IT’S a stylish rural hang-out off the beaten track – and now delectable sweet treats are available at one of Truro’s newest cafes following a collaboration with a former Bake-Off finalist.

From Good Friday, The Arborist on the Killiow Estate will host Darryl Collins of Yumii patisserie in its kitchen. Delights such as raspberry macarons, chocolate brownies and lemon meringue pies will be on display and available to purchase alongside your macchiato or Earl Grey tea; Darryl promises “good looks and punchy flavours”.

Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham and local councillors were among those invited to a tasting evening-cum-launch party on Wednesday [April 1].

Largely self-taught, Darryl completed Level 1 and 2 qualifications at Cornwall College in St Austell, earned his Level 3 in larder and patisserie in Camborne.

Having started out as a kitchen porter, he went on to work at some of the finest establishments in the country, leading a team of eight pastry chefs at Resorts World in Birmingham, working as head pastry chef at Hotel Meudon in Falmouth and teaching patisserie at Philleigh Way on the Roseland peninsula.

His reputation for creating virtuoso desserts and pushing the boundaries of pastry artistry led Darryl to the finals of Bake Off: The Professionals in 2018; he and his sous-chef narrowly missed out on victory and provided one of the series’ most jaw-dropping moments when their towering showpiece fell over and smashed.

Darryl, who received the 2024 BIH (Black Hospitality) Pastry Chef of the Year award, said of his arrival at The Arborist: “It’s such a beautiful location – in the countryside, but on the edge of a city. I’d always dreamed of opening a café, and when it turned out there was a newly renovated kitchen here for me to work in, it was perfect.

“I’ve been wanting to bring excellence in patisserie to Cornwall for so long – forever, really. Cornwall needs it. Chefs are often fearful of pastry, which is why I’d also like to go into the colleges and help nurture the next generation of pastry chefs.”

The Arborist can be found on the site of a former golf club at Playing Place. Time it right (as we did) and you might see deer grazing on the meadow between the A39 and the café.

Owners Lou Martin and Simon Messenger transformed the clubhouse into a spacious café-bistro, while a back room has been turned into The Reading Room: somewhere to curl up on a squishy sofa with a book or even a board game.

The business opened in May last year, and has become a byword for coffee and cake, Sunday roast and evening entertainment (look out for a cheese and wine club on April 17, and Cornish comedian Matt Price on May 30).

Lou is thrilled to welcome Darryl to the fold. “We’ve known each other for 30 years, and we’ve always wanted to work together so I’m very excited to see it come to fruition,” she said. “There’s nothing quite like Darryl’s patisserie in Cornwall, so it’s quite a coup to have him at The Arborist.”