Porthleven Food Festival 2019!
This vibrant festival is a highlight of Cornwall’s food calendar, bringing together some of the region’s best producers, chefs and street food traders.
The Porthleven Food Festival is the opening event of our festival season. It runs across three days and fills the harbour town with a large food marquee, a chef demonstration tent, numerous street food stalls and on-site camping.
Porthleven is a charming fishing town steeped in history and well worth a visit at any time of year. If you love food festivals, make sure you pencil this one into your diary for next year.
Origin Coffee Cocktail Masterclass
We arrived on Friday and headed straight to a coffee cocktail masterclass with Dan Fellows from Origin Coffee. Dan is a passionate coffee professional who won the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in Brazil. His demonstration offered a fascinating insight into craft coffee mixology.
He prepared several coffee-based cocktails; my favourite was his inventive twist on a classic negroni, which combined bold coffee flavours with well-balanced spirits.
Feast with Sharps
On Friday night we enjoyed a six-course tasting menu hosted by Sharps Brewery. Each course was thoughtfully paired with a beer to complement the flavours, and the dinner was a weekend highlight.
One standout was the feather blade of Cornish beef with herb olive relish, miso and watercress, paired with Sharps’ flagship amber ale. Another memorable course was a tempura oyster served with wasabi tartare in a baby gem leaf, presented beautifully in an oyster shell — delicate and delicious.
Brunch at Kota Kai, Porthleven
Although the festival offers plenty to eat, we made time for brunch at one of our favourite spots in town, Kota Kai. This relaxed restaurant and bar is a go-to for Mojitos, seafood laksa and weekend brunches.
I ordered Eggs Royale with avocado and watercress — a perfect plate that I happily returned to the next day.
Nearby favourites include Rick Stein’s, where the Espresso Martinis were excellent, and Amelie’s, which we didn’t manage to visit this year. With so many tempting venues it would be great if the festival ran for longer so there was more time to try everything.
Exploring the Stalls
One of the joys of this festival is wandering the stalls, tasting samples and chatting with producers. Many of the vendors are small businesses driven by passion and determination — launching a food business takes real grit, and it’s inspiring to see new ideas come to life. Hats off to all the cottage companies bringing fresh products to market.
Practical Information — Camping and Transport
Camping is available for tents and campervans within the village, typically on the local football and cricket pitches. Electric hookups are not usually provided, and spaces are limited, so book early. If village camping is full, nearby campsites make it easy to travel into Porthleven daily.
Parking in the town is very limited unless prebooked, and traffic into the town is restricted to residents during the festival. Shuttle buses run from Helston, which is useful if you need transport.
One Pot Camping Recipe
For a simple festival meal, I shared a one-pot camping recipe — a pesto quesadilla — and made a short vlog to show how to prepare it outdoors. It’s quick, tasty and ideal for cooking at a campsite.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
Huge thanks to everyone who helps make Porthleven Food Festival such an enjoyable weekend. Your hard work and passion make this event special. Thanks also for inviting us — we had a fantastic time.
Janie x
PS: For more background, we’ve written about the Porthleven Food Festival in previous years if you’d like to read further.