The Cornish Italian — Restaurant in England

After an 8-hour journey through relentless wind and rain to attend a university open day in Cornwall, we were craving comfort: a warm meal and a quiet evening listening to the storm roll in. With one of our party allergic to fish, we quickly discovered that 90% of the local restaurants leaned heavily on seafood.

Italian felt like a safe bet, and after some searching, we found one, The Cornish Cookhouse tucked away about 30 minutes from our accommodation.

Though it’s set in what feels like the middle of nowhere, in a small compound of businesses, the moment we stepped inside, we knew we’d made the right call. Rustic yet stylish, the interior was welcoming and thoughtfully curated. We’d booked last minute and arrived early, but were seated straightaway with warmth and ease.

The chef, who shared that he’d once worked in the arts in Milan before turning to cooking later in life, has been at the helm here for over two years and it shows. The menu is small, homemade, and perfectly balanced. I had the garlic focaccia for stater with the spinach and ricotta ravioli special (not a regular feature, I was told), and it was hands down the best I’ve ever had.

Dessert was a revelation. I usually avoid tiramisu because I’m not a fan of coffee flavoured sweets, but their twist, a lemon-based version was absolutely superb. Bright, delicate, and the perfect end to the meal. (They also do a traditional version for which I believe was equally as lovely)

The Cornish Cookhouse is a hidden gem: thoughtful food and a passionate chef.

Worth every mile — and every...

We were very excited to try the Cornish Italian, but we ended up being underwhelmed. The bruschetta starter was huge, too huge, but the toppings were wonderful delicious ingredients. Kaz had courgette & pea pasta which was a bit heavy and stodgy. I had carbonara which had a sauce very very overpoweringly flavoured, probably too much salt/pecorino. It is too much for a whole dish to taste so strong. We came for great pasta, but my pasta (Creste di Gallo) was a bit dry round the edges like it had been under a grill or heat lamp. Major disappointment was that there were no vegetable sides such as an insalata mista - guys you must consider some simple vegetable side dishes, and of course, the bonus is that you can charge for them! The tira mi su needed a much bigger hit of espresso and could be much better with amaretto +/- cognac although I guess that might be an issue if kids are eating. The service was great, lovely front of house staff. We will be back to try some other items...

The Cornish Italian lives up to its fantastic reputation! The food is as authentic Italian as it comes; using fine local Cornish ingredients. Friendly Italian waiting staff welcomed us at the door as we walked in past a recent delivery of St Ewe’s Rich Yolk Eggs. The restaurant has a warm, relaxed and intriguing ambience; shelves full of lots of interesting Italian delicacies, which are available to purchase should you wish. We ordered the bruschetta to start and then - the head chef and owner - Ugo’s very own Carbonara. Both dishes were phenomenal! Ugo even made time away from his very busy kitchen to come and greet us at our table. The meal was finished with “Tiramisugo”, Ugo’s play on his father’s Tiramisu recipe. This is a delight which in the past we’d spotted and bought in Waitrose. This young entrepreneur and restaurant owner is going to go a long way! We couldn’t recommend his restaurant enough and we’ll be...