Scrumptious things are happening in Cornwall

Alight from the train, take a deep breath – and you can almost eat the air. There’s sea saltiness, with its promise of the freshest fish; the sweet tang of fruit jam; the distant waft of baking scones, saffron buns and golden pastry. Cornwall is delicious. Dangling into the ocean like a giant fish hook, the county hauls in plentiful and sublime seafood, from crabs to crayfish, sardines to gurnard (a Rick Stein favourite). Fortunately, Cornwall is also well-endowed with chefs doing mouth-watering things with the ocean’s bounty. Stein runs The Seafood Restaurant – this year celebrating its 40th birthday – plus a chippie, café and cookery school in pretty Padstow – an easy bus-hop from Bodmin Parkway. However, new for April 2015 is Rick Stein Fistral, in Newquay, a casual cafe serving his signature fish’n’chips as well as spicy seafood curries.

Fine fish, and fine dining, is available elsewhere. Just north of Newquay sits Watergate Bay, where tummies have a tough choice between the Beach Hut and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen – both offer tantalising meals and views. Alternatively ride the rails to St Ives to tuck into Fowey mussels at beachside Porthminster Café, or tackle the spectacular 10km walk along the coast path to Gurnard’s Head, where the eponymous dining pub is a worthy reward.

Much of this fish is landed at Newlyn, near Penzance, or Falmouth. At the former, you could get up at dawn to visit the frantic fish auction (at the harbour) or stop at the Tolcarne Inn for cracking crab. Lively Falmouth is a real gourmet hub. In town, try The Wheel House, which dishes up whatever’s come from the sea that day. Further afield, head to St Mawes to eat scallop cannelloni at the Idle Rocks restaurant (within a gorgeous hotel), or explore the Roseland Peninsula, ending up at the Hidden Hut BYO beach shack – its alfresco Feast Nights might be the most atmospheric culinary experience in Cornwall.

Inland, Cornwall nurtures succulent beef and lamb, award-winning cheeses, innovative beer-makers, indulgent ice-creameries, even a thriving tea plantation. The latter, Tregothnan (near Truro), has holiday cottages poised in its plum orchards, and offers gardens tours and tea masterclasses. It also claims to serve the most Cornish cream tea, on account of its bona fide Cornish brew.

There are fine offerings elsewhere too. Hop off the train in Camborne for nearby Trevaskis Farm, where the cafe’s scones and cakes are cow-sized, and you can also pick-your-own fruit and veg. Alternatively, indulge at Miss V’s Cornish Cream Tearoom in Bodmin, where the scones are made using a secret family recipe, or the Siblyback Lake Café near Liskeard, which also serves Cornish orchard apple juice. For something stronger, tour the St Austell Brewery (Cornwall’s oldest independent brewer) or visit the award-winning Camel Valley Vineyard – ride the steam train from Bodmin so you can sample a glass or two.

For a Cornish food adventure, try the Fat Hen Wild Cookery School. Courses range from seaweed foraging to wild food weekends; the emphasis is on getting out into the countryside to look for its edible treats – herbs, roots, fruits, fungi – then making them into something as delicious as Cornwall itself.