Sinful Valentine's Recipe...

Some of you may already know this, but as well as the gorgeous Sail Lofts apartments and the calming Sail Lofts Ocean Spa in St Ives, we also own and operate two beautiful country inns in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, The Angel Inn, Stoke by Nayland and The Anchor Inn, Nayland.

The Angel Inn, with its 6 boutique bedrooms and delicious modern British cuisine, is a beautiful 16^th century building that is packed full of original features and character and is the ideal hideaway on a blustery winters day.  

Down the road at The Anchor you’ll find a chic village inn that enjoys a beautiful riverside setting. Here expect a selection of pub classics and more contemporary dishes as well as a good selection of cask ales from regional and microbrewers.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner we thought we’d ask Adam Pickard, Head Chef at The Angel Inn, for his favourite Valentine’s dessert recipe and this is the delicious treat he's come up… 

Hot Chocolate Fondant and Pistachio Ice Cream

Hot Chocolate Fondant (Makes 6)

200g sugar

4 eggs

4 extra egg yolks

200g butter

200g 72% dark chocolate

200g plain flour (sieved)

Line 6 dariole moulds, suitable for baking, with a layer of cling film and leave to one side

Over boiling water, melt the chocolate and butter together until completely blended

In a mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until pale in colour, turn down the speed to low and slowly add the melted chocolate mix

Once fully combined, slowly add the flour and leave to incorporate for about 2 minutes on a low speed

Once the mix is ready pour into a piping bag and split between the 6 moulds

If baking straight away, cook at 180’c for 9 minutes

If baking at a later stage, leave to set in the fridge and cook at 180’c for 11 minutes

Serve immediately with the pistachio ice cream, crushed pistachios and dustings of icing sugar

Pistachio Ice Cream

500ml milk

500ml double cream

200g sugar

12 egg yolks

2 vanilla pods

1 tablespoon of Pistachio Compound - (50g of Pistachios, 20g Water, 20g Sugar – Bring to boil, when caramel starts to colour blitz until smooth)

Combine the milk, cream and vanilla pods in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then remove from heat

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale in colour

Pour the cream mixture over the egg mix whisking continually to blend together as quickly as possible

Return the mix to the stove over a low heat and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.

Pass through a fine sieve, add the pistachio compound and pour into an ice cream machine to churn until set

Doesn’t it just sound deliciously sinful? Enjoy!

Kelly x

Where has winter gone?

January, the month renowned for being cold, a bit miserable and the mood somber as the masses recover from the Christmas period, in St Ives this year we're not feeling like this!

We've had some lovely mild weather and sunny days, perfect for a walk on the beach, a stroll around town or for the budding photographers empty beaches and great light. The daffodils have sprung out of the ground and many are in bloom - one of the earliest seasons we have seen down here.

The surfers amongst us have had a great run as well, the mighty 'Meor' has been throwing clean peeling waves most days and with the water temperature a toasty 11 degrees, it feels more like autumn or spring than January.

So if your feeling a bit blue and want an easy escape to make January a month to remember check our availability and pop down to St Ives for a relaxing few days.

In the meantime lets hope the weather and waves continue and we haven't jinxed it with this post!