Such coastal towns and villages are dotted on the North and South coast of Cornwall. Full of character and Cornish charm these coastal towns attract many visitors each year. On exploration of Cornwall you will notice a variety of distinctive Cornish place names. Many are named after saints, such as St Agnes and St Ives which refer to the early Celtic Christian missionaries who brought Christianity to Cornwall. Others have common prefixes such as ‘Tre’ (house, farm or village), ‘Chy’ (dwelling) and ‘Pen’ (headland).

Below are just a few of some of Cornwall’s most picturesque coastal towns worth visiting:

Fowey

Fowey is situated at the estuary of the River Fowey and has a unique and unspoilt charm, with medieval and Tudor cottages, cobbled walkways, beautiful luxury Cornwall hotels, narrow streets and a busy boating scene. It is rich in nautical history. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages where it acted as an important port for warship and galleons. It also played an important role on the exportation of China Clay during the 18th Century.

Fowey has strong connections with the famous author, Dame Daphne Du Maurier, whereby she spent most of her life. Each May there is festival in the town which celebrates her life and her work.

Nearby beaches include Readymoney Cove, a sheltered cove situated close to the mouth of the River Fowey, Par Sands a large beach which is located to the West of Fowey and Lantic Bay, a quiet cove which lies East of Polruan.

St Ives

St Ives is one of the most stunning towns in Cornwall, if not the South West. The whole peninsula offers a haven for walkers, photographers, artists and writers giving inspiration thorough beautiful scenery and unspoilt beauty. It has enticed artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson and is home to the Tate Gallery which opened its doors in 1993.

St Ives was named after the saint Ia or Hya, an Irish princess who introduced Christianity to the area in the 5th Century. The town boasts an array of sea-front restaurants, galleries, small Cornwall hotels, guesthouses and specialist stores which are all located within quaint, narrow cobbled streets. Porthminster Beach and Porthmeor Beach are just a short walk away from the town. Porthmear is a surfing beach whereas Porthminster offers calmer shores and is perfect for swimming – both are great for families.

Padstow

Padstow is located on the north coast of Cornwall and is most famously known for the presence of the chef Rick Stein where he has a number of establishments, including a seafood restaurant, deli and fish and chip takeaway.

For a bit of fun try the Camel Trail which was a former tram line and now a cycle route which runs through the towns Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow. Beaches near Padstow include Trevone Bay, a beach perfect for rock pool exploring and family picnics and Rock which is situated opposite Padstow. Either drive round to Rock or take the ferry.

January
Root vegetables are perfect for warming winter ‘comfort food’, such as stews and chunky soups. Try celeriac, parsnips, turnips and swede. If you can ignore the food miles, citrus fruits are available. January is the traditional month to make your own marmalade and organic fruit won’t contain pesticides in the rind or be waxed.

February
Eat your greens! Cabbage, chicory, leeks and spring greens are plentiful and will give you nutrients to help protect against colds. Rhubarb is available now – great for crumbles, jams, fools and puddings.

March
March can be a difficult month to find home-grown organic vegetables, as winter produce is finishing but it is too early for spring harvests. Forward planning by freezing your own organic vegetables can help out. Rocket, kale and spinach may also be available, if the winter weather has been kind.

April
The first spring vegetables will be appearing: aubergines, broccoli, celery, courgettes and tomatoes. The end of the month usually sees the start of the (brief) English asparagus season.

May
New vegetables crops will be available, such as beetroot, broad beans, fennel and lettuce. New potatoes are tender and sweet, boiled in their skins with a sprig of mint.

June
An abundant month for fresh organic fruit and veg. Summer salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and herbs make tasty salads, especially if you’ve grown them yourself. Soft fruit like strawberries, gooseberries, cherries and raspberries are ripe.

July
A glut of over-ripe berry fruit can be used to make preserves or to flavour vodka and gin. Apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums are also delicious and in season.

August
Peppers are plentiful, and the colours are great in salads to tempt kids. Try them on the barbeque too, or roasted in the oven. Marrows are beginning to appear in shops now; great for stuffing with chilli mince or ratatouille.

September
This is the best month for the organic shopper as there is plenty of choice of fruit and vegetables on offer. As well as salads, there are autumnal crops such as sweetcorn, squashes and pumpkins. The first root vegetables are being harvested too; potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions and potatoes. Autumn fruits such as plums and damsons are ripe. You could even pick your own blackberries and sloes from country hedgerows, away from traffic pollution. This is the time of year to plan ahead for the lean winter months by storing, preserving and freezing.

October
Autumnal vegetables to choose from include red cabbage, leeks, aubergines, fennel and swede. Hazelnuts (cobnuts) and sweet chestnuts are ready to be gathered from the wild. Pumpkins will still be available for Hallowe’en.

November
Savoy cabbages and purple-sprouting broccoli are ready; great comfort food with mashed potato and celeriac when the nights are drawing in.

December
A bleak, cold month but the focus is often on Christmas festivities – especially the feasting. Order your organic turkey early and don’t forget the Brussels sprouts! You can also buy organic wines, beer, cider, spirits and liqueurs online – great for celebrating and for presents.

