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Exciting NEW opening for

Harpenden.

DARLISH Ice Cream Parlour

Opp Waitrose

Darlish Ice Cream was created in 2017 by

St Albans resident Laura Dawson, initially

starting on the St Albans Farmers Market

selling ice cream from their ice cream cart.  

In 2018 they graduated from the market,

opening their St Albans ice cream parlour

by the Clock Tower.  Since then they have

opened parlours in Hatfield House and

Central London, but have always wanted to open in Harpenden as well.  It was just a matter of waiting until the right shop became available & they were delighted when 6B Leyton Road came on the market.

Over the last few years they have also opened pop ups in Selfridges and Bicester Village, and have also been stocked in Waitrose.

Their ice cream is made in a traditionally English style - so creamy, and also not too sweet (and no eggs)... and they work really hard on creating magical combinations which excite, intrigue and taste really good! 

Here you can find a list of their current flavours

Darlish.com

All the best cuts from all the best sources Harpenden’s real Butcher... in Station Rd.

If you want real flavours take a walk to Station Rd into R&M Family Butchers AND ORDER YOUR XMAS  TURKEY

Review of Vinsanto:

'A taste of London brought

to the local audience'

Recently, I was having a facial at Harpenden

Skin Clinic and making smalltalk with my lovely

beauty therapist.

"What you up to this weekend?" I asked, wincing

as she attacked my nose with an extraction tool.

"Not much to be honest. I'm going to Vinsanto with the girls on Saturday night so I'm looking forward to that" she replied.

"Oh I haven't heard of there. What do they do?"

"It's an Italian restaurant on Station Road. They've been there a while now I think. My friend says the food is amazing, especially the Tiramisu. She said it was the best she's ever had."

Hmm. That was odd. There were about a hundred Italian restaurants in Harpenden now (or that's what it felt like anyway). But how had I not heard of this one? Could it really be that amazing? Only one way to find out I guessed. So, last Wednesday evening, I found myself trudging through puddles down Station Road, my stomach growling for arancini and tiramasu.

The first thing that struck me about this restaurant was its humble exterior. I'd probably walked past it twenty times without even realising: that's how inconspicuous it was. As opposed to neon lights or garish signage, the facade was painted a navy blue. And above the door in gold letters, it read: Vinsanto.

As I entered, all quickly became clear. The place was oozing with understated class, from the dark walls to the soul track pumping through the overhead speakers. And while there were only about twelve tables in total, the atmosphere was far from empty. It felt intimate and exclusively cosy- a dining experience I had yet to come across in Harpenden's busy restaurant scene.

I gave my name to the smiling waiter, Neville, who led me to a velvet chair at a marble effect table by the window. He then explained Vinsanto's concept of European style Tapas, before going off to fetch some water and a glass of Rosé. While I waited, I pulled out my phone and brought up the restaurant website. There was a section about the chef/ owner Daniel Fletcher and as I skimmed the text, my jaw nearly hit the table. An award-winning chef of over 20 years, it said Daniel previously held senior roles for Gordon Ramsay and Jason Atherton. He had also worked in 5 star hotels and michelin-starred restaurants across the globe. Flippin' heck. It looked like I was in for a feast.

After some serious deliberation, I ordered three small plates and was amazed by how quickly Neville returned with them. - SEE BELOW LEFT To begin, I tucked into a rather posh take on a bruschetta: toasted sourdough, positively drenched in olive oil and topped with sweet tomato slivers, gorgeously silky buratta and flakes of salt. Next, I went for the piping hot arancini, which were almost golf ball-sized- far bigger than the teeny truffle ones you get at The Ivy, and far more delicious let me tell you! Crispy breadcrumbs on the outside with not a smidge of grease, and cheesy risoto-like rice in the middle. Yum. Having burnt my tongue on the arancini such was my haste (I will never learn) I finished with a medley of cured meats and pesto-ey roasted vegetables. I was appreciative of the fifteen minute rest that followed. It gave me just enough time to recharge my appetite before the mains

came.

I decided to order two dishes. SEE ABOVE RIGHT- First, the truffle pasta: ribbons of fresh pasta swimming in butter so good it made you want to lick the plate. Then the chicken milanese. This is their Wednesday evening special and it consists of a very moist, generously sized chicken breast, coated in salty breadcrumbs, topped with spicy Nduja, and served alongside triple cooked chips and salad. It was in a word: flawless.

The service was also top notch with Neville being very attentive to all tables. At one point, he asked if I wanted the music turning down (I was sat underneath the speaker). And when a lady came in clutching a bouquet of flowers, for what was presumably a Birthday celebration with friends, Neville offered to get an ice bucket to stop the flowers drying out.

By the end of my main courses, I felt pregnant. It was times such as these when you wished you had two stomachs like a cow. But I'd come here for 'the best Tiramisu in town', hadn't I? So like a true Brit, I soldiered on, and ordered myself a salted caramel Tiramisu.

I'm not a coffee drinker. But oh my goodness: that dessert was the best I've eaten in a long time. You know those Tiramisus where the lady fingers are these sad, partially dissolved crumbs, reminiscent of your Nan's sloppy trifle? Well, Vinsanto's was the antithesis. My spoon glided through the decadent, caramel cream, which was laced with Himalayan salt and bitter coffee. Eventually I came to the bed of chocolate lady fingers, almost brownie-like in texture. There were also crunchy, biscuity chunks which Neville explained were the bits of lady finger batter that had stuck to the bowl. He then informed me that Daniel Fletcher bakes desserts for the menswear shop Purple. So if you ever pop in for one of their indulgent peanutbutter cookie cups or gooey salt and caramel brownies, you now know who made them.

Despite my protruding stomach, I couldn't help but keep scraping at the bottom of my Tiramisu, sort of like a dog that keeps licking their food bowl when there's nothing left. It was the perfect way to end a night of incredible food. And while I couldn't manage a cocktail, it's worth mentioning there is a very cool speakeasy bar downstairs which regularly holds DJ nights.

So what was the damage, I hear you ask? Admittedly, Vinsanto is more expensive than your traditional Italian. But when you take into account that the chef worked for Gordon Ramsay no less, it's actually fantastic value. The appetizers ranged from £6-£12; mains were £18-22; and desserts around £8 with cocktails starting at £10 and Prosecco £7 a glass.

All in all, I couldn't fault Vinsanto and I will be returning soon for newly launched their lunch menu. The only error I did pick up on during my visit was a spelling mistake on the menu. They spelt triple cooked chips with two ps. Oh well. Nobody's perfect.  Review by Charlotte Bateman