I’m Stephane Delourme. So, I am French Cornish.
No. Still very French but I have been in Cornwall for twenty-eight years now. So, I am getting there.
In this wonderfully convivial beachside episode of The Secret List, we’re joined by the delightful French-Cornish Stephane Delourme, who’s been weaving his Breton magic into Cornwall’s culinary scene for an impressive 28 years.
Having worked alongside Rick and Jill Stein for over 25 years and served as head chef at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Stephane brings a unique perspective on the deep Celtic connections between his native Brittany and adopted Cornwall. Fresh from leading a chef tour to Saint-Malo with culinary legends like Nathan Outlaw, Mitch Tonks, and Valentine Warner, he understands both sides of the channel intimately.
With infectious passion for the Cornish way of living at the seaside (complete with fishermen delivering fresh catch mid-service), Stephane shares his insider knowledge of Cornwall’s evolving food scene, from flavour-packed restaurants to the perfect family spots where kids can play on the beach while parents enjoy delicious wine.
From his secret paradise creek to the vineyard rewards of cycling the Camel Trail, Stephane’s recommendations blend his French roots with deep local knowledge, creating the perfect recipe for authentic Cornish experiences.
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So, I’m sitting on the beach, with a Frenchman this time!
I’m Stephane Delourme. I’ve been working in Cornwall for a long, long time, and I love the Celtic energy. I’m from Brittany so not too far away across the water. I’m from South Brittany, from Quiberon.
I’ve been involved with Cornwall and working with Rick and Jill Stein for over twenty-five years. So, I know a lot of people. I know a lot of great chefs and everybody looks after each other in this lovely hospitality business. It’s tough, but it’s fun.
It is. And I think a lot of people might or might not know, depending on how good their geography is, that there’s a lot of connections between Cornwall and Brittany – Bretagne. It’s the Celtic connection, isn’t it? I was in Brittany about two years ago, and I was really surprised. The coastline is so similar to Cornwall.
We’re not that far away, are we?
It’s definitely the same. North Brittany is a bit wilder and bit more coasty – the wild coast. South Brittany is very much like St. Ives with the white sand beaches. So, it’s very, very similar. I think the difference is Cornwall has got more ciders, more beers, and Britanny’s got more butter and cream.
There is a lot of butter and cream over there and a lot of delicious ingredients as well. We definitely had a lot of very nice food there.
We have just come back. We did a chef tour with Richard Bertinet from Bath, who is from the same area in France. He’s from Quiberon as well. We took some amazing chefs on the new Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo.
We spent some time in Brittany in Saint-Malo with Nathan Outlaw, with Mitch Tonks, with Valentine Warner, me, Richard Bertinay, and Nieves Barragan. Nieves has a Michelin star restaurant.
It’s all about discovering the products in Brittany, But we want to do the same thing in Cornwall because the products are amazing. The seafood is amazing. I am a seafood lover, and all the people who came on the tour were seafood lovers.
We were just watching you do your demonstration and then halfway through, the Cornish Deliveroo arrived. Fishermen came right onto the beach with their boat with a big crate of fresh seafood, shellfish, crabs, octopus. Is that normal?
Yes. That’s the Cornish way of living at the seaside.
When I used to be the head chef at The Seafood in Padstow, we used to work with a lot of local fishermen. You never know when they will turn up because that depends on the tide. They want to bring the fish as soon as possible. So sometimes you’re very busy in service time and you’ve got Johnny & Martin Murt, Dave Evans and Martin Biddle delivering shellfish.
We had so many local fishermen come in the backdoor and say come and sign this piece of paper and get back to work.
That’s brilliant!
So, when you go out with your friends or your family, where do you head to for a bite to eat?
There are so many good places. Cornwall has changed a lot in the food world and there is a lot of good competition. Nathan used to work with me at The Seafood for twenty-seven or twenty-eight years. I lost count how many.
Having people like Nathan, Paul Ainsworth, and all these amazing chefs in Cornwall now is all positive and brings people to experience different food.
But for myself, I love taking my family or my friends to Porthleven. My good friend, Jude Kereama, who I just did the demo with. We have known each other for forever. He’s a very, very talented chef. I love his personality. I love his food because it’s singing and it’s full of flavour.
He’s got Kota and Kota Kai. He’s very relaxed.
