Like a lot of people, I love a night away at a luxury country house hotel; relaxation and a good meal with only a short walk up the stairs to that big comfy bed. It’s one of life’s little pleasures. Well Ston Easton in the heart of Somerset fits perfectly into this category, and I’m really looking forward to a stay there later in November.
Image from Ston Easton website
The Sorrel Restaurant at Ston Easton, with two AA Rosettes and Michelin-star aspirations, is run by Head Chef Daniel Moon. He has created his own country kitchen, cooking contemporary British cuisine. He works closely with local suppliers to source only the very best regional produce and one of Daniels big foci is in the hotel’s kitchen gardens which supplies him with almost 60% of his fresh produce.
Recently, Daniel has put together a downloadable nine recipe book featuring some of his most popular dishes. The recipe book also includes two invitation vouchers, one for a discount on room rates and the other for lunch or afternoon tea.
I’ve been trying to recreate some of the recipes and really enjoyed the Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Honeycomb. The recipe was pretty simple to follow, and I think would be great if you’re hosting a dinner party as you can make them in advance. You can see my finished results below!
You can download the whole recipe book here but for now, here’s the Panna Cotta Recipe!
INGREDIENTS FOR BUTTERMILK PANNA COTTA:
Half a Pint of Buttermilk Half a Pint of Double cream 1 Vanilla Pod
6 Tbsp of Caster Sugar
4 Leaves of Gelatine
INGREDIENTS FOR HONEYCOMB:
200g Caster Sugar
5 Tbsp Golden Syrup
2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
METHOD
Place the buttermilk, double cream, vanilla and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil, then leave to cool for a couple on minutes. Soak the gelatine in cold water which will soften the gelatine leaves, squeeze off the excess water and add to the buttermilk mixture, whisk in well. Pour the mixture into containers and place in the fridge.
Mix the caster sugar and golden syrup together in a large saucepan, stir and heat gently until all of the sugar has melted. Try not to
let the mixture bubble but turn the heat up a little bit so that it is simmering until you have a mixture which is amber and golden. Quickly remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is foaming. You will have to be quick to now spread the mixture on to a baking tray, thickness is completely down to personal preference. The mixture will then need to be left to cool for about 1hr to 1hr 30mins when the honeycomb will be hard and can be broken into pieces.
The book has several ideas for sweet and savoury dishes including Horseradish Gnocchi and a really yummy sounding Bacon and Shallot brioche, which is my next project!! Do check out the recipe book, then why not splurge on a night away using the discounts! And of course, I’ll bring you a low down on the hotel and the restaurant in a couple of months time!
Disclosure: Written with permission to recreate the recipe from the downloadable book. All photos, thoughts and opinions are my own. This is not a paid post.
