Cabin fever
The Hidden Hut may be only a humble cabin on a Cornish beach, but its food is so popular that seats sell out in seconds
Last week we had a man in a shell suit with sit tins of beer sitting next to someone whose butler had just dropped of their plates and vintage champagne, and that s great
It is the kind of day when you long to be lying by the sea in Cornwall. A gentle breeze softens the July heat as children build sandcastles on Porthcurnick beach. Up above, nestled in the clifs on the Roseland peninsula (where parts of Poldark were flmed), sits the Hidden Hut. It is a beach cafe with a big diference. Instead of the usual tea in polystyrene cups and Mr Whippy ice creams, it serves lunch boxes made of recyclable cardboard and flled with smoked mackerel and watercress salad, or slow-roasted pork focaccia, with elderfower bubbly to wash them down. Customers can either sit outside the cafe or take their picnic (or ‘beach tapas’, as the owner Simon Stallard calls it) down to the sand.
Stallard, 34, and his fancée, Jemma Glass, 29, have been running the Hidden Hut for fve years. Stallard is a chef who started cooking when he was 14. He worked in London and New York before moving to Cornwall 10 years ago to run a gastropub (for which he won an award from the Good Pub Guide). Here he met Glass and fell in love – with her and the place where she grew up, the village of Portscatho, in the next bay around.
The hut is on the National Trust-owned coastal path, accessible by foot from a single-track road, and has been there for 70 years. It was opened on August bank holidays and occasionally at other times by a lady who ran it for the Trust for 25 years. Glass had worked there as a teenager. ‘You would only sell something if your mates came down,’ she says. Stallard would walk past it on his way to work. ‘It would break my heart to see it closed up,’ he says. ‘I knew it could be something special.’
They decided to put a bid in for the lease when it came up, and won. By this point Stallard was working for a local fsh merchant, which he continued to do for another two years, and Glass was a clinical dietician. She gave that up to run the cafe with her mother, Maggie, who made the cakes (baking is in Maggie’s blood – her father was the village baker). ‘Jem went from telling people not to eat cake to selling it,’ Stallard jokes.
At weekends Stallard and Glass would host
‘There’s a local couple who built their boat by hand – it’s got no motor; it’s just sail and oar. We always buy everything they catch’
‘feast nights’. The frst one, in 2011, came about when Stallard brought home 60 mackerel left over at work. He bought a small home barbecue and told a few people that ‘we’d be cooking something that evening’. Word spread and 70 people turned up. They sat on fold-up chairs someone had donated and ate of wallpaper-pasting tables. The following week 120 people came. ‘As I was cooking I could see more and more people coming over the hill,’ Stallard says, grimacing. At both events they sold out of fsh and resorted to serving crêpes.
Now feast nights are ticketed and sell out in seconds online. There is one meal option per evening (though they make a vegetarian option on request) – the last one was lobster and chips for £25 – and people bring their own drinks, plates and cutlery, if they wish. They can sit on the cafe’s benches, built by Stallard, or take their food to the beach. Locals like to outdo each other by bringing eccentric items – ‘People bring things like candelabras,’ Glass says. If it is chilly she hands out hot-water bottles and rugs. The pricing is important (some feast nights cost as little as £10). Stallard wants to keep them afordable so they do not become exclusive. ‘What I like is that last week we had a man in a shell suit with six tins of beer sitting next to someone whose butler had just dropped of their plates and vintage champagne… And that’s great.’
On the day I visit – a hot Monday before the schools have broken up – there is a steady stream of people from the moment the cafe opens at 10am. The original hut is still there but has been patched up and painted. Next to it is a kitchen built on wheels so that it can be moved in case of a storm. Four chefs – Alberto Calligaris, Nick Prisk, Dan Wilson and Ben Austin; all head chefs at local restaurants before they came to work here – stand underneath the awning, prepping food.
By 11.15am about 15 people, many of whom seem to be walking along the South West Coast Path (England’s longest waymarked trail, running from Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall, to Dorset), order cofees, teas and cake. It dies down again – ‘This is more like it usually, to be honest,’ Stallard says – before the lunch service begins at 12pm. By 1.30pm about 90 people have bought lunch – some sit down; others take pasties to the beach. At 3.30pm it is more tea and ice creams (made using organic clotted cream), before the cafe closes at 5pm.
The tills will be healthy by the end of today – and, if the good weather continues, over summer.
