Al fresco dining at The Croft

We recently enjoyed an al fresco cookout at our Coverack retreat, The Croft, with celebrity chef Gill Meller and the teams from Big Green Egg, Padstow Kitchen Garden and Cornish Sea Salt. Testing out the Croft’s brand new Big Green Egg barbecue, we set up on the patio for a day of foraging, cooking and feasting, all under the open sky with gorgeous sea views.

We’re excited to be celebrating Big Green Egg’s 50th birthday by offering an incredible competition prize. Watch the video from our day at The Croft to be in with the chance of winning a MiniMax Egg worth £795, £1000 towards your dream holiday with Beach Retreats ,and a Cornish Sea Salt goody bag including 10 different salts.

Food with a view

The bright, sunny day was perfect for kicking back in the comfy outdoor seats and gazing out across the sparkling Coverack water whilst Gill and his team prepared a feast, using ingredients foraged directly from the private access beach at the bottom of The Croft’s garden.

He treated us to his delicious new potatoes with seaweed butter and Cornish gouda, for which he wandered to the shoreline and returned with a pan full of sea water for boiling the potatoes, freshly foraged seaweed and a handful of three cornered leek flowers for garnishing, which are in season in the spring months.

Other recipes we devoured included smoked pig’s cheeks with rhubarb and lovage sauce, and ember-roasted beetroot, hot-smoked mackerel, horseradish and dill. Everything was prepared and cooked outdoors using the Big Green Egg, and hot off the grill in the sunshine.

The egg

The Croft recently became home to a brand new large Big Green Egg – a ceramic charcoal barbecue loved by Michelin-starred chefs & food lovers. Fitted into an integrated table and positioned on the patio directly outside the kitchen and dining room, the addition of the Egg to The Croft’s facilities opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to al fresco dining.

With eight cooking methods, including barbecuing, slow cooking, roasting, baking, grilling, pan cooking and more, a Big Green Egg means you can create a range of culinary delights using locally sourced products from surrounding Cornish suppliers, all whilst enjoying the beautiful ocean views and fresh air.

The retreat

The layout of this gorgeous waterfront retreat, where we spent the day, inspires indoor-outdoor living. All living spaces and bedrooms feature large windows which invite in sunlight and highlight the uninterrupted sea views. Throw open the French doors from the dining space and make the most of the generous garden space, with a patio, large lawn with sun loungers and a hot tub, and direct, private beach access via a gated path at the bottom of the garden. Here, beach days never truly end, as you are constantly just seconds from the sand.

The Croft sleeps eight and is perfectly situated directly on the beach in the heart of Coverack, a peaceful and classically Cornish fishing village in The Lizard Peninsula, the UKs most southerly point.

Find out more about The Croft

The competition

As part of Big Green Egg’s 50th birthday celebrations, we’re delighted to be collaborating with them to offer an incredible competition prize. One lucky winner will receive a MiniMax Egg worth £795, £1000 towards your dream holiday with Beach Retreats, and a Cornish Sea Salt goody bag including 10 different salts. 

To win, all you have to do is watch the video from the day until the end, and follow the instructions on the entry form.

Enter here