Cornwall Capital Of Cool

It’s been more than four decades since Jill Stein and former husband Rick Stein put Cornwall on the map – since then Jill has branched into interior design and new for 2018 is a range of organic beauty products

JILL Stein first came to Cornwall from her native Manchester by chance – admitting she ‘stuck a pin in a map’ to escape the northern city. And it was here she met future husband Rick Stein and opened up the Seafood Restaurant in what was then the wild frontier of Padstow. The new restaurateurs had to grow their own herbs to satisfy their diners – as well as do their own DIY, as money, she admits, was tight.

‘When we first opened the restaurant a woman said to me: “what is this in the salad?” It was rocket. There was nothing available here – we had to grow everything. It’s hard to imagine it now.

‘In the last ten years things have changed; there are a lot of young people relocating with their families. There is still the old Cornwall. But I think in another ten years things will change again.’

Fast forward 40-plus years and Jill is again breaking new ground. Working alongside Amanda Barlow, founder of Made for Life Organics, she has launched Porthdune, a collection of natural toiletries inspired by the beauty of the Cornish coast. The stunning packaging was designed by Jill’s daughter-in-law Kate and looks set to be expanded into a range of textiles. ‘It’s absolutely stunning,’ Jill says of the blue on white design. ‘We wanted blue because it was coastal.’