Lobster and chips
with garlic aioli and
rosemary salt serves 2 1.2-1.4kg live Cornish lobster vegetable oil, for frying 400g washed Maris Piper potatoes, cut into skin-on chips
for the garlic aioli
4 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise 1 tbsp crème fraîche 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated 1 lemon (zest and juice) 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
for the rosemary salt
100g fne sea salt 25g picked rosemary Place a large pan of salted water on the hob to boil. Meanwhile, get your live lobster out of fridge and lie it fat, stomach-side down, on a chopping board. Spike it frmly and quickly with a large, sharp knife in the base of its head to kill it. Place the lobster in the boiling water and cook for eight minutes. Refresh in cold water and put in the fridge.
Preheat your vegetable oil to about 140C. Gently fry your chips for 8-10 minutes, until soft and cooked through. Set them aside on kitchen paper.
Whisk together all the aioli ingredients and season to taste.
For the rosemary salt, blitz together the salt and rosemary in a food processor until fne and light green.
Now prep your lobster. Using a large knife, split it in half, and scoop out its guts with a spoon. Rinse it under cold water. Gently crack its claws with the back of a knife. The lobster is now ready to be cooked. It can either be cooked on a barbecue to impart a smoky favour (shellside down to protect the meat and infuse the favour) or, dotted with butter, for eight minutes in the oven (preheated to 180C/gas mark 4).
While the lobster is cooking, re-fry your chips in 190C oil for two minutes, until light brown and crisp. Drain and season with the rosemary salt.
Serve the cooked lobster with chips and a good spoonful of aioli.
Fried aubergine with
Cornish honey
serves 4
2 aubergines, cut into 1cm round slices vegetable or rapeseed oil, for deep-frying a pinch of safron 250ml sparkling water a splash of malt vinegar 200g plain four 4 tbsp Cornish honey Liberally sprinkle the aubergine slices with coarse sea salt and leave to stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oil to 180C. Add the saffron to the sparkling water and leave to stand for a couple of minutes. Whisk the infused water and vinegar into the four until smooth. Season with a touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pat the aubergine slices dry with kitchen paper and lightly coat in the saffron batter. Deep-fry for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through, then drain and season with coarse salt. Serve drizzled with Cornish honey
Smoked mackerel
pâté serves 4
8 fllets of smoked mackerel 100ml double cream 1 lemon (zest and juice) 4 tbsp crème fraîche a 2.5cm piece of fresh horseradish, peeled and fnely grated 1 tbsp chopped dill 1 tbsp chopped tarragon You can buy fresh horseradish from a good food store or forage it yourself – it grows in abundance in this country. Look for leaves similar to dock leaves that have that distinct horseradish smell when scrunched. It is the root that you are after.
Blitz seven smoked mackerel fllets in a food processor with the cream and lemon until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the crème fraîche, horseradish and herbs. Flake in the remaining fsh and mix through for texture. Season to taste and serve with warm fatbreads.
This is also lovely with chopped capers stirred in or a few pieces of
pickled cucumber served alongside it.
Crab cakes serves 4
00g picked white crab meat 100g brown crab meat 100g mashed potato the zest of two lemons, plus 1 lemon cut into wedges, to serve 1 tbsp %ijon mustard a pinch of chilli powder 1 tbsp chopped parsley 1 tbsp chopped dill plain four, lightly seasoned, for dusting
eggs, beaten 250g panko breadcrumbs vegetable or rapeseed oil, for frying butter, for frying Mix both crab meats with the mashed potato, lemon zest, mustard, chilli powder and chopped herbs. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form the mixture into eight evenly sized crab cakes and chill for 20 minutes. Coat the crab cakes in seasoned four, then egg and fnally breadcrumbs, until evenly covered. Preheat the oil in a frying pan and fry the crab cakes for two minutes on each side, adding a knob of butter for the fnal minute of cooking. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the lemon wedges.
These are also delicious served with lemon mayonnaise and a shaved-fennel salad.
If you prefer to buy (or catch!) a whole crab, even better. This recipe will need a whole goodsized cooked crab. If you have a choice, do not be fooled by appearance – go for the ugly, gnarly one covered in barnacles. It has not shed its shell recently, so the meat is at its best.
Spanish tortilla with
romesco sauce
serves 4
for the romesco saVce
2 red peppers, roasted and peeled 1 tbsp tomato purÏe 100ml olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed a pinch of chilli fakes a pinch of paprika 1 lemon (zest and juice) 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 10 basil leaves 2 tbsp toasted almonds 50g stale bread, torn
for the tortilla
2 large white onions, sliced
cloves of garlic, crushed a pinch of paprika a pinch of chilli fakes olive oil, for frying butter, for frying 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and sliced
large potatoes, peeled, sliced and cooked (any type) 8 eggs, beaten 100ml milk 1 tbsp chopped parsley 100g feta, crumbled First make the romesco sauce. Blitz together all the ingredients until blended but not perfectly smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the tortilla, preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3½. Heat a small cast-iron, ovenproof frying pan and gently fry the onions, garlic, paprika and chilli in a mixture of oil and butter until softened. Add the roasted red peppers and potatoes, and cook for a further minute. Meanwhile, mix together the eggs, milk and parsley. Season and pour over the onion and potato mixture. Sprinkle with the feta and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and well set. Allow to cool. Cut into slices and serve with the romesco sauce.
