Award winning chef to open new restaurant at The Headland Hotel

Wednesday, 18 June 2025 14:26

[L-R]: Adam Handling MBE, Veryan Palmer; Richard Palmer

An award-winning chef and restaurateur is set to open a new restaurant at Newquay’s Headland Hotel.

Adam Handling MBE will launch Ugly Butterfly this summer, as it moves from its previous location in St Ives. Ugly Butterfly 2.0 will open on 9th July 2025, becoming part of the iconic five-star hotel and marking the beginning of a new partnership.

The restaurant will boast a menu featuring a selection of Cornish ingredients. Adam Handling MBE, Chef/Owner of the Adam Handling Collection, said:

“As one door closes, another one opens – and this Ugly Butterfly 2.0 is a more fitting home for our most sustainable brand. We are taking this situation in an extremely positive light, building on what Ugly Butterfly has achieved and focusing on what we need to do to be even better.

There is no doubt that we will be gunning for a Michelin star in this restaurant. And what a place to do it – the iconic Cornish hotel, The Headland. They are a force to be reckoned with and their sustainable values and credentials are a true credit to them.

I will be predominantly based in Cornwall for this year to relaunch this restaurant, and it will, no doubt, give my Frog restaurant a run for its money. Frog will be our only tasting menu restaurant in the group, which showcases all ingredients from around the British Isles.

This Ugly Butterfly restaurant will have food stations, so guests can see dishes being made – there will be theatre, there will be smiles and, most importantly, there will be a real celebration of the best of the South-West.”

The new space will seat 50 covers inside, 20 on the terrace, and 30 in the bar. The venue is designed to create a relaxed yet theatrical dining experience that breaks down the traditional boundaries of luxury dining.

Ugly Butterfly 2.0 will also feature an extensive wine list, offering over 500 bins, making it one of the most comprehensive in Cornwall.

Located just an 18-minute drive from Adam’s gastropub, The Tartan Fox, the new restaurant further cements his presence in the county. Adam now has a home in Cornwall, having fallen in love with the region and its people.