Crocadon restaurant, interior.

Crocadon restaurant, interior.
© Ingrid Pop / photo provided

Crocadon opens in Cornwall next month

Chef Dan Cox will launch his organic farm restaurant early in February.

Where do the ingredients in this food really come from? Guests at a new restaurant in South Cornwall certainly won’t need to ask with Crocadon located on a 120-acre organic farm in St Mellion.

The farm will supply the kitchen with vegetables, fruit and herbs throughout the year, focusing on perennial crops. Alongside pear, plum, walnut and cherry trees, there are also two orchards producing several tonnes of apples which are utilised in the kitchen and bottled for juice. Rare breed sheep and cattle are rotationally grazed around the farm, with the animals dry-aged for extended periods, with chickens also bred for their meat and eggs.

The restaurant is never in short supply of flour and grain, as a variety of heritage grains and legumes are grown and harvested as part of the wider rotation. Additional produce for the restaurant is sourced from local suppliers that share the ethos of the farm, items such as mushrooms and seafood, and such a holistic approach should meet the growing desire of guests for localness and environmental friendliness.

Chef Dan Cox will open his new restaurant, consisting of a 25-cover dining room and an open kitchen, for the season on February 3, housed within a historic barn which has been restored over the course of twelve months. Cox took over the land in 2017 and has since utilised the breadth of regenerative ingredients he will use for his menu. With the chef now focusing on establishing the restaurant, the farming and growing are under the stewardship of husband-and-wife duo Tim Williams and Claire Hannington-Williams.

Before moving to Cornwall, Cox spent seven years working for the Simon Rogan Group, which included helping to establish Simon’s biodynamic farm ‘Our Farm’ alongside time in the kitchen at L’Enclume and Aulis in the Lake District. Cox was then appointed Executive Chef at Fera within Claridges, where he remained for three years, with his previous chef roles including at The Greenhouse in Mayfair, Number 14 in Verbier, and Can Fabes in Catalonia.

Crocadon is open for dinner on Thursday, Friday & Saturdays, and Sunday lunch, with plans to open more days a week over time. Working alongside Dan Cox will be Head Chef Michael Thompson, whilst front-of-house will be overseen by Cat Kirkwood.

Dishes on the Crocadon menu will change regularly, with fermentation and smoking techniques playing a prominent part alongside the use of raw ingredients. In the evening, there will be the choice of two tasting menus – a long and shorter version – with dishes such as Nuka Golden Turnips, Gigantis beans & cured saddleback pork loin and Whey caramel, yoghurt & caramelised apple. On Sunday, a three-course lunch will be available as a more relaxed sharing-style offering. The wine list will focus exclusively on natural, organic and biodynamic wines from across Europe.

  • Crocadon, St Mellion, Saltash PL12 6RL
Robert Prazak
Robert Prazak
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