This is also lovely topped with some wild rocket and toasted almonds, and – if you like it spicy – some pickled chillies too.
Salt and pepper
squid serves 4
400g fresh local day-boat squid, cleaned and cut into cm rings (if you have the tentacles, cut them in half) 200g cornfour 20g coarse sea salt 10g cracked black pepper 10g ground white pepper 10g paprika vegetable or rapeseed oil, for deep-frying 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges Mix the cornfour with the salt, black and white pepper and paprika. Heat the oil to 180C, ready for deep-frying. Immerse the squid in the four mixture, then transfer to a sieve and shake off the excess four. Fry the squid for 1-2 minutes, until light golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, season with a touch more salt and pepper, and serve with the lemon wedges.
This tastes very good with some fresh chopped chilli, coriander and punchy garlic aioli.
Although fresh local day-boat squid is ideal, it is not always available in shops; you will need to hunt out a good fshmonger. Alternatively, frozen is the next best (and most affordable) option. The freezing process actually has the beneft of tenderising the meat, so frozen is not second rate
But on rainy days and in winter, business is dead. ‘We make money for 15 weeks of the year,’ Stallard says. ‘At the time you feel quite rich, but you have to remember there are 37 other long weeks.’
The cafe is open ‘from when the clocks go forward to when they go back’, Glass says, although if like last year there is a mild winter, it stays open longer. In winter Stallard and Glass go on holiday, and Stallard works as a consultant in Asia or New York, advising restaurants on menu creation, for example. The other chefs work and travel – Austin does ski seasons; Calligaris, also a poet, writes.
Stallard and Glass work seven days a week during the season. Glass does the marketing and social media as well as hosting the feast nights, clipboard in hand, with their eight-month-old baby, Oscar, strapped to her front. Stallard gets to the cafe at 7.30am and does everything from serving customers and wiping tables to cooking. They have 12 members of staf during their peak season – serving staf rotate in and out of their other jobs, from modelling to photography, to work at the Hut.
All the suppliers are local. The beef (on the menu today is a brisket that has been roasted overnight) comes from cows in the feld behind the cafe; the fsh and crabs come from the bay in front. ‘There’s a local couple who built their fshing boat by hand – it’s got no motor; it’s just sail and oar. We always buy everything they catch,’ Stallard says.
He is constantly thinking of new business ventures. Last year the couple converted a public lavatory in Portscatho into a small cofee bar that serves breakfasts, cakes and ice creams. Unlike the Hidden Hut, the cofee bar remains open in winter, selling takeaway kebabs and flatbreads in the evening; the Hut chefs Wilson and Prisk work here in the colder months. The taxi driver who takes me to the station jokes that she is experiencing withdrawal symptoms and can’t wait for winter.
Stallard is currently planning a one-of evening meal backstage at a theatre in Truro – ‘I want to bring the concept to a new audience’ – and has plans to create a more immersive dining experience on the beach, ‘where you turn up at 8am with a spade to dig a frepit for that evening’s meal’.
Throughout the day people drift to the cafe from the beach and coastal path. Stallard is an excellent host, greeting everyone, complimenting them on their choice of lunch. ‘This,’ he says, gesturing at the beach below with families and couples dotted about, ‘is your typical English beach holiday. We just provide the convenience.’ hiddenhut.co.uk compared with fresh, especially if buying from a supermarket.
stallard plans an immersive dining experience on the beach, ‘where you turn up at 8am to dig a frepit for that evening’s meal’
Strawberry cake (by Maggie Glass) serves 8 188g plain four 100g caster sugar tsp baking powder tsp bicarbonate of soda 11 g cold butter, plus eYtra for greasing 1 egg 11 g buttermilk tsp vanilla eYtract 400g strawberries 50g muscovado sugar 100g caster sugar
0g plain four tsp cinnamon
0g cold butter Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4, and grease a 22cm springform tin.
Combine the four, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Beat the egg, buttermilk and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the four mixture until combined. Pour the cake mixture into the tin Slice all the strawberries and layer on top of the cake mixture.
To make the topping, combine the sugars, four and cinnamon. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then sprinkle over the strawberries.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool before serving with cream.