Hi, I’m Ed Hughes from Sharps Brewery.
I am part of the Guild of Beer Sommeliers.
Our Secret List chat with Ed Hughes, renowned Beer Sommelier from Sharp’s Brewery in Rock, Cornwall.
As one of the UK’s leading accredited Beer Sommeliers, Ed brings his exceptional palate and passion for Cornish brewing traditions to our conversation.
Ed has become a familiar face on BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen, where he showcases his expertise in beer and food pairings that elevate both the brew and the dish to new heights.
With deep knowledge of brewing techniques, beer styles, and tasting notes, Ed has revolutionised how we appreciate and enjoy craft beer in Cornwall and beyond.
A true pioneer championing Cornwall’s brewing excellence on the national stage.
The Secret List guide is part of how we create exceptional experiences for guests staying in our Cornwall Airbnb collection. We’re Cornwall’s Airbnb management experts. Learn more >
It’s a great job.
Fantastic sounding job.
I judge, analyse, work on new products, drink a bit of beer, match it with food, hang out with chefs. Dream job, I’d say.
And that’s work, is it?
That’s work, yes.
It doesn’t sound like work to me.
It’s pretty worky. It can be work. It’s not always like that. But yes, sometimes it’s beer history. I’m just basically a bit of a professional beer geek.
And what’s great about Sharps? Why should we try Sharps?
Well, I’ve been at Sharps 16 years. I grew up in the village in Rock as well. And the pride is incredible. You know, I was chatting to a lot of people out in trade a couple of years ago. Because of the ubiquitous nature of Doombar, it’s the best selling cask ale in the country, people think we’re 150-200 years old and we’re only 30 years old.
We’re very much a millennial brewer and it was sort of craft before craft. The best thing about is it’s home and it’s heart, you know, I’m just very lucky and very proud to be there.
And the beers themselves all international award-winning. I think we’ve won about 180 international awards in our 30 year history. We’ve done all right.
You have done well. And so, if you were going to go for a beer, what will be your top three places to grab one?
One, very biased. It would be The Mariners in Rock because it’s about 500 yards from where I live. And two, because the beer is outstanding every time. Like the food, outstanding, super consistent, really good pint of Sea Fury.
The other place I’d go, in Falmouth, I go to The Front. I’ve got some lovely memories of playing in bands in The Front.
It’s lively place, isn’t it?
It’s a lively place and it’s a bit heart and soul of Falmouth as well. And again, they keep their beer really, really well. Good for cask ale.
Another place to have a drink, I would say Yamas in Looe. When the weather’s good, you could be in Greece, and I think it’s a really, really special place. It was a new place I found last year working at Looe Food Festival with Ben Palmer and that was that was quite magic.
And what about places to eat?
I won’t pick the same places because The Front doesn’t do food.
If I was to go pub, I’d have to do the Mariners and again completely bias. it’s home. But what Joe and the team do there to have consistency every time. The Scotch egg every time is the same. It’s amazing.
It’s like the best Scotch egg in the universe.
So go to the Mariners.
Other places to eat here in Porthleven: Kota Kai. I love the menu. It’s right up my street. The Thai spiced thighs are amazing.
I had them yesterday and they were unbelievable.
It’s a great menu. Rather than a theme, there’s a brilliant burger on there, the chips are brilliant, the snacks are outstanding. Everything on their menu is executed really well. What Ryan and Jude and the team are doing here is amazing.
And if I was to go a bit bougie, Number Six, it’s probably, if not the best meal I’ve ever had. It is outstanding what Paul and team do.
And what about drinks producers? Obviously, you’re a little bit biased. Any others that are doing a great job, whether that’s spirits or others?
There’s a new rum called Vapoura that is amazing. They do a spiced rum. Their barrel strength rum is outstanding. Like absolutely faultless. Super smooth.
If I go for another rum. Tom Reed out in Bude. Tom makes rum. And both Vapura and Tom they make the rum from scratch. So, molasses. They’re not buying a rum in and spicing it. So Morvenna Spiced is amazing and actually Tom’s white rum is really good as well.
And third would be Tarquin. I’ve got so much time for Tarquin and Southwestern Distillery. And their sea dog gin or their straight dry gin is brilliant. Classic!
What about a tip for people visiting Cornwall. What should they do, see, or experience? What’s a good way of seeing the other side of Cornwall?
When it comes to food and drink, I think the biggest tip is to ask the staff where they will go, because although tourist information is great, it can sometimes be loaded with various things. But if you ask the people that are serving you, the chefs, or the locals. Where would you go for a crab sandwich? Or where would you go for a burger? They’ll give you the best!