THE cat is clearly feeling better as I caught her in the kitchen trying to paw-open the fridge to get at the fresh scallops I had just bought.

Her nickname is Buttercat as she also regularly targets the butter dish.

“I thought I would make a scallop risotto tonight,” I called out to Mrs C, who had her nose stuck in a book of bees.

“Actually, I think I’m going back on my vegan diet,” she replied, without looking up.

“How long do you plan to be on it this time?” I asked, rather cautiously.

“As long as it takes,” she snapped.

“So what should I do with the scallops?”

“Maybe eat them yourself…?”

With Mrs C back doing her vegan thing I thought it would be interesting to seek out the best places in Falmouth that offer vegetarian and vegan food.

I love finding places off the beaten track and Pea Souk is one such hidden wonder – it’s a treasure trove of taste and clever cooking.

Run by Nicola Willis, Pea Souk is tucked away in Well Lane and it’s well worth a visit whether you are vegan or not.

The emphasis is on the seasons and Nicola claims she is a "prolific culinary globetrotter" – drawing on a colourful range of continental and North African flavours.

There is some lovely home cooking on show here. The lunchtime menu always has a soup and their famous homemade tart – but we shared the mezze which included houmous, two Arabic salads, olives and falafel all served with pitta bread.

I also sampled the kimchi fritters with beetroot which were amazing. I don’t have any plans to go vegan, but if I did, I would want to eat here every day. It really is that delicious.

What I didn’t try, but will do on my next visit, is the homemade burgers.

There is one called The Queenie – which is a quarter pounder with bacon, onion chutney and a fried egg on top - which should kick any diet into touch. I love this place and it all goes to prove that good food isn’t always found on the high street.

After lunch we walked down to the harbour to watch the ferries come and go. The sun was out, and so were the tourists from the visiting cruise ship.

“Shall we have drink in the Chain Locker?” I asked.

Mrs C glared at the mass of visitors clambering out of the ferry. “Let’s have one at home if you don’t mind.”

Follow Tony Cowell on Twitter: @cowelltweets