Does Falmouth have the Food Factor?

I often wonder what makes some restaurants succeed where others fail. I think one reason is that we, as diners, have become more discerning about where we go and what we eat. The days of restaurants serving up pre-cooked microwaved meals are largely behind us – though sadly there are still some out there. Most of the restaurants I have featured so far in this column are fine examples of fabulous Falmouth food. Well run restaurants who not always have a passing trade, who are not here merely to feed the tourists, and are often reliant on word-of-mouth to ensure they get custom. Without doubt, the use of fresh, local ingredients are key to the most successful restaurants I have visited so far. These are the ones that stand out for me, simply because they clearly care about the quality of the ingredients they cook with – and for me that says a lot.

So now, here is your chance to get involved and praise the people who do the cooking by nominating your favourite Falmouth restaurant with our new Cowell Cuisine Cornish food awards.

We want to hear from you about those restaurants who serve your favourite food and are your go-to places for a treat or perhaps for a weekly fix. It's an opportunity too for us all to celebrate the chefs and restaurant owners who are feeding Falmouth and creating classy dishes or just well-made home-cooked food. This isn’t just about fancy food, it’s more about those little places who serve up a dish that you just cannot resist. Be it fish or fowl, veggie or vegan, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s well cooked and served by friendly faces. Those nominated will be featured in this column and the winner will be awarded the title of inaugural Cowell Cuisine Cornish Champion following a public vote. Your nominee can be based or operating in Falmouth, Penryn or the surrounding areas.

What I genuinely hoped to achieve when starting this column was to shine a light on those special places who go that extra mile with customer service or who make local produce the stars of the show. I hope you have visited some of my favourite Falmouth restaurants already featured in this column, but you may have your own favourites, the ones that I have yet to discover and review. So please get involved and nominate for your favourite local restaurant and help me (and Mrs C) champion Falmouth’s food heroes.

Send you nominations to editorial@packetseries.co.uk subject line Cowell Cuisine Cornish Champion letting us know which restaurant or food outlet you have nominated and why, as well as your contact details. Alternatively you can fill in the nomination form in this week's Falmouth Packet and send it to Cowell Cuisine Cornish Champion, Packet Media, Falmouth Business Park, Bickland Water Road, Falmouth, TR11 4SZ. All nominations must be in by November 3. You can also nominate through the comments section on our Facebook page.

Follow Tony Cowell on Twitter: @cowelltweets