Packet Food Pub of the Year 2019 winner revealed

Clinching first place in the Food Pub of the Year category is the St Michael's Mount Inn at Barripper.

Our mystery reviewer was blown away by the quality of ingredients and standard of cooking, along with the warm reception.

Chilled water infused with lemon and herbs is ready on the table as guests arrive, with complimentary homemade bread brought out to nibble on as you peruse the menu.

Packet reporter and pub owner Emma Ferguson said: "I could honestly say I wanted to try every single thing on the menu - not always the case as you stare at a list of dishes waiting for something to inspire you.

"Would it be French style coq au vin served with chorizo sausage, Lyonnaise potatoes and wilted greens, or the classic beef bourguignon with parmesan mash, tender stem broccoli and a parmesan puff twist?

"In the end I opted for St Just pork belly that was served with black pudding, rhubarb crumble, squash, green beans and a cider jus.

"Described as 'awesome' on the menu, the black pudding more than lived up to - even exceeded - expectations, with a full bodied meaty flavour yet none of the 'iron' aftertaste that can often accompany it.

"The pork belly was set off beautifully by the sweet, fruity cider sauce, which I'm not ashamed to admit I swigged the remainder of from the jug at the end, it was that good.

"Possibly the star of the dish, however, was the mini rhubarb crumble with a hint of cinnamon, which married so well with the pork.

"My daughter went for the fish and chips - a sizeable portion, with tender, flaky fish, accompanied by tomatoes and cucumber already cut into child-safe quarters, which pleased me, and small dishes of ketchup and mayonnaise already on the plate, which pleased her.

"My citrus posset was tangy without being sharp - a perfect clotted cream-style crust breaking through to a softly creamy posset - while the accompanying shortbread biscuit had the perfect crunch.

"It's a horribly overused term but this really is a hidden gem and without doubt a worthy winner of the title of Food Pub of the Year."

Coming a close second was the Harbour Inn at Porthleven, which also received strong support in the nominations round and was just pipped to the post in the mystery visit.

With the first pub now in the running to claim the title of overall Pub of the Year come December, we're launching our second category: Rural/Village Pub.

Cornwall has a multitude of pubs tucked away in villages and sometimes out on their own in the middle of nowhere! The best of these will take full advantage of their location and address the challenges – and benefits – this provides.

Don't forget, each monthly winner will receive a free advert in our new-look entertainments section The Guide, plus a framed certificate which we will present to the pub with a photo call - more of that next week for the St Michael's Mount Inn.

The overall winner of Packet Pub of the Year 2019 will then receive a whopping £1,000 of advertising across our titles' platforms - online and in print.

So why not give your local pub a boost and the recognition it deserves with a nomination? It's the two with the most nominations that get visited, so every vote counts.

THREE METHODS TO VOTE

Please send your Rural/Village Pub nomination before Sunday 5pm, with an optional explanation of NO MORE than 100 words.

1, Email editorial@packetseries.co.uk

2, Visit Packet Newspapers facebook page and send a direct message to our inbox

3, Post to Falmouth Packet, Falmouth Business Park, Bickland Water Road, TR11 4SZ

* Please DO NOT put your nominations on the comments feed beneath the facebook post, because the voting should remain private. Any vote that does appear there will not be counted.