Trim and crimp the edges, and brush with egg wash. Cut 6 slits in a circle on the top crust and stick the fish in, with the heads facing up (as though “gazing at the stars”). He also went on to confirm that the origins of the festival dated back to pre-Christian times, though it is unclear at what time the stargazy pie became part of the festivities. Streets are very narrow...We visited the Ship Inn at Mousehole on 23 December to join in with the annual Tom Bawcock's Eve celebrations. One of the practical reasons for leaving the heads on is so that the juices and oil in the heads can drain back into the pie. The rooms were clean although one duvet cover was stained. This little known plugin reveals the answer. On 23 December, Tom Bawcock decided to brave the storms and went out in his fishing boat. 9) Coat the now completed pie with a beaten egg. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Stargazy pie is a type of fish pie that originated in the town of Mousehole in Cornwall, England. Sardines that still have their heads and tails attached traditionally are used as filling for the pie, although the rest of the fish normally is cleaned so it can be eaten. Since 1963, the festival has been run against the backdrop of the Mousehole village illuminations, where the entire harbour is lit up, along with many other displays. ‘This special feeling towards fruit, its glory and abundance, is I would say universal…. The pub was O.K and served excellent beer but the tables were sticky and, again, the place felt unloved. The rooms were clean although one duvet cover was stained. It is celebrated each year on December 23rd with a procession of handmade lanterns through the streets. Subscribe for updates on new content added. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. For mains I had roast Hake, served on a leafy fresh bed of salad and topped with a Tomato based hot salsa, the hake was fresh and perfectly cooked, a lovely dish. It is followed by a feast of Stargazy Pie, a unique dish which only seems to be enjoyed in this small harbour village. There’s nowhere better to be than Devon in Spring! They are mystical and erotic. The rooms are small but clean and comfy. In a lull in the bad weather one of their number Tom Bawcock managed to catch enough fish to prevent the village from starving. Stargazy pie is a type of fish pie that originated in the town of Mousehole in Cornwall, England. Sleeping 4 the room had a large double bedroom, a smaller room with bunk-beds for the children and an en-suite bathroom. The nicest lunch of our half term week in west Cornwall, Hotels near Coast Gifts & Interior Accessories, Hotels near Mousehole to Lamorna Cove Circular Walk. Devon – the cream of England’s hospitality and tourism. Our family room, Wolf Rock, was nicely decorated with a seaside theme. The Ship Inn is right in the middle of the harbour lights, which would surely make even Ebenezer Scrooge feel like celebrating Christmas! It was our first visit to The Ship since last April and wow, what a change ! Some versions of the pie decorate the top of the pie with piecrust stars as well. Some historians will argue that there was no such fellow as Tom Bawcock and the celebrations are to remember all of the brave fisherman who have lived in Mousehole over the years, but to be honest it doesn't really matter, Tom Bawcock's Eve is an event which everyone should experience at least once in their life because it really is very special indeed. Lots of evidence of attention to detail around the pub, very impressive. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and line a baking dish with the bottom crust of pastry. Learn about a little known plugin that tells you if you're getting the best price on Amazon. Mousehole is the setting for Tom Bawcock's Eve Mousehole (pronounced Mow-zel) in Cornwall is a stunning place to visit, but most people only experience what is commonly regarded as being one of the most beautiful harbours in the UK during the glorious summer months. We booked 12 months in advance as it is a popular event and the Ship Inn hosts a crucial part of the evening, the Stargazy pie. The switching on of the lights is an event in itself, with a choir and Christmas carols being sung around the harbour and plenty of mulled wine. Far too much for the kids we could have split one between both children and still had food to spare. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. Morton Nance went on to restore the traditional song sung on Tom Bawcock's Eve, played to the local tune "wedding March". It's said to be born of famine, in Cornwall's tiny port of Mousehole. Spent one night there. America came into existence when the European was already so distant from the ancient ideas and ways of his birthplace that the whole span of the Atlantic did not widen the gulf.”—Lewis Mumford (18951990). We booked in to The Ship for a short stay but found the room we had was extremely small with hardly enough room to walk past the end of the bed and with barely enough room in the "bathroom" to get into the shower. A slice of the pie can be served as a meal by itself, or it can be accompanied by baked potatoes, roasted meats or hard-boiled eggs. Each of the fish is placed with its tail in the center of the pan, after which the head is threaded through a slit in the pastry crust top. March 1984. Cornwall Online. Funding to enable continued research and updating on this web site comes via ads and some affiliate links. It was windy like on the legend of the Mousehole cat. Wood, Alex. The pie has a top crust. Ever since then, the Tom Bawcock's Eve festival is held on 23 December in Mousehole. The entire catch (including seven types of fish) was baked into a pie, which had the fish heads poking through to prove that there were fish inside. People are nice. Tom Bawcock's Eve is a traditional festival celebrating a 16th century fisherman, Tom Bawcock, risking his life so that Mousehole residents wouldn't starve over Christmas. Fish heads would have been something you saw all the time. And when up caame Tom Bawcock's name, We'd prais'd 'un to the sky". Whilst staying In Mousehole last week we ate at The Ship 3 times, each time the service and friendliness of the staff was great. We dined here only one evening. It should be noted that unlike many other towns and villages across the UK, the Mousehole Harbour Christmas Lights don't get turned on until the second Saturday in December. The Walk File: Mousehole, Cornwall. Required fields are marked *. The pie is easily recognizable because the heads of the fish used in the pie protrude out through the pastry crust and appear to be looking up toward the stars — the origin of the name of the pie. It is followed by a feast of Stargazy Pie, a unique dish which only seems to be enjoyed in this small harbour village. 10 Sept 2010. jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); “From Fowey (pronounced Foy) to Mousehole (pronounced Mow-zul), there are some fairly tricky tongue twisters dotted across the region.” [2]Wood, Alex. An older feast, held by the fishermen towards the end of December, included a pie cooked with different fish to represent the variety of catches the men hoped to achieve in the coming year.