Award-winning chef announces new pub opening in Cornwall

One of Cornwall’s award-winning chefs has announced the opening date for his new pub, which is based near Newquay.

Chef Adam Handling MBE, owner of Ugly Butterfly, will open his second Cornish venue, The Tartan Fox, on June 4.

The Tartan Fox, based in the building once known as Carvynick House between Newquay and Truro, is Adam’s second pub opening, following the launch of the award-winning The Loch & the Tyne in Old Windsor in 2021.

In keeping with the Adam Handling Group ethos, The Tartan Fox embodies Adam’s visionary approach to modern, waste-free British food underpinned by the philosophy of ‘sustainable, local luxury’.

Like the Ugly Butterfly, all produce used at the pub will be sourced locally from and around Cornwall, and Adam plans to grow home-grown ingredients from the pub’s extensive garden space over the next growing season, including vegetables, herbs and flowers.

The pub’s name is a nod to Adam’s Scottish roots, and the location of the Tartan Fox, which sits in the middle of a Cornish woodland and, like a fox’s home, is a den for a rural escape.

The pub will offer food similar to that of its sister pub, The Loch and the Tyne, which has a Michelin Bib Gourmand and three AA rosettes, but uses local ingredients from and around Cornwall.

Tartan Fox will also have outdoor seating as well as a space for parties and small weddings (Image: supplied)

In addition to a selection of sustainable cocktails and local beers, there will be an extensive wine list, featuring wines from around the world.

The pub will seat 90 over two floors, which will include the bar, wine room, restaurant and two private dining rooms, as well as additional restaurant seating upstairs.

Adam is investing in refurbishing the pub ahead of its summer opening, with significant further investment scheduled in the first year.

The barn space at The Tartan Fox is planned as an outdoor space for additional guest seating and can be used for weddings, parties and events for 100 or more guests.

Adam explained why he jumped at the chance to turn this iconic venue into a pub. He said: “I’ve always loved Cornwall so when this opportunity came up it was one I just couldn’t turn down.

“The pub is absolutely stunning, steeped in history, set in the Cornish countryside with so much land.

“Cornwall is one of the most beautiful places in the UK and produces incredible ingredients. It’s amazing to have the chance to combine the history of this amazing building with sustainable British food made from local Cornish ingredients.

“You might not know you’re in an Adam Handling restaurant when you walk in, but you’ll know it when you walk out.”