Some people in Cornwall have to brace themselves to even hear the word Devon. I have to admit it’s only been in recent years that I have appreciated the diversity of its Jurassic Coast, its moody moor land, and its undulating hills that deceive you into being surprised by beaches every bit as stunning as those in Cornwall. Yes, Cornwall has just one coastline, yes we do have the more rebellious, exciting history of smuggling – although Devon too has this claim – and yes: we did invent the pasty. But Devon has a lot to offer. And Somersault is shaping up to be a part of that.
Devonwall
Uttering this phrase is likely to be met with the same response as questioning the name of a swede. Or turnip. Or is it swede? I mean it as a positive. Somersault looks to be a fusion of all things wezzztcountry with food, theatre and music from both Cornwall and Devon, and of course from Bristol and beyond too. This is Wilderness but actually in the wilderness. Whenever we drive through Devon we joke that we’re in Australia. It’s the third largest county in England, and comparatively sparse. Coincidentally, this festival was created by the Wilderness team.
Which means beside a seriously sonorous music scene, food features at its forefront.
This is why I am really excited about Somersault festival in just a couple of weeks’ time. With three south west and one London fine dining outfits, the foodie side of things is as exciting as the music at this new festival, in its second year this year. And having looked at the amazing menus from River Cottage, Fifteen Cornwall, Valentine ‘What to Eat Now’ Warner and Bristol’s Ethicurean, my heart lies well and truly faithful to Cornwall. Andy Appleton, the head chef at Fifteen has created a menu showcasing their trademark Italian influence, with the best quality Cornish seafood, and it sounds amazing.
With padron peppers, courgette flowers, arancini, and tiramisu the vegetarian version is a delightful menu that is seriously tempting. It demonstrates effectively that there’s so much more to good Italian vegetarian food than pizza and pasta. But the addition of a Cornish Fish Stew of monkfish, squid and crab claws speaks directly to my Cornish soul.
That said, River Cottage offer strawberry and rose geranium gin, which I’m already dreaming of, and Valentine’s caponata with burrata has got me reaching for the mozzarella. The Ethicurean have courgette flowers too, stuffed with ewe’s curd and served with hazels, fennel seed gel and sherbet. Vegetarians are in for a real treat at this festival, which has intelligent menu planning at its core. Meat eaters can choose from rabbit and pork, to chicken and cured meats.
Soul food
With food emphasising provenance, directly sourced from great suppliers and the landscape I love, the festival is already exciting. But ‘they’ say that music is the food of the soul, and clearly a festival wouldn’t be a festival without music.
And what a treat this is set to be too.
Having grown up on jazz and folk, I totally embraced dance music in the nineties, going to hundreds of illegal raves in valleys and on beaches. Such is the joy of growing up in Cornwall. And presumably Devon. By the time I went to Glastonbury, and some of the bigger festivals, pissing in a hedge was second nature. I turned 30 5 years ago, and as my last hurrah cried to Blur’s Sunday night set. After 13 years, I was done with that festival in Pilton.
These smaller, intimate festivals like Port Eliot in Cornwall, and Somersault in Devon take me back to my roots, and provide the same magical backdrop to partying into the small hours.
Jimmy Cliff has always been a favourite of mine and I’ve never caught him live yet, unlike DJ ‘Cut and Paste’ Yoda who has graced a few Falmouth clubs over the years and always been a crowdpleaser. Other highlights for me are Bombay Bicycle Club, Laura Marling, Lucy Rose, Angus and Julia Stone, and Tobias Ben Jacob. The Correspondents, Imelda May and Crystal fighters comprise just a few more of the acts to soundscape the cosy nights under canvas. Soft mossy dancefloor in the forest and twinkling in the grounds of Castle Hill in Devon will be a place of stories.
I’m going to admit that I am a bit biased about Tobias Ben Jacob, as my brother-from-another-mother Lukas Drinkwater duos with him. Having said that, without Lukas’ beautiful voice singing the soundtrack of the last fifteen years, perhaps I would never have heard Richard Thomas, Jeff Buckley, Danny Schmidt, or had the same appreciation for John Martyn that leads me to confidently draw parallels between Tobias’ finger-picking, complex wandering lyrics and mellifluous vocals that are the audio equivalent of a rich tomato sauce.
