus to gaze upon. Sparkling water to my right, smiling dog walking
happiness to my left, we are in strong Border Terrier country here, I head back
to the Harbour Hotel, where I have a lunch date. But there is just time for a
quick glass of rosé at Dick and Wills, as I’m planning a re-visit here, the menu is full of spicy mixes – King Prawn and Brill
Aloo Gobi catches my eye, as does the char grilled fillet steak burger. I’ll be back.
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| Dick and Wills bright terrace |
Salcombe Harbour Hotel has been transformed over the last few years into a haven of calm
for holidaymakers and weekend escapers. Its magnificent position on the
terraced banks assures guests of an ever changing view over to Small’s Cove and up and down this enchanting estuary. The group is small,
but perfectly formed with waterfront hotels at Christchurch, meandering westwards to Sidmouth,
Salcombe and St Ives. Pilates on the roof terrace, cocktails on the deck, a
crustacean bar in the summer months and the Jetty restaurant serving reliably
good local produce throughout.
I catch up with Jason and order a mocktail whilst deciding what to
eat, as we have the team on-board later to share our Salcombe Deli and Bake
House hawl. I’m going for three
starters. I can’t resist the scallop
baked in its own shell with parmesan and lemon crust, or the traditional prawn
cocktail, but it’s the crab croquettes
I can remember Janet Street Porter raving about when Alex Aitken cooked for her
and Brian Turner on their Great British Favourites TV show when visiting Dorset. The dark meat’s in the centre, with the white meat enveloped in crisp crumb
diddley yum, liked the dill mayo, with baby broad bean and pea crunch to swipe
over the richness of the meat. Wonderful, special place to come for a naughty
weekend, or to escape the rigours of being on board for a while, time to
stretch out.
11. The terrace at Salcombe Harbour Hotel – breathtaking!
And for the rest…
Best pub – the Victoria Inn
Best ice cream – Salcombe Dairy – they
supply Virgin Airlines, Air NZ and Singapore Airlines – some
amazing flavours
Alternative crustaceans - The Crab Shed, 10 mins north of the Harbour Office, by Fish
Quay.
The short hike – The Winking Prawn,
barely a mile and half from the town centre.
The longer hike – Soar Mill Cove for
afternoon tea – only 3 miles max
from Overbecks
The Jetty 01548 845083
Dick and
Wills 01548 843408
Salcombe
Deli 01548 842332
Victoria Inn 01548 842604
Winking
Prawn 01548 842326
The Bake
House 01548 842824
The Crab
Shed 01548 844280 at Fish Quay,
short stroll up river
With thanks to Jason Parry at the
Jetty and Lex Thornely at the Orange Cow
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