Day 1: London to Padstow. The promise of lunch, freshly caught, is enough to curb servo cravings on the near five-hour drive from London. Our destination: Rock, a fishing village in north Cornwall, and lunch at The Mariners, under chef Zack Hawke and part of Nathan Outlaw’s family of restaurants. Casual, this pub collaboration with Sharps Brewery, is a first taste of Cornwall. Fruits de mer, on crushed ice, offers a clean, cool hit of what we’re searching for: the best of Cornwall. Porthilly oysters scream freshness; dressed scallops catch the eye and sate the appetite; a simple breaded sardine vies for top spot in a week of exceptional seafood, Atlantic Pale Ale an apt match. Mist falls over the Camel Estuary, the water still and the sky changing with each course. A post-lunch amble across the sand – a dog splashing in the shallows and a church bell ringing in the distance – confirms we’re a long way from London; locals even say from England.

At nearby Port Issac, Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, the two-Michelin-star flagship, offers a commanding Atlantic view; one-star Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen sits nearby in a 15th-century fisherman’s cottage. This may be Outlaw country, but it’s also the setting for TV show Doc Martin. Some haven’t a clue of the culinary reputation of Port Isaac, but there’s a steady trade in Newlyn crab sandwiches or seafood to take away at From the Sea and the quayside fisherman’s co-operative. Come prepared and take the time to walk the easily accessible clifftop coastal paths.

To Padstow, just 30 minutes down the road, and a stay at St Edmunds House. Seven years since my last Padstow visit, I recall the fish and chips, fried oysters and a glass of Chalky’s Bite at Rick Stein’s own chippy. The Seafood Restaurant, at the other end of the spectrum, is a last bastion of white linen with a menu that takes the best Cornish catch: lobster, oysters, John Dory, ray and ever-present mackerel.

Day 2: Padstow to St Tudy. Waking to the sound of distant gulls there’s a chance to ease into the day. Jill Stein (Rick’s ex-wife) designed the rooms at this luxurious townhouse with solid wood furniture, coastal photography and local homewares. One night is barely enough; book two and check out nearby Paul Ainsworth at No6, and Ruby’s – another Stein venture – a small bar on the corner of Broad Street. Dubbed Padstein (for some it’s said as a slight, but everything that the family does is of quality), Padstow brings an obligatory pasty at Stein’s Patisserie. At Stein’s Gift Shop on Middle Street you’ll find Porthdune, a range of natural toiletries created by Jill, ceramics, and gin crafted by youngest Stein son, Charlie, in collaboration with Cornish distiller Tarquin’s.

At St Tudy Inn, executive chef and owner Emily Scott has carved out a reputation for great hospitality. A local contingent sup St Tudy Ale, brewed by Scott at Padstow Brewing Company. The daily menu is underpinned by a fresh catch, with a wine list that holds some nice touches: English sparkling wine from Camel Valley in nearby Nanstallon, and from Bordeaux, Chateau Civrac; made by Scott’s partner, Mark Hellyar. Comfortable rooms have blankets by local company Atlantic and coastal illustrations by another local, artist Nicole Heidaripour, whose work is found throughout the Inn and who has a studio on the Cornish north coast.

Day 3: St Tudy to Newquay. Cornwall offers many detours, not least an 11am tasting of potato gin and vodka at Colwith Farm Distillery, outside the village of Lanlivery. Steve Dustow, a fifthgeneration farmer-turned-distiller with “plough to bottle” products enthuses about this new direction, that’s open for tastings and tours of the distillery. The Dustow family hopes this venture secures a few more generations on the farm. Driving to Britain’s surf capital, Newquay, is done at a Cornish pace, navigating country roads and ageing VW Kombis. Jamie Oliver’s outpost of social enterprise, Fifteen, at Watergate Bay, isn’t purely a Jamie-driven exercise; head chef Adam Banks writes seasonal menus. Plates of melon and mint, grilled squid, and delicate agnolotti complement the laid-back vibe. With a Cucamelon Fizz with elderflower and vodka liqueur, I’m hanging on to the last breath of English summer.

Below us, surf school is in session, a crescent of wetsuits stretching and practising pop-ups. I’m tempted, by the sand and the chance to gain some skills, but the draw of the Cucamelon is strong. Our time in Newquay is short, though there’s plenty more to explore. Emily Scott from St Tudy Inn recommends Pavilion Bakery and Box & Barber, both on Fore Street, while Jack Stein tips surrendering to the British seaside spirit with crazy golf and tacos at Gilmore’s on Tower Street. Lewinnick Lodge clings to the Pentire Headland, offering sheer Atlantic views from both bed and bath. And handily also the bar, where – after a bracing clifftop walk – we settle in to sample their selection of Cornish gins.

Art has long been a part of life in St Ives, from studio pottery to a vibrant community of artists. Today, you’ll find the Tate and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, with other small galleries scattered throughout the town. Stock up at the small bakers, delis and cheesemongers dotted around Fore Street. Nick and Claire Gane of Cheese on Coast specialise in Cornish cheeses, like traditional Yarg, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese wrapped in nettle leaves. The Digey Food Room stocks Cornish sea salt, seaweed and many other local premium products.

Heading south, you’re approaching Land’s End and The Gurnard’s Head at Zennor. A favourite bolthole of food writers like Diana Henry, if there were a perfect plate for a coastal inn, The Gurnard’s may well have not one but two of them; a grilled mackerel with salsa verde steals my heart, as does a pan-fried cod in a crab bisque. With rooms upstairs, a couple of nights exploring the coast, or just the menu, is highly advisable.

Heading back to St Ives the road pitches up and down, revealing a spectacular ocean outlook and an ice cream stop at Moomaid that’s truly close to the source. Pulling sharply into a field, we’re pointed by the seller to cows grazing towards the cliffs when we ask where the milk is from. At Pedn Olva hotel in St Ives, we watch the crew of a Cornish pilot gig – a traditional lifeboat – glide across the bay.

Day 5: St Ives to Coombeshead Farm. An early start puts us on the road to the Lizard Peninsula in search of Ann’s Pasties. The St Piran’s cross – the Cornish flag – flies from Ann Muller’s bakery, she wears Cornish tartan, and talks about the politics of the pasty and how big business threatens the rules of what is deemed proper. Ann is clear on how they go about it on the Lizard: skirt beef not mince, potato, turnip, a little bit of onion and a top crimp by hand. Tasting her handiwork, you see why loyal customers stock up for long drives north, or buy by mail order.

Tregothnan, one of England’s largest estates, lies three miles southeast of Truro. It’s been home to the Boscawen family since 1334, and is where, since 2005, the family has made Britain’s only home-grown tea, dubbed the “new Darjeeling”. A private tour of the estate reveals swathes of chamomile in bloom and test beds of teas not yet in production. Houses on the estate are available for stays, or call into the Woodyard to sample a cream tea with its unique kea plum jam.

Coombeshead Farm is our last stop. Down narrow shadowed lanes, a chalk-on-slate sign points the way to this guesthousecome- restaurant, set up by chefs Tom Adams and April Bloomfield. Cricket plays on the radio from farmhouse to bakery, the staff, London escapees, enthralled by the Test. Adams, hailed as one of Britain’s most exciting young chefs, tends to the 66 acres, his pigs in the woodland, and seems to have pulled off his own escape plan. Coombeshead has the feeling of visiting country friends; a place you don’t want to leave, and think about coming back to often. Much like Cornwall itself.