This festival promises to deliver on a multi-sensory level, and pays serious attention to feeding its crowd. These are fine dining menus, which is reflected in their pricing, but overall tickets are only £145 per adult for the weekend. That said, choosing to hire tents, and get involved in all activities can seriously hike the costs up.
If music and food aren’t enough for you, there is also plenty of circus and theatre, as well as wellbeing massage and off-site activities.
The Campfire Feasts are as follows:
Fifteen Cornwall
Campfire Feast
Aperol Spritz
—
Breadsticks, giant Puglian green olives and Padron peppers
—
Mozzarella, grilled peaches, zucchini flowers, arancini, Italian and Cornish cured meats
—
Cornish fish stew
Monkfish, squid, gurnard, mussels and crab claws in a rich tomato sauce with bread and aioli
—
Tiramisu with chocolate biscotti
Fifteen Cornwall
Vegetarian Campfire Feast
Aperol Spritz
—
Breadsticks, giant Puglian green olives and Padron peppers
—
Mozzarella, grilled peaches, zucchini flowers and arancini
—
Risotto Primavera
Peas, broad beans, asparagus, pea shoots and mint
—
Tiramisu with chocolate biscotti
River Cottage
Campfire Feast
Strawberry and rose geranium gin
–
Garden vegetables with smoked roe
Rabbit and gooseberries
–
Cornish crab on toasted sourdough
Aioli, barbequed lettuce and spring onions, mint, chervil and parsley
–
Spit roast River Cottage Oxford Sandy and Black with black pudding New potatoes, beetroot, eggs, chives and anchovies
Mixed green salad with herbs and flowers
–
Blueberries with lemon curd, yoghurt, meringue, roast hazelnuts, thyme and lemon shortbread
River Cottage
Vegetarian Campfire Feast
Strawberry and rose geranium gin
–
Garden vegetables with tarator
Broad bean hummus
—
Wood roasted summer ratatouille with goat’s curd on sourdough
—
Barbequed artichoke heart and asparagus with mint and fennel tops
—
Blueberries with lemon curd, yoghurt, meringue, roast hazelnuts, thyme and lemon shortbread
Valentine Warner
Campfire Feast
Livener on arrival: Army and Navy
–
Sourdough with goat’s curd and green sauce
–
Chilled lettuce, pea and lovage soup with crab, cucumber and crème fraiche
–
Rolled shoulder of lamb with cockles, new potatoes and kitchen garden salad
–
Blackcurrant cream and spiced biscuit
Valentine Warner
Vegetarian Campfire Feast
Livener on arrival: Army and Navy
–
Sourdough with goat’s curd and green sauce
–
Chilled lettuce, pea and lovage soup with cucumber and crème fraiche
–
Warm caponata with burrata
–
Blackcurrant cream and spiced biscuit
The Ethicurean
Campfire Feast
Roasted pepper, pine nuts and chilli on grilled flatbread
—
Cured trout and foraged tidal greens
Beetroot pickled egg, lovage pickles and anise crumb
—
Pressed Gloucester pork belly, fermented vegetable slaw, toasted sesame, brown butter and Korean red pepper crackling
Fermented tomato & burnt aubergine sauce
Griddled hispi cabbage, fennel and crab apple verjus
—
The Ethicurean sticky toffee apple cake with clotted cream ice cream & The Collector Vermouth
The Ethicurean
Vegetarian Campfire Feast
Roasted pepper, pine nuts and chilli on grilled flatbread
—
Ewe’s curd stuffed courgette flowers, hazel, fennel seed gel and sherbet
—
Salt baked celeriac, wood roast mushroom, fermented vegetable slaw, toasted sesame and brown butter
Fermented tomato & burnt aubergine sauce
Griddled hispi cabbage, fennel and crab apple verjus
—
The Ethicurean sticky toffee apple cake with clotted cream ice cream & The Collector Vermouth
The Campfire Feasts are available to purchase now via the Somersault Store and are priced at £40.00 per person.
The specifics
This festival is fast approaching, being held from Thursday the 23rd June to Monday 27th. Pre made camping is by far the most expensive extra, so if you can bear putting up your own digs, everything else should be affordable.
Day Tickets from £75.00 plus booking fee
Long Weekend Tickets from £145.00
For full ticket details hop by: www.somersaultfestival.com
Twitter: @SomersaultHQ #somersault