As part of Falmouth Finds, our series celebrating the independent businesses and people that make the town what it is, this week we're heading slightly off the beaten track to The Seaview Inn, where a much-loved Falmouth pub has entered a new chapter under the stewardship of the team behind Verdant Brewing Co.
In fact, taking on the Seaview wasn't something the Verdant team had necessarily planned.
They already loved drinking there when the previous owner, who was preparing to retire, approached them and suggested they should take it on.
The opportunity to buy the pub rather than lease it was too good to ignore.
“We basically sat around over a pint, talked it through and decided to take a chance,” says Alex Morrall, Verdant's venues manager.
The team took over in summer 2024, determined to put a little of the Verdant fingerprint on the Seaview without losing the character that had made it such a well-loved local in the first place.
Following a refurbishment that winter, perhaps the biggest change came in the kitchen.
Verdant's other venues already had their own distinct food identities, with pizza at the brewery and seafood elsewhere, so the team saw an opportunity to do something completely different at the Seaview.
The answer was the Desi pub. Working with Sham from Situ, who continues to consult on the menu, the kitchen serves authentic Indian food prepared using local ingredients wherever possible.
Expect a changing selection of curries, dishes from the tandoori grill and pub snacks, designed to work just as well for a full meal as something to share over a couple of beers.
Of course, being part of the Verdant family means the beer matters too. Founded in Penryn, Verdant has spent more than a decade building a following for its distinctive beers.
At the Seaview you'll find everything from the brewery's hazy New England-style beers to traditional cask ales and stout, with a core selection sitting alongside regular new releases as the brewing team continues to experiment.
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But despite the craft beer and a food offering that's a little different from your average pub curry, the Seaview remains reassuringly down to earth.
Alex describes it as a meeting of modern beer and a traditional pub, somewhere equally suited to settling in for dinner or simply popping in for a pint.
It's family friendly, dog friendly and, importantly, completely without pretence.
That community feel is something the team are keen to build on further. This winter they're planning a new Cosy Corner, creating a dedicated area of the pub that could host everything from intimate folk music and author talks, to craft sessions and other small community events.
It's all part of an ambition to make the Seaview somewhere people don't simply visit for the food or beer, but somewhere they feel comfortable spending time.
And perhaps that's why the partnership works so well.
Verdant hasn't tried to turn the Seaview into something completely new. Instead, it has taken a traditional Falmouth pub, kept the things people already loved about it and added great beer, authentic Indian food and a little Verdant personality of its own.
The Seaview Inn is open from 4pm Monday to Friday and from 12pm until late on Saturday and Sunday.
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