Cornish pasties, saffron buns and a proper Sunday roast: chef Paul Ainsworth's Padstow picks

Paul Ainsworth is chef-patron at Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 in Padstow, Cornwall. The Georgian townhouse restaurant champions Cornish produce, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2013. He and his wife Emma also offer homely Italian cooking at Rojano's in the Square.

If you're after the full experience, check out their hotel accommodation at Padstow Townhouse, which boasts six sumptuous suites and a spa as well as an "honesty policy" kitchen pantry and wine selection. 

But where does Paul head for Cornish pasties and an proper pub trip? Here, he shares his favourite local haunts.

Cherry Trees Coffee House

"Cherry Trees is a really lovely, bright, family-run coffee shop. It’s a space that makes you feel happy no matter what: it’s right on the harbour, and it’s so welcoming. They do a double chocolate American-style ‘nemesis’ cake which is totally awesome. It’s great for a bacon and egg sandwich, too."

8 Mill Square, Padstow PL28 8AQ; 01841 532934; cherrytreescornwall.co.uk

The Golden Lion

"If I ever owned a pub, I’d like it to be like the Golden Lion: low-ceilings, untouched period features - there’s nothing gastropub about it. The Golden Lion. Martin and Sarah Ricard, the owners, welcomed me into Padstow when I first moved here 12 years ago. It’s hard to get a table but the Sunday roast is phenomenal. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to your mum’s roast. And they do proper fish and chips, with homemade mushy peas - there’s no chips in baskets."

The Golden Lion, Lanadwell Street, Padstow, Cornwall, PL28 8AN; 01841 532 797; goldenlionpadstow.co.uk

Padstow Farm Shop

"Padstow Farm Shop make their own pasta from Cornish durum wheat flour from the farm. Everything in the shop is from Cornwall, which really opens your eyes to how much produce we have here. A lot of the meat in the butcher’s section is from their own farms too - you can buy burgers for a barbecue, or a lovely joint for a Sunday."

Padstow Farm Shop, Trethillick Farm Padstow PL28 8HJ 01841 533 060; padstowfarmshop.co.uk

The Chough Bakery

"Rob and Elaine Ead at The Chough Bakery do a fantastically traditional, peppery Cornish pasty. It’s off the scale, with Cornish clotted cream in the middle. It’s not rich or sickly, you don’t notice it, but it just adds a creaminess. It’s a proper bakery with the classics, flapjacks and saffron buns, which is indigenous to Cornwall - it’s my go-to."

3 The Strand, Padstow PL28 8AJ; 01841 533361; cornishpasty.com

The Seafood

"Rick and Gill Stein’s restaurant The Seafood is my favourite for fruits de mer and turbot. The day we won our Michelin star we celebrated there with Tom Kerridge and his wife Beth, who had pre-booked it as a surprise for my wife and I and our head chef John Walton. We’ve had big moments there."

The Seafood Restaurant, Riverside, Padstow PL28 8BY; 01841 532700; rickstein.com