New gastronomic destination in an abandoned pasta shop that has been empty for years

A mum who moved to Cornwall just as lockdown hit to be with her partner has opened a funky new restaurant, taking over a bakery in Warrens which has been empty for years. Lou Rose moved her three daughters to Truro during the pandemic to be with her partner Andy after years of commuting between London and Cornwall.

A designer by trade, the 54-year-old, who now lives in the city, launched her first food truck idea, Holy Molé Cornwall, from a converted horse box and has gathered a following at festivals such as Porthleven Food Festival, Enys Gardens or The Great Estate at Scorrier House.

“I used to walk past Warrens pasta shop all the time during Covid,” said Lou. “I would look through the window thinking it would be an amazing place. After four years, it was still empty, so I thought it was the right time to go to it.

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“At first we thought we would go back to London but we all fell in love with Cornwall so we stayed. Now, with Ost Eatery, it’s like a wish for seclusion has come true.”

She said the building was left in a fair mess, with everything from the floors to the plumbing needing work – even the electricity had been broken. She and partner Andy, who has two children of his own, moved in and transformed the building with the aim of being as sustainable as possible, even using old skis for shelving and charity shop finds alongside items from Facebook Marketplace , for decoration. .

The result is Ost Eatery at High Cross, near Truro Cathedral and Red Elephant Brewery, which Lou describes as “led by Cornish produce, offering street food flavors in a space driven by the community for the community”.

“We have a map in the toilet that shows where everything in the restaurant comes from. We try to get as much as we can from Cornwall as a way of showing what’s great about the county,” added Lou. “Ost means host in Cornish and that’s exactly what we want to be about. We want to welcome everyone to have fun in a relaxed and friendly environment.”

Lou said Ost, which has a total of five employees and has 32 covers, said Friday nights will be about guest chefs coming in and cooking food from around the world, from Korean to Lebanese to Greek. Thursdays will be about community and welcoming people for art and drawing or printmaking classes and even learning to mend clothes, while Saturdays will be about smaller menus where customers can come in for a bite to eat and a drink of wine.

Lou is also looking after movie nights and ensuring Ost Eatery becomes a new focal point for the community as well as a meeting place for foodies in Cornwall. She added: “We’ve only been open for a few weeks and already everyone is loving the space. Trade has been very good and we feel that Truro has embraced us.”

For more information check out the Ost Eatery website at https://osteatery.co.uk/ or on their social media.