Today is Tom Bowcock’s Eve. “Who?” I hear you say…. Unless you are from Cornwall. 
One year back in the 16th century, the winter weather was harsh, preventing any fishing from taking place for days and the village of Mousehole in Cornwall was fast running out of food. Tom was moved by the cries of the hungry children and took to his boat out alone, braving the waves that were battering the coast.
He returned with 7 different kinds of fish, which were then made into an enormous pie that fed the whole village. The rest of the fish kept the village going for a while week, until the storms had abated.
Although the actual year this happened is lost in the mists of time, today, 23rd December is known as Tom Bowcock’s Eve and to celebrate, stargazy pie is served. Why stargazy? There are a number of tales as to why, but the most popular is that the fish heads are gazing up at the stars.
One year back in the 16th century, the winter weather was harsh, preventing any fishing from taking place for days and the village of Mousehole in Cornwall was fast running out of food. Tom was moved by the cries of the hungry children and took to his boat out alone, braving the waves that were battering the coast.
He returned with 7 different kinds of fish, which were then made into an enormous pie that fed the whole village. The rest of the fish kept the village going for a while week, until the storms had abated.
Although the actual year this happened is lost in the mists of time, today, 23rd December is known as Tom Bowcock’s Eve and to celebrate, stargazy pie is served. Why stargazy? There are a number of tales as to why, but the most popular is that the fish heads are gazing up at the stars.