Then, of course, Porthminster Cafe. There’s no better setup than Porthminster Café. Mick Smith has got this amazing place on the beach. And when it’s sunny like this, there’s really no better spot, but the food is amazing and they have just got a new head chef called Guy Owen, one of the best Cornish chefs that we have had for years. So, he’s going to be a great sport for this beautiful restaurant.
We’re sitting on the beach. We’re about 10 paces to the water’s edge. And then if we look behind us, we’re about 15 paces to the restaurant. You can’t really beat that proximity and the view.
No. It’s a special spot. Especially when my kids used to be younger, we used to stay on the terrace, have some nice food, relax, a few glasses of wine, and then the kids can play on the beach. When they were fed up, they could come back for some drinks or some nibbles. It’s a great spot.
My fishmonger that I’ve been dealing with for all these years in Cornwall, Matthew Stevens, is from St. Ives and they have been working for generations, so they know what they’re doing.
There’s a lot of good connections in St. Ives.
And if you were going for a drink in Cornwall, where would you head to?
I like a family place and a bit of music. I still live in Padstow and there’s a tiny place in Wadebridge, not too far away from Padstow. It’s called Plonk’d. My partner and I love going there because the tapas food is fresh and zingy and fun. The cocktails and the wine are very, very good.
Then for a hotel bar, I will say St Michaels Resort in Falmouth. They’ve got a nice bar and setup… the view. The whole story is being able to drink on the terrace, looking at the sea and having a lot of space and amazing cocktail choice. It can’t be bad.
I went there recently with my wife, and we had ‘not a real spa day’, but we used the facilities and then we had a few things to eat and drink and it didn’t really cost very much and we felt really treated. It’s a very special spot there, isn’t it?
Yep. It’s a great hotel because of the facilities and the amazing spa. It was hotel of the year this year in the Trencherman’s guide. So, they’re doing some good things. There’s a new head chef starting in ten days time. I won’t mention the name because they will put it on their social media, but it’s a very, very good Cornish chef who has got some very good background and the food’s going to be amazing.
We’ll watch out for that one.
To wrap up, if you could give someone a top Cornish tip, something they should do or experience or see when they when they visit Cornwall or even if someone that lives down in Cornwall and just trying to think of something interesting to do. Any ideas?
Lots of ideas. In another fifteen years I will stop working and I will have plenty of time to do all these amazing things.
There’s a special place in my heart, The Helford Passage on the Helford River. It doesn’t matter if you go in a winter or if you go in a busy time like July, August.
You’ve got this little creek. You take a little paddle board or you take a little boat. You go to Frenchman’s Creek. It’s not busy, it’s stunning and it’s beautiful. Very peaceful.
Sometimes you wonder if you’re in the UK. It’s a little paradise.
For people who have never been to North Cornwall or near Padstow, all the coasts and all the beaches in Cornwall are white sandy beaches. They’re amazing. The water can be warmer but when you’re in, you’re in.
For people who haven’t experienced the Camel Trail on a bike, you can do it with the kids and it’s all flat, and the scenery is amazing. You can do it from Padstow to Wadebridge or Wadebridge to Bodmin.
Then if you do Wadebridge to Bodmin, you can stop at the Camel Valley Vineyard to see Bob Lindo. A lovely business. It’s a big business, they are an amazing family. They do a great job in the wine world. I like how they explain and tell the stories to the people who come and visit the vineyard. You sit on the terrace. You look at the vineyard. And then you think when they started there was nothing there. What they have achieved in such a small time is incredible. The kids are taking over the business now. The product is amazing. Go on the bike, you can drink and come back slowly. Be careful with the kids.
Perfect. I’ve been there, and I’m a really big fan of Camel Valley wines. There’s something really special about them. They’re a little bit different, but in a very good way and they’re very, very delicious, aren’t they?
Yes. They’re very, very good. They won a lot of awards.
I was talking to Bob a few years ago and asked how come the East of England is becoming such a big vineyard interest. I couldn’t believe that there are nearly 500 vineyards and I couldn’t understand why.
He explained about the soil and all the French people from Champagne. All the big companies from Champagne are coming to this part of the world because the weather is getting warmer and they’re looking for the future.
It was a gamble for them to do this business years and years ago, but they did very well. Love it.
It’s definitely paid off. Thank you very much.