1. Fresh organic vegetables contain, on average, fifty per cent more vitamins, enzymes and minerals then intensively farmed produce.

2. Organic fruit does not have chemical residues on its skin from pesticides.

3. Food additives linked to asthma, heart disease and hyperactivity are amongst those banned by organic standards. Hydrogenated fats are also banned in organic food.

4. Organic livestock is not fed with animal proteins, antibiotics, growth hormones, anti-parasite medicines and other drugs, so these do not get into humans through the food chain.

5. All organic eggs are free-range, but not all free-range eggs are organic. Organic chickens and eggs in the UK are strictly regulated. There must be less than 500 birds in a flock, the chickens must not be de-beaked and their diet must be free of antibiotics, animal protein and colourants.

6. By buying organic food, you can totally avoid genetically modified ingredients int the food chain. For example, organically raised cattle are not fed GM soya.

7. Intensive farming costs the tax-payer millions each year from cleaning up pesticides in our water supply, to massive EU subsidies. The BSE crisis alone cost taxpayers £4 billion. There has never been a reported case of BSE in cattle born and raised on an organic farm.

8. Organic farmers look after their soil by rotating crops, using composted manure and planting crops that naturally increase nitrogen in the soil. Artificial fertilisers that can pollute water sources are banned.

9. Organic farms support wildlife habitats, with greater diversity of birds, insects and plants.

10. Organic produce that is sold locally, at farm shops and farmers markets for example, also helps the ecology by saving on transport pollution and packaging waste.

In 1924, Rudolf Steiner was concerned at developments in farming and gave a series of lectures on the subject, which led the way for biodynamic agriculture. He proposed a holistic view rather than a purely scientific approach, recognising a spiritual dimension to animal and crop production.

How does biodynamic differ from organic?
Biodynamic methods go further than conventional organic methods in that they involve an astrological and homeopathic element. Biodynamic farms aim to become self-sufficient in terms of compost, manure, animal feed and seed. External inputs are kept to a minimum. The soil is treated with special preparations of plant and mineral extracts.

When crops are harvested, biodynamic practitioners believe that their forces and vitality are also removed from the earth. Biodynamic agriculture seeks to redress the balance by adding therapeutic preparations of ground quartz and plant extracts to compost or manure. The plants extracts used are yarrow, stinging nettle, chamomile, oak bark, valerian and dandelion. These are fermented together with certain animal organs such as cow horn, intestines, sheep skull or deer bladder. Crops grown in soil treated with these special preparations are said to become more sensitive to their environment and respond to the rhythms of the moon and seasons. Biodynamic farmers also take note of these when sowing, cultivating and harvesting.

The best time to sow and harvest crops is determined by an astronomical calendar, produced every year since 1962 by authors Maria and Mathias Thun. They study the influences of the moon, planets and constellations on plant growth to produce the annual Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar. The lunar rhythm of monthly waxing and waning cycles forms the basis of the calendar. The twelve zodiac constellations are then associated with the four elements. Each element is associated with part of a plant. Earth is linked to the root, water to the leaf, air to the flower and fire is associated with the fruit. Sowing beans on a fire/fruit day or harvesting carrots on an earth/root day is therefore seen as most auspicious.

Why go biodynamic?
The biodynamic farmer takes a holistic approach to blend his crops and animals in a sustainable balance to his environment. The relationship of the farm to the land encourages biodiversity of wild bird and insect species, which are in turn beneficial to the farm. The farm uses its own seeds to give back to the soil. Animals are reared slowly and slaughtered humanely to cause minimum stress, which is said to result in high quality and tasty meat.

Biodynamic food is believed to be better for you as there are said to be less nitrates and more flavour. Research is being carried out to compare the benefits of biodynamic produce with organic and conventional agriculture. Anecdotal evidence already suggests that biodynamic food can reduce food allergies and increase vitality.

Biodynamics is a truly international movement. There are biodynamic farms and gardens in more than forty countries, including biodynamic vineyards in France, California and New Zealand. In the UK, biodynamic produce is marketed under the Demeter certification scheme. Demeter was the ancient Greek goddess of fertility and abundance. Growers have to undergo a three year conversion period and inspections to gain a Demeter certificate. There were 120 Demeter food producers in the UK in 2004, with a growing number in Wales. Celebrity supporters include the Prince of Wales, who is said to be experimenting with biodynamic methods on his land.

A single slug can lay up to five hundred eggs each year. They can over-winter and become active again as soon as conditions become mild and damp in the spring. Slug pellets are cereal chunks containing poison, such as metaldehyde. The cereal bait can also be attractive to other wildlife and pets. There is also the danger of a predator, such as a hedgehog, eating poisoned slugs. Metaldehyde has been reported as affecting the fertility of songbirds. The pellets can therefore cause injury or death to other animals, even if stored and used correctly. Slug pellets are banned under Soil Association standards.

