We thought you’d like to know a little bit more about the beers we serve at The Carew Arms. The first is our very own premium Cornish lager, a Pilsner from Harbour Brewery.

The mind’s image of Cornwall moves with the seasons more than most places. While there’s the rugged coastline of embattled castles, granite moorland, Arthurian mists and deep, dark ales in pubs that could have leapt off the pages of J.J. R. Tolkien in winter, there’s also the sunny coves, amber sands, seaside ‘cafs’ and golden lagers that shine on the face of postcards in summer. Which is probably why Harbour Brewery, based at Trekillick Farm, Bodmin, is producing the sort of beer – a crisp, malty pilsner – that straddles this divide beautifully.

Served with a fluffy head, it’s the kind of beer that manages to be at once both sharp and delicate. Bottom fermented and finished with noble aroma hops, there’s a slightly spicy finish to the stuff. On a more complex level, experts have produced tasting notes that include claims that it has ‘cereal on the nose’, is ‘grassy’, ‘citrussy‘ and ‘marmalade-laden’, and they make no bones about describing it as a ‘US-style’ pilsner.

Whatever the details of the consensus, the beer’s almost always given between four or five stars out of five. High praise indeed for Harbour, a small craft brewery based in North Cornwall that was only conceived of at the backend of 2011. Quickly gaining a name for itself thanks to the fact it uses pure Cornish spring water sourced from the hillside next to the brewery and blends it with only the finest raw materials, it’s since boosted that reputation by getting creative with the recipes too.

That’s perhaps because owners, brewer Rhys Powell and Eddie Lofthouse, are both surf fanatics and beer boffs. Rhys was a great steal from Sharps Brewery in Rock and Eddie had run the family business, The Atlantic Hotel and Doom Bar in New Polzeath, for a number of years before helping set up Harbour in 2012. Starting from scratch, the two found a 10 British Brewers Barrel system designed in California and built in Hungary by the US firm Bavarian Brewing Technologies, and before long had it producing crazy numbers like Nagasake – a chilli beer made with Naga chilli and sake yeast. Their playfulness has a purpose, however, as they see craft beer as the future of the industry because beerheads – the real repeat customers – prioritize flavour above all other things.

They’re both particularly proud of Habour’s versatile pilsner and so is the Carew Arms, which pairs it with a number of classic dishes. The grainy beer stands up to the creamy, cheesy fish pie well; the musty notes of River Teign mussels in sea greens risotto work perfectly with the slightly hoppy pils too. Finally, the fruit pudding menu, which features the like of steamed rhubarb and orange pudding, as well as blackcurrant bavarois with Autumn berries, is the perfect call out for Harbour’s pilsner, which contains a mild bitterness of its own that makes the fruit’s natural character shine.

We also sell the full range of Harbour beers in our farm shop.

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One of the most popular drinks on our menu is the Camel Valley sparkling rosé. Though invariably swathed in compliments such as as ‘sublime’ or ‘rich’ it doesn’t stop the Lindo family in charge from getting nervous come the season for Wimbledon. Less because of Andy Murray’s racket-swinging antics, of course, but rather because if the weather’s poor around that spot of summertime the crop will likely follow suit. With a full trophy cupboard and a loyal crowd of customers who’re willing to drive all the way to Cornwall’s hinterlands for a taste of their grape juice, however, they’re clearly favoured by the gods, so here we take a look at some of the reasons why the wine’s so celebrated.

1.     The Taste

This is a wine that sends even the most tongue-tied into flights of rhetorical fancy. Some detect something of the English hedgerow, others a touch of raspberry and honey, but all agree they want more.

2.    The Smell

Whiffs of floral and strawberry aromas dominate but there’s definitely a hint of cherry-blossom in there too.

3.    The Colour

A delicate salmon meets peach pink.

4.     Its Awards

We trust our own judgment here at Carew Arms but it’s nice, every now and then, to know the entire world agrees with you. Praised by countless critics, the rosé has won almost every gong going – pipping big houses such as Bollinger to the post at several awards – but most notably the Camel Valley sparkling rosé notched 95 out of 100 points from Tom Stevenson, editor of Christie’s world encyclopaedia of Champagne and sparkling wine, making it kind of a big deal.

5.     More Local Than a Wheel of Yarg

Which, incidentally, it goes well with. Initially farming sheep and cattle, ex-RAF pilot Bob Lindo and wife Annie, watched their grass turn brown each summer in dismay. Now ensconced in Bodmin’s finest farmland, their seven hectares of vines (planted in 1989) flourish under a Cornish sun.

6.    It’s a Family-Run Business

Father-and-son team Bob and Sam Lindo run the show here. And despite the awards, it’s not the competition they’re worried about, preferring to focus on making the best out of the main materials they have: nature and sunshine.

7.    The Philosophy

It’s not about pressing the grapes into a consistent style each year but rather engaging in the joie de vivre of making the most delectable wine possible out of what’s available from each harvest.

8.    Its Luck

British grapes contain higher levels of protein than their continental counterparts, which results in a much bubblier wine overall. Growing more slowly too means the acidity is juicier and can withstand a little more dosage – a quirk that means Camel Valley is often a tad more more-ish than the competition.

9.    Its Pairing Ability

Roughly equating to a Pinot Noir, the Camel Valley sparkling rosé should be drunk with serious seafood – which luckily we have sitting on our menu.

