Award-winning Chef Nick Hemming to open Falmouth Oyster Festival 2022

Nick has recently been crowned “Licensee of the Year 2022” from the BII (British Institute of inn keeping) along with his wife Amanda.  Their riverside pub goes from strength to strength and recent awards are a testament of their success.  The couple also opened a new Farm & Coffee Shop last summer that is situated just 30 yards from The Heron Inn and overlooks the water at Malpas Marina.

Their success is down to their strong core values of developing youngsters into a career in hospitality, this includes chef apprenticeships and supervisor courses working with Truro & Penwith College. “Without the youngsters coming through into our sector, we are at risk of not having enough people to run hospitality businesses in the Southwest” says Nick.

Nick was also a finalist at the prestigious “Craft Guild of Chefs” in London this year, narrowly missing out in the best restaurant chef category.

The couple have owned The Heron Inn for over 6 years and have invested significantly in the business to help grow their customer base.  Nick develops the food side of the business while Amanda focusses on offering exceptional customer experience.  Their combined strategy is a real focus on people development.

All food is locally sourced within a 23-mile radius of the pub and all dishes are cooked fresh to order.  “Our signature dish has to be my Cornish Inspired Paella” Nick added.  You will find a great selection of seafood dishes as well as a great range of vegan and vegetarian additions to the menu.

Children from Falmouth’s five primary schools will give a song and dance performance at the opening ceremony and two children, selected from each school will sit at the Chefs Table and critique Nick’s culinary skills.