“The English winter – ending in July, to commence in August, was now done.” – Lord Byron
Only joking – whilst the weather perhaps hasn’t fully committed to the idea of summer yet, we certainly have! Nothing says “summer” like a good plate of food, gorgeous gardens, and a good book… so here are our top picks for you this July.
Enjoy cakes and cream teas at Trengwainton Garden, a Wild Food Wild Walk at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, or indulge with oysters and other culinary delights at the Rock Oyster Festival. Port Eliot Festival returns with a fantastic food line-up, as well as great music, arts and fun.
Learn how to make tapas at Philleigh Way, or sit back and relax at one of the many outdoor performances this summer with a homemade picnic.*
The Eden Project will be helping us to keep our gardens looking their best year-round, with expert advice from the Eden Project gardeners in their Gardening Courses, and Pentillie Castle are opening up their beautiful estate for guided tours.
Finally, The Penzance Literary Festival celebrates the written word, the spoken word, the recited word and the sung word too, and the Festival of Children’s Literature at Kestle Barton presents a family day of books and storytelling with authors of children’s literature, including plenty of interesting workshops, activities and fun!
As always this is just a snippet of the lovely stuff happening in Cornwall this month. For more, take a peek at our Summer Outdoor Performance and Summer of Music Top Picks, as well as the What’ s On Cornwall website.
Trelissick Garden
Bring a picnic and something to sit on and join St Mary’s Singers and a jazz pianist as they entertain you with a concert on the main lawn at Trelissick.
Spend a summer evening listening to jazz songs by Rutter and Shearing, madrigals and of course, Gershwin’s Summertime. In addition, St Mary’s Singers, Truro Cathedral’s acclaimed voluntary chamber choir, will be joined by a jazz pianist for some wonderful instrumental jazz.
For more information please visit the National Trust website.
A Very English Garden Party
Trengwainton Garden
Sunday 3rd July
Put on your best frock or straw boater and join in with the music, dancing, stalls and refreshments for a quintessentially English garden party.
There’ll be music from Pendeen Silver Band, performances from Kemysk Cornish dancers, tea and cake from the Little Wonder Café, games to play and stalls to browse, all in the beautiful setting of Trengwainton’s orchard.
Visit the Trengwaiton Garden National Trust website for more information.
Wild Food Wild Walk with Emma Gunn
Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell
Sunday 3rd July
Get back to nature with an experienced forager and explore the wild side of the Heligan Estate. Discover how to identify wild plants for culinary use and learn about their fascinating history. Set out on a mini adventure to explore Heligan hedgerows, fields and ancient woodland borders, identifying the vast array of wild food growing in these different habitats along the way.
Whether you are an experienced forager or a complete beginner, a food-lover or nature enthusiast, there will be something for everyone during these Wild Harvest Food Walks. Come and discover the abundance of wild food growing locally and develop the skills and confidence to forage on your own.
Visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan website.
Penzance Literary Festival
Wednesday 6th – Saturday 9th July
The Penzance Literary Festival is a festival for everyone who enjoys words – the written word, the spoken word, the recited word and the sung word too.
The festival features a guest appearances by best-selling author Gavin Knight and Rachel Joyce, as well as author Colin Taylor, Guardian journalist Patrick Barkham, multi-award winning novelist Andrew Miller, and more.
Cornish writers are strongly represented, with Penzance’s biographer Michael Sagar-Fenton entertaining with stories of local smugglers. Well-known music journalist Lee Trewhela will talk about contemporary music with colleagues Dick Porter and Ian Abrahams, while poets Bert Biscoe and Pol Hodge, and Penzance’s own Gray Lightfoot and Colin Stringer fly the flag for Cornish creativity.
Add to all of this, writing workshops, literary walks and musical performances, and the Best Litfest in the West promises to offer another boost to Penzance’s growing profile.
Visit the Penzance Literary Festival website for more information, including venues, times and booking.
Curious Creatures – Storytelling
Squashbox Theatre
Minack Theatre
Wednesday 13th July
Squashbox Theatre welcome you to the Curious Creatures wildlife park, established by Jeremiah Johnson: world-renowned explorer, zoologist and animal collector. Nobody knows more about animals than him. Unfortunately, Jeremiah Johnson is currently lost somewhere in the jungles of Africa, so he has handed the running of the park over to his inexperienced nephew Craig… and things don’t quite go as planned.