Whether achingly trendy or quaintly traditional, Cornish B&Bs, especially when scattered all over the gloriously subtropical slice of Cornwall that is the Rame Peninsula, always come with a large dose of individuality. Like the people that run them, they come in all shapes, sizes and personalities, from big, characterful farmsteads with free-range eggs, collies and home-cooked breakfasts to dainty little cottages with flagstones warmed by AGAs. To make sure you get exactly the sort of period charm you’re after, then, read our shortlist to the best B&Bs on the Rame Peninsula.

Fir Cottage

Located next to coastal paths, Fir Cottage is one of the few B&Bs on the Rame Peninsula that means hopping in and out of the car to do anything won’t be a problem. Containing two super-king sized bedrooms, as well as balconies to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea on, perhaps the highlight of its set-up is a hard-surface tennis court within the grounds. Just remember to keep one eye on the newspaper and one on the dewy field while grazing through your full Cornish! It’s not been unknown for a few lucky visitors to have spotted Fallow deer munching through their own breakfast come morning time.

Rame Barton

Set in two acres of rolling Cornish countryside, Rame Barton offers the best of every period, with its 18th century farmhouse exterior concealing a tastefully modern operation within. Complete with crisp, white bed linen, organic toiletries, and a gorgeous view of the 13th century Rame Church, the B&B is just down the road from the twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand, and boasts an impressive array of tea-pots made by owner, Paul Cardew. Once quite the businessman, running three potteries in total, the potter is now focusing on a few pièces de résistance that guests have a habit of persuading him to sell.

Penmillard Farm

Bordering Mount Edgcumbe Country Park and only a few hundred yards from Polhawn Fort, Penmillard Farm makes for the ideal rural retreat. Decorated with Gainsborough-esque scenes, dotted with home-made cakes to pick at, and surrounded by horses to stroke, the whole place reminds guests of a prelapsarian idyll. What’s more, if transport is lacking for whatever reason, it’s not unknown for the owners to offer drop-offs, making it no surprise that visitors to the guest house tend to be of the returning variety more often than not.

Sheviock Barton

Reputedly standing on the site of a medieval manor, the 300 year-old Sheviock Barton is a wonderfully restored specimen immersed in large grounds that contain a paddock. Built using the grandest and most solid materials around, the result is a splendid ensemble of oak beams, flagstone floors, AGAs, heavy calico curtains, off-white sofas and arm-thick church candles. Visitors won’t feel snooped on or treated like children when they miss their ‘curfews’ either, as a ‘secret key’ is supplied to ensure guests can enter and leave at will.

Freathy Farmhouse

Nestled down a secluded country lane offering peace and quiet (with the beach just a short walk away) is one of the best B&Bs on the Rame Peninsula, Freathy Farmhouse, with its random tufts of wildflowers, is so pretty that it’s often used for local photo shoots. Inside, home-made foods, antique chairs, double-sash windows, healing massages and lavender scented linens beckon. Surrounded by a patchwork of fields, as well as farmyard animals (from chickens rescued from battery farms to waddling ducks), little slices of history from Iron Age remains to WWII battlements rear their heads here and there, making a bucolic scene for both adults and children to enjoy.

The Carew Arms has the perfect space for holding Christmas parties, The Loft, able to seat 20 for dinner or a stand-up canapé drinks reception for 35. Our three-course menu for £22 is one of the best value in the area.

The Loft private dining room at The Carew Arms.

We do need to take a £200 deposit if you would like to take the whole of The Loft, alternatively we need a £10 per person deposit to book a shared Christmas party with the rest of the pub. Menu selections are required five days ahead of your booking.

For New Year we are having a gastronomic feast, with a four-course menu for £38.50 per person, you will need to book in advance as we are already getting busy. We will also be open to 2am so you can see the New Year in in style.

Our festive opening hours are:
Christmas Eve
Pub: 12pm-11pm (lunch & dinner)
Shop: 8.30am-6pm

Christmas Day
Pub & Shop: closed

Boxing Day
Pub: 12pm-6pm (lunch only) Shop: 9am-6pm

27-30th December
Pub: 12pm-11pm (lunch & dinner) Shop: 8.30am-11pm

New Year’s Eve
Pub: 12pm-2am (lunch & dinner) Shop: 9am-6pm

New Year’s Day
Pub: 12pm-6pm (lunch only) Shop: 9am-6pm

2nd January onwards
Pub: 12pm-11pm (lunch & dinner) Shop: 8.30am-11pm

The first time records show a pub on the casino site of The Carew Arms was back in January 1770,  The Plasterers’ Arms run by a John Courteney. A coaching house on the main road from London to Penzance, there are still some of the original features left in the building, from the cobbled stones of the stables beneath the floor of what is now the shop to the small chimneys dotted around the building. In 1871 the name of the pub was changed to the Ring O’Bells – to represent it’s position nestling beneath the parish church of St James, which dates back to the 13th Century.

From 1871 up until 2016 the Ring O’Bells was operating in the village of Antony. The last ten years has really seen a decline in the quality of the offerings available with a succession of failed operators.

When Tremayne Carew Pole purchased the pub in March 2016 he wanted to have a break with the recent past, but also give it a backstory and some heritage, so he changed the name to The Carew Arms. The Carew family have lived on the Rame Peninsula since the 15th Century, and still continue to do so today. By linking it back to the family, it provides the pub with more gravitas and a sense of tradition. One that will continue for many years to come.