As an award-winning restaurateur and world famous TV chef, Rick Stein knows a thing or two about creating a gorgeous plate of food. Now he's teamed up with homeware company BlissHome to launch of Coves of Cornwall, a new tableware collection inspired by the deep blues of the Cornish coastline.
Buy now: Dinner Plate set of 4, £54; Side Plate set of 4, £38, all Rick Stein Coves of Cornwall, Unique & Unity
Hand-painted in watercolour on fine bone china, the range features eight designs across plates, bowls, and mugs, with prices starting from £10. Water jugs (£45 each) and serving dishes (£50 each), available in two designs, complete the summery collection. The beautiful designs were created by art students at nearby Falmouth College, with Rick and his wife Sarah Stein helping to choose the overall winners.
Buy now: Cereal Bowl set of 4, £38, Rick Stein Coves of Cornwall, Unique & Unity
Rick says, “It was a great experience working with students from Falmouth University who took on the project with enormous enthusiasm and professionalism. I was very impressed with the quality of everything submitted, so much so that it was very hard to choose a winner.”
We caught up with the king of seafood to discuss his new range and get his thoughts on cooking and, of course, Cornwall.
What is your most treasured piece of kitchen kit?
A Winco fish spatula, which has a really open structure which lifts fish and fillets out of the frying medium leaving maximum oil behind plus a sharp edge for slicing easily under fish which also acts as a knife. It’s very light too.
What are the three most important qualities a good chef should possess?
A good palate, plenty of energy and an insatiable love of food.
What is the best advice you have been given?
Keep it simple.
Which chefs (if any) have inspired you?
Auguste Escoffier, Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson, Anton Mosimann, Jeremiah Tower, Simon Hopkinson, Richard Olney.
If you had to pick a favourite cuisine what would it be?
Italian.
Which of your dishes do you find the most pleasing to cook?
Madras fish curry.
To an amateur chef, what type of fish would you recommend cooking for a dinner party?
A thick fillet of cod with skin on which you can brush with butter season with salt and pepper and cook under a grill.
We love your new tableware collection, are there any other products on the horizon?
Yes, I’m planning a range of cooking equipment for fish, like frying pans, stockpots, fish kettles and some Cornish-made products like a pestle & mortar and a wooden chopping board.
What is it about Cornwall that's so inspirational?
It’s a mixture of childhood family holidays and an idea of a pollution free peninsula of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by lots of lovely fish.
Any recommendations for first time visitors to Cornwall?
You should visit Trelissick Gardens on the River Fal. Also, do the South West Coast Path walk between Treyarnon to Padstow, which will encompass many of the bays in the cookery range.
What is your most essential piece of travel kit?
My Moleskine notebook, I’d never be without one.
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