Expect to meet curious creatures of all shapes and sizes: from performing fleas, skateboarding snails and gymnastic gerbils to irritable alligators, over-excited elephants, and a very intelligent orang-utan! Learn about how animals evolved, how their amazing adaptations help them survive in the wild, and how animals can help us learn more about ourselves.
Using puppets, comedy, slapstick and live music – plus lots of amazing natural history facts – Squashbox Theatre will uncover the mysteries of the animal kingdom.
Visit the Minack Theatre website for information, and to see more from their summer season.
Thursday 14th July
Pentillie Castle, St.Mellion
Visitors will be guided around the beautiful Pentillie Estate and gardens, including some areas that are rarely open to the public.
Visitors will be shown around the Pentillie estate by a member of the Coryton family who will reveal a great deal about the history, the secrets and the scandals. Hear and see details of the recent restoration work at the Mausoleum and the hidden vault! Tour the gardens and view architect Humphry Repton’s proposed castle remodelling, landscaped gardens and parklands in one of his famous red books.
For more information please visit the website.
Tapas Cooking Course
Philleigh Way, nr Truro
Thursday 14th July
We love sharing food with friends and family. With many dishes easily prepared in advance, tapas is ideal to serve at a party, but are equally delicious as a complete lunch or supper with family or friends.
The course includes five demonstrations and four practical sessions. All food and drink is provided including a glass of Prosecco mid-morning and wine with lunch.
Visit the website for more information.
Rock Oyster Festival
Friday 15th – Saturday 16th July
Dinham House, nr Wadebridge
One of the leading artisan food festivals in Cornwall, Rock Oyster is once again taking over the stunning 17th century Dinham House overlooking the Camel Estuary. Celebrating food, music and art, visitors get the chance to indulge all the senses.
Foodies delight in the fantastic array of culinary treats to eat with oysters, fish currys, pulled pork, St Moritz mussels, pigeon breast, gourmet bangers, artisan breads and amazing wood fired pizzas. Enjoy whilst listening and watching live music, circus, and kids’ entertainment – there are even hot tubs, yoga, and didgeridoo workshops!
Festival of Children’s Literature & Storytelling Family Day
Saturday 16th July
A family day of books and storytelling with authors of children’s literature, including plenty of interesting workshops, activities and fun!
The gallery and garden will be open as usual with no entry charge. The Festival coincides with an exhibition of paintings by Nicola Bealing based on some rather dark stories she has unearthed in Helston Museum’s archive. The children’s workshops and activities will cost only £4 for each child for the whole day.
Visit the Kestle Barton website for more information.
Culdrose Air Day
Thursday 28th July
Air Day is the only day of the year when the public can step into the world of Culdrose and experience the sights and sounds of a working military Naval Air Station. Famed for heroic rescues, and with frontline helicopter Squadrons supporting the Navy across the globe, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose is home to a variety of military aircraft.
Get set to be blown away by awesome flying displays, meet the heroic Aircrew who fly helicopters around the world, and get up close to state-of-the art aircraft.
Port Eliot Festival
Thursday 28th – Sunday 31st July
Port Eliot is a festival unlike any other. The beautiful estate becomes your playground for one magical weekend: Whether you’re swimming in the estuary, picnicking under a 300 year old tree, rocking out at the Park Stage, canoeing on the river, catching an intimate gig in the church, watching a cooking demo in the Big Kitchen or dancing ‘till the wee hours in the Boogie Round – Port Eliot is yours for the weekend!
Join in the fun and celebrate words, music, imagination, ideas, nature, food, fashion, flowers, laughter, exploration, fun and all that is good in the world!
Visit the Port Eliot Festival website.
Gardening Course: The Cutting Garden
Eden Project
Saturday 30th July
Keep your garden looking its best year-round, with expert advice from the Eden Project gardeners, who will guide you through what to do in your garden this summer.
This course will introduce the beginner to growing and using flowers for cutting. It will take place in Eden’s cut flower garden, where you will look at the best flowers to grow, how to prepare and use them and top tips for getting the best out of your plot.
This half-day course, led by one of Eden’s horticultural specialists, includes admission to the Eden Project, and complimentary teas and coffees.
For more information please visit the Eden Project website.
*Our picnic Top Picks!
Pack a hamper with seasonal goodies like grilled artichokes, aubergine, courgette, and crunchy salads with peas, beetroot and fennel. Grilled mackerel will go down a treat, and finish it off with some juicy cherries and luscious peaches.
If you like what you see and read please share and if you would like to get involved and contribute a guest blog post to “In the Know” please contact info@cornwall365.org.uk
