Location, location, location dictates both the ethos and food at this historic maritime pub. The Tolcarne Inn’s proximity to Newlyn Harbour – where approximately 50 species of fish are regularly brought ashore – means chef-owner Ben Tunnicliffe gets the pick of the catch within hours of it being landed.

Naturally this generates a daily evolving menu and, once the seafood is caught and dishes designed, the offering is chalked up on the pub’s blackboard. This on-the-fly intuitive style of cooking suits the chef.

Ben enjoys serious creds on the Cornish food scene – he held a Michelin star at The Abbey in Penzance in previous years – but is happiest in the unpretentious surroundings of this tucked-away inn.

His instinctively prepared seafood packs a flavour punch in dishes like red mullet with lemon-glazed salsify and fennel, ray wing with smoked-ham croquettes, cider and grain mustard, or the more unusual weaver fish with scallop-roe taramasalata and cucumber chutney.

Being a pub, quality drinks are equally as important so The Tolcarne serves seafood-friendly local ales and ciders alongside wines that have been specifically chosen to complement the culinary direction.

Trencherman’s tip

Soak up the pub’s immense history when crossing the threshold: the lintel above the entrance door marks its date of construction in 1717.