Lunch at The Gurnard’s Head

Amongst the miserable weather and chaos of life, little lunch outings are one of my favourite things.

Last year as a gift from my dad, I received a voucher to spend at The Gurnard’s Head; a charming bistro-pub-come-hotel situated on Cornwall’s stunning World Heritage north coast between Zennor and Treen cove.

This was after he’d seen on my Cornish bucket list that I’d wanted to explore this southern area of Cornwall more, and try to spot a mermaid around the Zennor coast!

Olivia, Lizzie and I had made the journey down earlier in the year for a quick photoshoot, but hadn’t managed to bag ourselves a table at this popular pub. We did, however, get to see the incredible rugged coastline – missing out on the mermaids but taking in the awe-inspiring scenery.

Aware that I needed to use up this voucher before expiry, and keen to see what the fuss is all about, Olivia and I agreed to make a lunch date this December to try it out. It’s a good 40 minute drive for me, and an hour’s drive for Olivia from Falmouth, so it was just something that needed a little more planning than our usual lunch and walks.

I was impressed from the outset whilst booking our table over the phone, as they actually asked me if we had any dietary requirements (I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this when booking a table, but it seems like a sensible idea!). It’s a good job they did ask too, because I would have forgotten to mention that Olivia is wheat and dairy free, but they didn’t flinch at this at all.

In fact, when we arrived, the chef came to our table and sat with Olivia to go through the menu, explaining what she would and wouldn’t be able to have, and what they could substitute for her in some options. It was definitely the best service I’ve ever experienced and they seemed more than happy to cater to her dietary requirements!

Before our starters, they brought us out some olives (for Olivia) and some locally baked bread and butter for me whilst we sat and chatted together. I tried my best not to fill up on it!

I went for a crab starter with a butternut squash and mango sauce, which was huge! It actually nearly filled me up as there was so much crab. It was absolutely delicious though and I could have eaten double and finished my meal there. Meanwhile, Olivia went for the duck l’orange which looked great too.

For mains, I went with the goats cheese and onion tart – one of my favourite vegetarian options! It was so tasty, but incredibly rich, and I was definitely extremely full by the end. Olivia had the roast turkey dish, which smelled great and apparently tasted just as good too!

The presentation of the food was fantastic too (perfect for photos!) and I loved the decor of the place overall as well. We were super cost sat on a quiet table by the stove, enjoying staying warm while the wind raged outside.

Funny story to end with though – on my way to our lunch date I was in quite a rush, and could see that my car’s petrol tank was running very low, but (being stubborn me) I decided to push it and take the risk that I’d be able to make it back with enough fuel – forgetting that The Gurnard’s Head really is miles from anywhere, and at least 35 minutes from the nearest petrol station!

As I should have expected, when I turned my car on to leave after lunch, my Mini informed me that I in fact had exactly 2 miles worth of petrol left in the tank – brilliant! And so our relaxed lunch turned into me needing to get a lift home from Olivia, and asking Alex very nicely to drive me all the way back to Zennor with a canteen of petrol in the morning to collect my car…. oops!

 

For more details and bookings at The Gurnard’s Head, visit their website.