The Cornish Veggie: A Trip to the Longstore on Lemon Street

Met by a warm atmosphere of dimmed lighting, homely Cornish decor and the noise of loved ones chatting their evenings away, the Longstore in Truro provided a home away from home for the evening.

I was lucky enough to be sent to Lemon Street for the chance to try the Longstore’s evening menu from top to bottom as part of a *gifted PR experience. Marketed as a ‘Bar and Grill’ you can expect to see a varying abundance of locally sourced meat, veg and fish curated into a diverse menu to suit all. As a veggie myself, I was looking forward to discovering their plant-based options to ‘report back’ to my followers and audience.

– To start –

As with any good dining experience we started our evening with my all time favourite cocktail, a Dark and Stormy, which was mysteriously featured on their specials board. Decorated with dried fiery ginger, orange segments and lit by the candle light, I can quite confidently say that this was the best version I’d had. Excited by the state of my cocktail (which had now disappeared) I dived in and ordered Nocellara olives, cornish bread and breadsticks with the mushroom arancini to start, while my boyfriend/ lucky guest indulged in the scallop and chorizo dish with apple puree (also featured on the specials). The arancini felt light and creamy inside with a perfectly crispy coating on the outside; a recipe I’m sure you’ll agree makes for the perfect texture. While I couldn’t try the scallop and chorizo dish I can vouch that it looked incredible as well, cooked to a golden colour with the chorizo rich in colour.

– For Mains –

For our mains we both decided that we ought to try the steak dishes we’d heard so much about; the only difference being that mine was a Celeriac steak (a root vegetable from the celery family) and my boyfriends was the ‘Butchers cut’. With every steak dish you’re given the choice of a sauce and a side to accompany, so whilst skinny fries and blue cheese sauce were ordered for the meat steak, I went for some mac ‘n’ cheese fritters followed with chilli ketchup.

The Celeriac was perfectly cooked, rich in flavour and matched up wonderfully with the garlic puree and crispy shallots; offering a great alternative to the meats. To compliment my dish I had asked for a glass of Carpe Diem (white wine) from the Knightor Winery in Cornwall which worked excellently with the flavours of my veggie-dish. Though wowed by the main itself, the side of Mac ‘n’ Cheese fritters stole the show for me. With similar textures to the arancini I had to start with, these creamy and crispy little bites of joy married the chilli ketchup perfectly for an idyllic no-meat-side.

Based on my guests verdict, the locally sourced Butchers Cut steak was also prepared to perfection with his choice of blue cheese sauce dressing it for a mouthwatering bite every time. From watching the immense ‘Big Cut’ sharer steaks being delivered to other tables, we would also recommend this choice for a wow-factor meal.

– To finish-

With our food threshold almost at bursting point and with the help of a glass of the Fontanafredda Moscato d’Asti desert wine, we reached into our ’emergency stomachs’ to find space for a final order. Having grown up with a love of Panna cotta I couldn’t resist but try the Longstore’s version made with cornish milk and garnished with rosewater jelly, dark chocolate shavings, pistachio and cardamom shortbread. My boyfriend went for the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Blondie, accompanied by raspberries, lemon verbena, vanilla ice cream. We didn’t expect any different by this point, but the deserts were presented beautifully, tasting rich in flavour with a perfect balance of sweetness (something that I find is often overdone). Though not planned, the dessert wine that I had selected held beautiful notes of floral scents which went wonderfully with the pannacotta dish and its rose jam coating; so well that I’d say it could even be marketed as the ‘perfect duo’.

– To Reflect –

By the end of the night we were content with excited taste buds and a body full of good, locally sourced food. I have to say that the Longstore really is a true reflection of how eating locally sourced food can be the perfect way to not only support your area but also combat climate issues. From the moment we walked in we felt impeccably looked after and could see that every customer there that night had been the top of the staff’s priority list. Though sent on a PR trip, I couldn’t help but tip the staff generously for their kindness.

The Longstore has our recommendation and is a place that I would suggest is ideal for any occasion whether it be a casual girls night, a formal business meeting or a chaotic family trip out. In the words of my boyfriend, “even the bread was amazing…”

Thank you so much to the Longstore Lemon Street for having us! You can visit their website or book a table at https://www.thelongstore.co.uk/the-longstore-truro/

* Disclosure – Myself and my guest were given our meal and drinks at the Longstore for free in return for social media coverage and a blog review. My write-up is entirely true to how I feel my experience was and will not be embellished in anyway for the benefit of the business.