I told Mitch Tonks I caught Crabs in Hope Cove !

Sorry, and I accept slapped wrists from all those friends and customers who keep telling me I have not updated my blog. I did not think anyone read it ! but now I understand it is essential addictive life reading for the friends of Port light Hotel and Bolberry Farm Cottages that know me. Some cringe with the legal implications and some roll around laughing at my devilment. Some say "I shoot from the hip" but do I care ? Absolutely NOT !!!!
The season started of very quickly and we were soon thrown into a very busy season. "Touch wood" we have a great team this year. Dave is nearly back on form although it is obvious that the "Butcher of Derriford" has disabled him for life. Our food side of the business has increased this year. This is due to our competitive pricing and providing food to eat and not to photograph !
The bar alterations are now complete with new windows overlooking the helicopter pad and new Windows in the main bay window area. I grew to like the silver gaffer tape on the old Aluminium windows, but it was getting embarrassing when we had hot weather and could not open the windows ! We have now finally got involved with Visit South Devon, yet another national led sort of government backed organisation. They have vastly more money behind them than our brilliant Local SELF FINANCING Tourist information centres but I hope this time they do not disappear and evolve again in a few years time. The staff at V .S.D. appear more aware of the Tourist I. C. and are willing to work with us. For this reason, Bolberry Farm Cottages and Port Light Hotel & Inn have both signed up. Part of Visit South Devon's networking involves social events like the one we recently had at Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth. It was a great event which was to launch the Devon Crab campaign. Hazel sampled oysters for the first time and actually enjoyed them ! The crab was great and evening very informative and interesting. As those who know me very well, when I was a boy of just 12 I started catching Crabs in Hope Cove. At the age of 14 I was exporting 6 tea chests of Spider crab per week to the French, whilst picking out 50 lbs of crab meat per week to supply the local restaurants and my Dads hotel Sand Pebbles. I also supplied many restaurants with Lobster. As I was so young, my big brother David Hassall was the registered owner of my fishing boat and I was the skipper. It was all very legal with my numbers displayed proudly on the bows of my boat. Crabs were my life and a huge money earner although during the summer holiday my 6 am to 9pm fishing trips wrecked my back ! At the age of 16 the french export trade had died as they had purchased all of our female Spider crabs and now had their own stocks. Girls now came on the scene and whilst it was "cool" to come on my boat and catch lobster and Crab ( what a chat up line, but it always worked with the tourists !!!!!!) they did not like the constant smell of picked Crab ! Fishing came to an end !
In 1991 we launched the Crab Bolberry buster which is a double Decker sandwich with a filling of the best Devon Crab supplied by Moby Nicks in Plymouth. These amazing sandwiches are now famous the world over. We now sell many hundreds of pounds in weight of Crab per year in various different forms and are very proud of the success. There is a lot of "Crap" Crab served which puts consumers off the product, especially the brown meat. The great thing about Crab sandwiches is that everyone has a different opinion on how this local Devon delicacy should be made. Mitch Tonks likes his on white bread with cucumber Mayonnaise and pepper ! If I served this i would get it sent back but it is one of those dishes when everyone is correct in the way they serve it as long as they savoury this unique wonderful flavour of Devon Crab. It was inspiring to find a person like Mitch, who was as passionate about Crab as I am. I would confidently say "you have not lived" unless you have tasted Devon Crab. My wife being from the fishing capital of the North, "Wolverhampton" and her relatives have all been converted into the superb experience of coming out on my fishing boat, catching Crab and eating it on the same day. What a life experience. The Visit South Devon Crab campaign has rekindled my excitement with Crab and has launched Port Light forward in re educating customers in the delights of Devon Crab.