The Gurnard’s Head

‘There is a Celtic feel’ to Charles and Edmund Inkin’s pub and its surrounds, ‘with views of the Atlantic and the moors and tors of Penwith’, writes a reader on a return visit. Like sister pubs The Old Coastguard, Mousehole, and The Felin Fach Griffin, Felin Fach, Wales (see entries), it is rooted in the community, employing local staff, featuring works by local artists and sourcing as much as possible on the doorstep. It is also an ‘ideal base for walking the coastal path’. ‘Smart and practical’ bedrooms have a Roberts radio, flowers, books, Welsh blankets, good toiletries, fresh milk. Downstairs you find real ales, open fires, comfy sofas, no starched napery or crystal glass. The nightly-changing menu is short, with tempting plant-based options and day-boat fish. Maybe St Austell mussels, white wine, garlic, parsley or courgette, pepper and goat’s cheese tart with nettle pesto. ‘I had some superb hake, plaice and lemon sole, some of the nicest ice cream I ever tasted.’ ‘Breakfast is a treat too’ with ‘delicious home-made breads, bacon, sausage and vine tomatoes’. One niggle: ‘They don’t do cream teas!’ (Mike Craddock)