Can you tell us the story behind Padstow Kitchen Garden and what first inspired the field-to-fork concept?

Padstow kitchen garden is based on my family farm - I'm a 7th generation farmer, but I also have a real passion for food. I trained as a chef and worked my way up the ranks in Rick Stein's restaurants here in Padstow. Growing my own produce on the farm and then cooking it was a natural progression for me, so I started doing this full time over a decade ago now. I love working on the land and growing seasonal produce and combining this with my chef background to create dining experiences here at the farm. We started with pop ups for small groups and now we run Feasts, workshops and Events throughout the year.

How does growing your own produce shape the way you cook and design your menus throughout the seasons?

Everything I cook here is based on the seasons, and what I know from working with the land, planting, growing and harvesting. I adapt menus and dishes to showcase what's in season. It also means if we have a bumper crop of something in particular, we can design dishes and menus with more of this. It means less waste, always fresh produce and the ability to be creative with what's happening around us.

Sustainability is central to what you do, what does that look like in practice, day to day, in both the garden and the kitchen?

Sustainability for us is central to all the decisions we make on the farm. In the garden we grow in no-dig beds and don't use sprays or pesticides. We focus on building healthy soil and growing what thrives here each season. The food we cook for our Feasts and the produce we supply to restaurants is shaped by what is growing. We harvest and deliver or cook the same day, with minimal waste and packaging. Cooking over fire keeps everything more sustainable and helps us stay connected to the land and the food.

You cook in a pretty unique environment. How important is robust, reliable equipment when you’re working with fire, weather, and produce straight from the ground? We know your avid Enamelware users, How does Falcon Enamelware fit this bill?

We work in some pretty extreme conditions! Where we are overlooking the Camel estuary is quite exposed and we can experience all weathers in a day. It's really important to us that the equipment we use can not only survive in these conditions but is purposely designed for all the elements. Cooking over fire and using an outdoor kitchen means the serveware we use needs to be ready for anything. We have a fairly utilitarian approach but also it's really important that our equipment looks great for our guests and enables us to showcase our produce. Falcon enamelware ticks all these boxes.

We have heard your Lobster lunch is quite something, do you have any other exciting events coming up?

The lobster lunch is always a great day - I cook 40 lobsters from local Padstow day boats, and we host this feast around midsummers day so the produce available from the garden is really at its best.

We're doing lots of great feasts and events this year - we have a Spanish themed one, one with cocktail pairings, and we'll be adding more. I love being able to experiment with different dishes and menus but keep things rooted in what we are growing. We also do lots of private dining and events at the farm, it's fun to be part of special celebrations.

Looking ahead, how do you see Padstow Kitchen Garden evolving over the next few years?

We want to keep doing what we are doing, with a real focus on quality food from the farm. I'm excited that we are now providing accommodation here too- people can come and stay for a few days in our luxury shepherd's huts here which is the perfect way to enjoy a feast or workshop and really slow down and take it all in. We also have some new kitchen garden workshops this year which I'm hoping will become more frequent - I'm really looking forward to sharing my growing knowledge in these workshops, and hopefully cooking for lots more people who want to visit!