A special recipe for Valentine's Day...

We’re lucky to have a really good restaurant right on our doorstep here in Chagford, 22 Mill Street. There's a dynamic new team in place - Karla and Ashley - with fresh ideas, new menus and lots of themed evenings in the pipeline to delight locals and holidaymakers alike.

As a treat, they’ve given us a delicious recipe to share with you for Valentine’s Day. Find out for yourself if mussels are an aphrodisiac...

Sea Bass with Mussels and Watercress

Ingredients 

1 small sea bass, filleted, or 1 large sole fillet, cut into two
1 glass (275ml) white wine
300g mussels
2 baking potatoes
1 egg yolk
40g plain flour
1 fennel
1 bunch of watercress, stalks picked off
200ml double cream
Salt & black pepper


Method

Put potatoes on to bake for approximately 1 hour until soft.

Meanwhile, clean mussels and put a large saucepan on the heat until hot. Add the mussels and the white wine. Put a lid on the saucepan and steam the mussels. Once the mussels have opened, take off the heat and pour liquor into a jug for later. Remove mussels from shells and set aside.

Slice fennel as fine as you can, season with salt and pepper. Get a frying pan red hot, with a little oil, and colour the fennel. Once coloured, set aside.

Take your reserved mussel and wine liquor and place into a clean saucepan, add the double cream and bring to the boil. Then add the watercress, cook for 1 minute and then blend until smooth, return to the saucepan, and then set aside.

Cut the baked potatoes in half and remove the flesh. Mash/rice the baked potato flesh as finely as you can. Mix with the flour and egg yolk and season, roll into an even sized log and cut with the back of a knife creating inch long pillows. Add these to rapidly boiling water. When they float, remove from the water, plunge into cold water, drain and set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan, add oil and place your sea bass skin side down, reducing the heat to low. Put your fennel in the oven/grill to reheat. Put watercress sauce on and add the mussels to heat through. Add you gnocchi (pillows) to the fish pan to gain a golden colour.

Arrange the fennel in the centre of the plates, putting your fish on top. Place gnocchi around the base of the fennels and then add your watercress sauce.

If you prefer to dine out, 22 Mill Street has a delicious Valentine's menu to tempt you too - and there's a 5% discount for Helpful Holidays' customers.

The team uses the best of local, quality produce in their regional and seasonal dishes, so you'll be in for a treat at any time of year.

View all of our holiday cottages available for Valentine's Day or view our holiday cottages in Chagford.

Valentine's getaways…

Selecting the perfect location for a Valentine's getaway is all about personality, whether you want somewhere to cosy up and admire the idyllic view or a sanctuary to come home to at the end of a day adventuring with your better half. These character-laden properties can cater for a range of preferences and each offers a romantic setting, too.

A couples' favourite has to be The Music Room at Aveton Gifford, an old village beside the River Avon in the South Hams. As one of two very special conversions on a family estate, this remarkable Grade II listed former music room uses its history and charm to create a dramatic yet tranquil setting. The long room and its stained glass windows easily conjure images of concerts and performances, while the stage itself now houses a four poster bed. With sandy beaches, coves and pretty thatched buildings and golf courses, you don't have to go far in Aveton Gifford for scenery. You might like to take a walk to The Oyster Shack, just two miles away – oysters are an aphrodisiac too good to miss on Valentine's Day!

If you're looking for a seaside retreat, bring your walking boots to Cliff End in Whitsand Bay, south Cornwall. This property is an aptly named, newly built chalet around 30 foot above the beach on the very edge of Tregonhawke Cliff. A large enclosed deck along the front is great for ship watching when you’re not surfing and there’s a footpath down to the sandy beach. And when you have made the most of the beautiful surroundings, you can cosy up inside in the fresh and modern interior or perhaps visit Buckland Abbey a short drive away.

Tucked away among the scattered houses and cottages of the village Kestle Mill, north Cornwall, is Sunrise Cottage, a pretty little stone and cob cottage, thought to be 17th century or older. The flower-filled garden creates the perfect entrance to a thoughtfully prepared holiday home. The bathroom includes a jacuzzi-style bath and if there is time to venture out and about after a bit of R&R with your loved one, Kestle Mill is well positioned (near Newquay and St Austell) for coastal visits or touring. Elizabethan Trerice House is around a mile away and the Eden Project 10 miles.

Rose Cottage, a detached gothic-style gatehouse on Dartmoor will strike a chord with the old romantic. Situated just inside the main entrance gates to Bovey Castle (a renowned hotel), and just two miles from North Bovey, the property has views over the 18 hole championship golf course and is two lane-miles from the spectacular open moor around Manaton or Moretonhampstead. With the elegant hall, ornate ironwork doors to the dining room and the big round glass table encircled by mullioned windows, the scene is instantly set for a romantic break. All guests are welcome to enjoy the hotel’s pool, sauna, steam room and gym. For those who want to venture outside the grounds, the Ring of Bells Inn, North Bovey, is a popular watering hole for locals and visitors alike, with food served daily.

If you fancy spending Valentine's in the West Country, see this page or call us on 01647 433593.

Romance is good for the soul...

... and if you need an excuse to treat the one you love, we’ve some secluded bolt-holes, far away from it all, for Valentine's Day.

For a touch of grandeur, how about staying in a stylish apartment with stunning sea views in Acton Castle (pictured) in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Cornwall? Right by the coast path and sandy coves, you can breathe in the spectacular scenery on a romantic walk, or mooch around popular St Ives, only 8 miles away, visit the Tate gallery and ching glasses in a cosy restaurant.

Or perhaps a more intimate retreat in an idyllic country setting? This charming cottage in Dorset is a perfect getaway for snuggling down in the flickering fire-glow. Take a look at our special places still available in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset for a romantic Valentine’s break...