Delightful Dalmeny

So my phone pings and I get a new text message.

“Would you love a girls night? New Tasting Menu and cocktails.”

I am so excited that at last we can get out! I really have missed the restaurant scene.  Well, I’m always up for a laugh and this is with our own Girl Bubble (Family) during the Pandemic!  Off we go to St Annes on Sea.

A little background on the great Dalmeny Hotel.  The Dalmeny has been around since 1946 and is the largest sea front hotel in St Annes.  My children used to have all their swim lessons there and the hotel put on the absolute best swim parties ever.   Such fun,   always fabulous food and now my grandchildren are attending swim lessons!!!

So we get ready to hit the town, well, the Dalmeny.   It’s still a soft lockdown so we’ve not been out since March and this is July! So overdue.   We arrive just in time to start the evening.  The hotel and restaurant management have invented a special “Dalmeny Kiss” cocktail – it is soooo good.  I need a full-on Dalmeny Snog after just one! Delicious. Apparently it is made of Amaretto, Chambord and Prosecco.  DIVINE

Down to dinner in the beautifully decorated basement.   The theme?   Beach time.  Fabulous atmosphere.  Tables nicely laid out in little nooks and booths.  Simply perfect

The menu ranges are:

• Nibbles
• Soups & Salads
• Starters
• Mains
• Pizza
• Steak
• Seafood

Various options are on the menu.  I had the chicken satay.  This fabulous Indonesian starter hit the spot,  nicely spiced with a beautiful sauce on the side.  To follow I had the Ribeye steak.  Cooked to perfection, medium/rare.  The chips (fries?) were the finest I have tasted for a long time, a very long time.   Lip-smackingly delicious.

I did have a taste of the sticky toffee pudding.   Wow.   It was finer than Cartmell’s original!

I went, as always, for the huge cheese board and biscuits with a nice glass of port.  The portion was substantial and the cheese served at the right temperature.  Don’t you just think some cheese boards are served from the fridge as a last minute (cold and tasteless) but this was wonderful.

We then retired to the Indigo Bar for yet more cocktails.  Flaming Sambucas arrived ….. we had soooo much fun. Fabulous place.  The service and the meal were executed to perfection.  There’s more than a good chance I’ll be back again.

I am booking today to go back to Dining Delightfully in the Dalmeny

So, if you are near The Dalmeny in St. Annes-On-Sea, do not miss this little gem.

You will not regret it

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Who does not love a beautiful pillow of warm comforting Middle Eastern Hummus?

This is the only recipe you will ever use once you try it.

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (do get a good make). Cheaper chickpeas tend to have too many shells left in.
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/2 pint Fresh Chicken stock or a chicken stock cube I use organic
• A large splash of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon juice and zest

Directions

• Open can of chickpeas. Rinse, drain and place in a saucepan
• Add 1/2 pint chicken stock or add a stock cube to 1/2 pint of water then add to chickpeas
• Throw in chopped garlic
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain but save the chicken stock
• Place in a food processor and add zest of lemon, tahini paste, salt, pepper to taste.  Pulse to a puree
• Add lemon juice mix well
• If it seems too thick add a tiny amount of the chicken stock to loosen
• Place in a bowl, splash or sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil

Place in the fridge or do as they do in the middle East serve warm! with fresh pitta breads of vegetable crudities

Do enjoy.  It is a truly scrumptious dish of beauty

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