Prevention is Better than Cure
Organic gardeners should encourage natural predators so that the slug population is kept under control. Ground beetles are very useful as they feed on slug eggs as well as the slugs themselves. Garden birds such as blackbirds and song thrushes will eat considerable numbers of slugs, as will frogs and toads. A hedgehog can eat hundreds of slugs a night. Slowworms, spiders and harvestmen can eat small slugs. If you keep chickens or ducks, you’ll find that they also enjoy a meal of mollusc. Hedges, log piles and compost heaps all provide habitats for these predators – unfortunately, they can also give cover to slugs…

In the vegetable patch, some crop varieties are more attractive than others to slugs. Garlic, onions and chives between crops might help deter them. Planting a lavender bush border and keeping the patch weeded might also help. Slugs thrive in damp gardens with plenty of vegetation to provide cover and aid movement. Adding sand to the soil in ‘sluggy’ sites can help improve drainage. Slugs find fine, firm soil more difficult to cross and there will be fewer air spaces that slugs can use as shelter.

Flowers that seem less attractive to slugs include busy-lizzies, foxgloves, hollyhocks, lavateras, forget-me-not, alliums, rosemary, wallflowers, lavender, phlox, columbine, snapdragons, geranium, tulips and hydrangea. Water your garden in the early morning rather than in the evening, when slugs are just becoming active, as the moisture attracts them and helps them move around.

Declaring War
There are various methods of slug control that gardeners employ, with varying degrees of success. On a small scale, traditional beer traps are very effective at drowning slugs, but other invertebrates might also be caught. Traps can be made easily by recycling large, lidded, plastic yoghurt pots. Wash the empty pots and dry. Cut two slug-sized holes on either side, 1 cm down from the rim. Sink into the soil to the level of these holes. Fill with beer (or grape juice) to a depth of 2cm. Replace the lid to stop rain getting in. Empty each morning and top up the liquid.

Barrier methods can be used to stop slugs getting to plants in pots. Petroleum jelly can be smeared on the rim or copper tape stuck around the edge. This has a small electrical charge that repels slugs. Broken eggshells, ash and salt can also be effective barriers. Slugs are said to dislike the smell of pine, so borders could be made with pinecones.

Oatmeal and bran are very appetising to slugs, but kill them. Horse bran can be bought cheaply in large sacks to spread over vegetable patches. Other methods are more direct and immediate. Mowing the lawn at dusk will cut up slugs. Night patrols with a kitchen knife or scissors and a bucket for the carcasses can be very effective if you have the stomach for the job! Competitive small children could be given pocket money for the number of slugs they collect and drown.

Nematodes, such as Phasmorhabditis hermaphrodita, are a biological control agent that can be very effective in reducing an established slug population. The eggs are watered into the soil where they hatch, search out and infect slugs with bacteria, preventing them from feeding. The slug dies within ten days while the nematodes reproduce inside the body, ready to find new victims.

In the future, a wildlife-friendly slug pellet might be available which will be safe to use in gardens. The Research Institute for Organic Agriculture in Switzerland is developing a pellet based on iron phosphate, which is not toxic to animals. This might finally be the answer we’ve all been waiting for!

Local Produce

If you shop at a local farm shop, and are buying their own produce, chances are you can see the field it was grown in and will be home with it in less than fifteen miles. Organic produce that is sold locally and directly to the consumer helps the local economy and the environment by reducing transport pollution and excess packaging. A recent report claimed that if all food in the UK was consumed within twenty kilometres of its production, the environmental costs saved would be over £2 billion annually.

However, if you get your food from the high street or supermarket, then you might find that eighty per cent of the fruit and vegetables available on the shelves are imported by air-freight. Air transport is bad for the environment because of the amount of aviation fuel used and the pollution caused by emissions. The importing of organic produce arguably consumes more energy than is saved by growing it organically. While this might be excusable for exotic crops that do not grow in the British climate, why are we getting new potatoes from Israel, runner beans from Kenya and lamb from New Zealand?

Role of Supermarkets

Supermarkets are often blamed. For example, they have given us strawberries from Egypt all year round, while the UK season is only a few months long. Their excuse is that they are only meeting demand. Consumers have become too used to being able to buy the same food at the same price all year, regardless of season, to satisfy exotic recipes; so much so, that many people are no longer aware of seasons or where their food comes from.

Importing food from the developing world can also be much cheaper for supermarkets, even with the cost of air transport and fuel. Some also claim that the comparatively small number of UK organic farmers we have at present are not able to supply the large and regular volumes of organic produce that supermarkets require.

However, the knock-on effect is that developing countries are less able to be agriculturally self-sufficient themselves, as their land is increasingly given over to export crops. And so the food miles total grows, as countries such as Kenya then have to import food to feed their own populations. There is also the concern that third world farmers are not paid a fair price for their crops in comparison to the profit they are sold at in the UK.

Organic Cornwall

Organic Cornwall supports the idea of buying food locally by providing a directory of food, drink, gardening, restaurants and holiday accommodation in Cornwall. There are also listings for vegetable box schemes, farm shops and farmers markets. By buying organic produce locally, or even growing your own fruit and vegetables, you will reintroduce the seasons to your kitchen and considerably reduce the distance your food has travelled to reach your plate.