A cosy Cornish pub with delicious food and plenty of music is a charming place to go – and you can stay in the rooms there
Journalist Katie Oborn visits a pub in Cornwall (Image: Katie Oborn)
A proper pub in Cornwall that dates back to the early 17th century is a pillar of the community – and visitors to the village also love its charm. Serving tasty food and with regular music events put on, The Eliot Arms is a friendly place with a great atmosphere.
I recently visited the cosy pub on a sunny Sunday, the generous sized beer garden area was a nice place to sit and relax. I tried the roast dinner with a mix of meat and delicious crunchy potatoes, veg and gravy, it’s a great pub lunch and was really enjoyable, everything was cooked to perfection and it was really hearty.
The landlady of The Eliot Arms is Lady Bianca Eliot, she lives on the nearby Port Eliot Estate which is surrounded by gorgeous countryside and wildlife.
The village of St Germans is a relaxing day out as you can get there by train, enjoy a walk in nature, visit the pub or take a tour of the beautiful Cornish stately home that dates back centuries.
Generations of the same family have continued to live at the Port Eliot Estate for over 500 years – and the pub is owned and run by the estate. The Eliot Arms was once a 17th century coaching inn and even these days, travellers can stay there for a while in the peaceful guest rooms at the premises.
Felicity and Geoff Clark at The Eliot Arms in St Germans(Image: Katie Oborn)
While I was enjoying my roast lunch at The Eliot Arms I met Geoff and Felicity beside the pub’s piano. Geoff was playing the piano perfectly, and he told me he’d been playing since he was nine-years-old, his wife, Felicity told me she loves St Germans village because it’s “full of creative people”.
Felicity said: “St Germans is lovely, the villagers are great, we love the atmosphere here and the customers at the pub, it’s very much a locals pub with lots of support locally.”
The pub’s general manager, Nondas Meletidis told me what he loves about The Eliot Arms, “all the locals, good live music and the great food” – and that the next exciting update is a launch of the “Mediterranean kitchen” style menu, which I’ll certainly be back to try.
Locals in Cornwall enjoying the beer garden at The Eliot Arms(Image: Katie Oborn)
Other visitors and locals reviewing the pub online describe it as “such a beautiful environment with great parking, lovely service and the food was absolutely incredible”, while another said the food is brilliant – and the portion sizes are “very generous”, with which I agree.
The Eliot Arms and village of St Germans is tucked away in south east Cornwall, often referred to as the “forgotten corner” of the county – and the village doesn’t get saturated with tourists at all unlike other coastal areas.
At times though, St Germans can be much busier as music events and festivals are held at the estate a few times a year.
Generally, it’s a peaceful corner of Cornwall to visit or stay a while in, and you have the Port Eliot house and gardens to explore along with beautiful riverside or woodland walks to enjoy, making it a perfect escape.
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