You don't need to be a gourmet, but no sensible foodie worth their fleur de sel (sea salt to the rest of us) would see the sense in allowing funding, or a lack of it, to stand in the way of a lip-smacking meal. Armed with that sort of logic and bland memories of British seafood, I take to the back roads of Cornwall on England's southwestern coast, home of some of the country's best eateries.
It begins at the pretty resort town of St Ives in the lovely old harbour precinct with its small, clean, sandy beach where tots dip tiny toes in the water and squeal with delight, watched over by mums and dads sprawled across rented deck chairs in the 26-degrees Celsius summer sunshine. Others sip Cornish ale at the outdoor tables of the early 14th-century Sloop Inn, next door to the much younger Smock Shop that offers fishing and sailing smocks as well as nautical gifts and 'pirate bits', whatever they are.
Down the road is the Cornish Bakehouse selling traditional 'award-winning' but rather greasy Cornish pasties filled with beef and smelly Stilton cheese - not quite gourmet fare but still delectable.
You soon become adept at gunning the car around the scarily narrow, blind country lanes that pose as roads in rural England, squeaking between hedgerows and oncoming Range Rovers with all the newfound skill of a Michael Schumacher. The landscape grows even more attractive staying close to the spectacular coast, a scenic smorgasbord of small farming communities, seal colonies and cornfields that sweep up to 40-metre cliffs washed by crashing surf.
Long sandy beaches, tiny secluded coves and wheeling, squealing seabirds are sights that appear again and again down the precipitous road that leads into Watergate Bay, just east of Newquay. Apart from a 3km-long sandy beach and a lovely beachfront Victorian mansion, now a luxury hotel, there isn't much else at Watergate Bay except one of Britain's most sought-after restaurants.
Fifteen Cornwall (fifteencorn wall.co.uk) opened two years ago, the brainchild of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and one of four Fifteens he has created offering fine dining and the opportunity for disadvantaged youngsters to gain professional training. The others are in London, Melbourne and Amsterdam.
The light, breezy restaurant - which boasts Britain's Prince William and actress Keira Knightley as fans and where a meal can cost HK$2,150 - is buzzing. On the menu posted outside, of five starters, St Enodoc asparagus wrapped in prosciutto di San Daniele, poached Clarence Court duck egg and parmigiano reggiano shoot to the top of the list.
