I’m Ben Palmer.
I am the chef owner of the Sardine Factory in Looe and also Yamas in Looe.
Our Secret List chat with Ben Palmer, award-winning Chef and owner of The Sardine Factory and Yamas restaurants in Looe, Cornwall.
A local at heart, Ben returned to his hometown in 2018 to fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant in the coastal community where he grew up, after honing his craft across prestigious kitchens in the UK and Europe.
His exceptional culinary talent earned him a winning spot on BBC Two’s Great British Menu 2024, creating the standout starter for the Parisian banquet.
The Sardine Factory received the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019 and has proudly maintained this distinguished recognition ever since.
With a commitment to seasonal sourcing and local production, Ben crafts dishes that celebrate Cornwall’s exceptional ingredients while supporting the community he calls home.
A hometown hero elevating Looe’s dining scene with passion and precision.
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The Sardine Factory is set in an old sardine packing factory. So, we have a lot of history in the building. We have some great big windows in there for views where the old sardine cranes used to be. So, we’re very lucky to have this space. And we serve sardines. When they are fresh and the fishermen are catching them, we take the lot. And they sell like hotcakes. We do sardine paté, sardines on toast, sardine bolognese. You name it, we do it. Sardines are our thing.
And if you were going to go out somewhere else, what would your top three recommendations be?
As I’m approaching the age of 40, you know, I’m getting on a bit. So, I’m just a big fan of great quality ingredients just done really well. So, I’m a little bit biased. I have a Greek inspired restaurant in Looe, which is very close to my heart. Very traditional Greek cooking using Cornish ingredients. Looe is a beautiful place, very underrated.
I’m a big fan of Jude here in, Porthleven. Now his new concept at Kota at the minute, where he’s changed it to small plates and pintxos, I think that’s a great move. I’m just about to go try that in a minute, so I’m really looking forward to it.
And, I’m a really big fan of a great pub, a great Cornish pub as well. So, you know, John Hooker, at The Cornish Arms in Tavistock, he’s a very good chef. Cooks very well, and I love what he does.
What about places to go for a drink?
I love grabbing a coffee and just going for a walk up the hills of Downderry. It’s very beautiful there. They have some amazing views over the coastline. So just grabbing a coffee and walking with a dog. I’m a big fan of that.
And a run. I’ll go for a run-in Downderry. And then Looe again. The coastline from Looe to Polperro is a three mile walk. Again, very beautiful.
And then, obviously, my local, The Inn on the Shore in Downderry,. It’s got a deck overlooking the beach. And the sunset there on a Sunday after a hard day’s work, while having a cold pint is blissful.
So, what about your top three food producers?
We’re very lucky in Cornwall because there are so many passionate food producers.
We have some fantastic ingredients like Philip Warren Butchers, for example. We’re very lucky to have them local to us. Their beef goes to some very fancy restaurants in London. I’ve been using these guys for years now, and their beef is the best in the country without a doubt (and further).
And other local food producers: We’ve got some very local guys we work with that catch lobsters. We’re in prime lobster season now. They come down the river in their boats. We can actually see them from the restaurant, and they’ll drop the lobsters off to us in the boat before they before they get more. So that’s a guy called Will Jaycock. He catches Looe lobsters. He’s a great young guy with his boat.
We forage a lot of our own stuff. Especially wild garlic, sea vegetables and sea herbs. All along the coastline where we are. So, we’re very lucky to have that.
St Enodoc Asparagus as well. You’ve got to be in with those guys to get your hands on some of that at the minute. That’s really cool produce.
This time of year, spring summer, it’s where you see the local strawberries coming through and all the local fruits too. So, it’s a great time of year.
What about drinks producers?
We run Looe Food Festival ourselves in September, which is really cool. We partner up with Sharps Brewery, so we’re very close to those guys. They do all the local beers and ales. So, there’s some really cool beers like Doom Bar and Offshore. The Offshore is really good because we have a seafood restaurant, and it’s got a nice bit of citrus in the Offshore Lager, so that works very well with a lot of our stuff.
And then all local gins. We’ve got Looe Gin. And Trevathan Gin. We’ve got Looe Gin on our drinks list.
And finally a top secret tip?
If you come to Cornwall on holiday and you’re here with family or just one of your loved ones. You need to get in the sea.
Get up in the morning. Go for a sea swim. We’ve got a beautiful coastline. And, honestly, sometimes when the weather’s just right, you can go for a dip in the sea early morning. It starts your day off right, and literally, you could be anywhere. And I think it’s a really cool thing to do. Gets the body going, and we’re very lucky to be able to go and do that. It’s a must do when you’re in Cornwall!