It's fab!

Rick Stein has spoken.

26 Flavours of Cornwall, now on show at The Poly in Falmouth, is, I quote, 'fab'.

'I really like it,' said Rick, turning to me and smiling as I showed him around the exhibition on Tuesday.

Rick was at The Poly for a cookery demonstration. He thought it’d be a great opportunity to raise the profile of The Poly – Falmouth’s Royal Polytechnic Society in the heart of the high street – and raise some money for it, too.

It just happened 26 Flavours of Cornwall was hanging in the room above the demonstration. So I couldn’t resist inviting myself to drinks with the trustees before the demo. Or, I should say, asking The Poly’s very friendly, hugely enthusiastic general manager Ciaran if I could please pop along to show Rick around the exhibition.

'Of course,' said Ciaran.

There was no stopping Rick as he headed off to admire the 26 pieces of art hanging in The Poly’s exhibition space at the top of the stairs. He asked about 26. He smiled at the fudge and the Giant Mermaid Knockers, wondered at the wine, followed hog’s pudding's story, spoke to Jo Thomas about beer and chatted apples with Helen Gilchrist. Jo and Helen are trustees of The Poly. And keen members of 26.

After ten minutes of reading the 26 pieces – each a creative response to a Cornish food or drink from a team of writer and visual artist – Rick nipped off to prepare for his demo.

I wonder if he used any of our Flavours…

The exhibition stays up at The Poly until 14th August. It moves to the Lander Gallery in Truro in September for the Cornwall Food & Drink Festival.