He has worked at some of Cornwall's best known restaurants but now a private chef is launching on his own with a new cafe near Helston.

Nathan Deacon has opened the Cornish Food Hub at The Homestead Woodland Garden near Wendron, where Taste cafe traded from until recently.

Nathan, who grew up in Cadgwith and was head chef of the Cadgwith Cove Inn for just over six years, trained at Kota in Porthleven under the Michelin recognised chef Jude Kereama.

Having moved into food sales, he was made redundant last year, like so many people, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and became a private chef.

However, when the cafe at The Homestead became available, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

There are a range of waffles on the menu

There are a range of waffles on the menu

Nathan told the Packet: "It's not the ideal time to open, in November, but someone else would have done it and made a lot of money next year.

"We need to just get through the winter and push through.

"It's a lovely spot and it's too good an opportunity to miss out on."

The cafe describes itself as serving "high quality breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake," using Cornish produce to deliver "contemporary yet homely dishes."

The Cornish hogs pudding hash on the brunch menu

The Cornish hogs pudding hash on the brunch menu

Dishes on the menu include Cornish hogs pudding hash – Nathan's take on a full English – as well as a vegan version with truffled celeriac and avocado, and a smoked mackerel version.

There is also a range of pancakes and waffles on the brunch menu, served from 9am to 4pm, plus open sourdough sandwiches and daily specials for lunch, served from midday.

"It's very focussed on fresh produce and all homemade, even down to the baked beans," said Nathan.

"There are lots of vegan and gluten free options. I'm trying to keep it balanced – there's no more meat on the menu than vegan.

The vegan truffled celeriac hash

The vegan truffled celeriac hash

"It's a nice, contemporary cafe and I'm trying to keep everything to fit with that fresh, natural ethos."

The cafe is now open every Wednesday to Sunday, from 9am to 4pm through the winter, and also serves roasts on a Sunday.

During December the cafe will also be serving a Christmas menu during the evenings, for advanced bookings only, up until Christmas Eve.

The cafe is also serving Sunday roasts

The cafe is also serving Sunday roasts