quail

Organic Ladies Clothing Super Sale

2011-04-27T09:34:00.003+01:00

Quail has discontinued producing womens organic clothing in favour of pursuing our organic shirts line for men full time. To purchase ladies organic clothing across the range at ridiculously low prices visit the Outlet Shop HERE.

How to make homemade Oreo Cookies

2010-12-29T17:19:00.005Z

I am the type of person who prefers to bake a treat at least once a week. I find baking such a relaxing activity. The human race does gravitate towards baked goods, especially men. Since I am an avid fan of organic produce and I avoid suspect additives, by baking I am in control of what I am eating. It certainly does not mean that my baking is magically calorie-free, far from it, but I would much rather consume organic butter than a fattening, cheaper alternative such as palm oil which is often disguised as 'vegetable oil' on most ingredients listings. I want to tell you about my homemade Oreo biscuits. My recipe is a keeper and I am willing to share it because it is such a winner. I think Americans call these types of biscuits 'Whoopie Pies' but for the sake of description, I am going for 'homemade Oreos'. I have no idea where I picked up this recipe but it has been test run in the home at least three times in recent months. My photo above features my 3" diametre biscuits which you would get from 30-35g rolled balls before baking.

Chocolate Biscuit Recipe:
300g plain flour 
120g cocoa
 2 t baking soda
 1/2 t baking powder 
1/2 t salt
 330g sugar
 250g butter, softened
 2 eggs

***TOP TIP*** Use a scale to weigh out balls so that you get uniformity and biscuits will match their mates easily when it comes time to sandwich them with icing!!!

Method:
1 Assemble all dry ingredients in a bowl 
2 Beat in butter and egg and continue mixing until you can use your hands  (it will be stiff)
3 Roll into 30g balls, place 2” apart and flatten the balls slightly before placing in the oven 
4 Bake for 11mins at 190°c
 5 Cool on a rack

:: The biscuits rise and spread and when they are removed from the oven, they sink down and get a crackled surface which I think gives them character. Only lift them off tray when they firm up a bit, about 2-3mins.

Cream Filling:
A simple creamed mixture of butter, icing sugar, vanilla and nothing else...spread it onto bottom of cooled biscuit and sandwich another on top. Easy!

Apricot, Almond & Amaretto Cake

2010-12-24T19:39:00.005Z

"Quite honestly..." {pregant pause, fork poised in mid-air} "...this is the best cake I've ever, ever tasted. It's...perfect..." Was just one of the comments I've received about this cake. I make it all year round and just so happen have chosen it for my Christmas cake this year instead of other recipes in my repitoire. This cake is extremely rich and has such a unique depth of flavour that easily draws positive comments out of people. It's a grown up cake because of the alcohol and it's certainly a strong candidate for an occassion cake when even your best chocolate cake won't do. Here is the recipe:

Cake:
115g butter
325g sugar
3 eggs 1 t vanilla
50ml Amaretto (Disaronno is the leading brand)
25g self-raising flour, sifted
165g plain flour, sifted
¼ t salt
¼ t baking soda
75g ground almonds
125ml sour cream or Greek yogurt
125g dried apricots, diced finely (if pieces are too big, they just sit on the bottom of the cake)
50g marzipan, in little chunks

Method:
1 Preheat oven to 170˚C
2 Grease 2 x 22cm cake tins
3 Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy 
4 Add marzipan and blend 
5 Add eggs gradually, beating well 
6 Beat in vanilla and amaretto
 7 Sift flours, salt and baking soda and mix with almonds 
8 Fold dry ingredients into batter gradually, alternating with sour cream
9 Fold in apricots and spoon batter into tin 
10 Bake for 30mins, test for done-ness and continue baking or remove from oven
11 Cool slightly and turn onto a wire rack
12 Leave to cool completely before icing

Icing is a butter cream: butter, icing sugar, splash of Amaretto and teaspoon of vanilla extract
Top with toasted almond flakes

Notes:
1) Proper marzipan is a paste made from almonds and sugar. I use the organic 'Crazy Jack's' brand of marzipan which is available at leading supermarkets and delis.

Wallander - There's Three of Them

2010-12-21T00:05:00.005Z

Wallander 1, Rolf Lassgard was the first Kurt Wallander {Swedish}. The largest in height and breadth of the three Wallanders, but then, he's a hockey player. This Wallander has diabetes, girlfriends and his own office.

Wallander 2, Krister Henriksson is the second Kurt Wallander {Swedish}. The most sophisticated in lifestyle compared to Wallander 1 and Wallander 3 because his flat has great styling, he listens to classical music on a quality stereo. This Wallander wears Ray Bans and trench coats, smokes, owns a dog as well as a home next to the sea. Henriksson's Wallander also takes the mick with his friend the forensic scientist, is friendly with the receptionist who takes his messages and he flirts and dates the legal counsel at the station.

Wallander 3, Kenneth Branagh is the third Wallander {English}. Compared to Wallander 1 and 2 Branagh's Wallander is very disfunctional. He sleeps upright in chairs or outdoor wooden benches rather than beds and has an appalling diet if he eats at all. He also does not shave much.

Organic Shirts for Real Men

2010-12-20T23:46:00.004Z

It has come to my attention that men have been quite loyal to Quail, mainly because Quail's shirt collection for men has filled a niche. Guys want the full spectrum of sizes, great colours including lots of blues and stripes, thick, soft cotton and sturdy construction. I suppose fitting real blokes, like rugby players, muscle men and Dad's of portly proportions can be a real problem, especially at Christmas. It's good to be selling quality goods to a deserving market.

Doing the Roux

2010-11-13T17:10:00.006Z

I think this dessert looked amazing as soon as I clapped eyes on it the other night on television. I love dishes that look exotic by construction, colour and suitable for a maharajah's feast. This dessert oozes exoticness! Michel Roux's Master Chef recipe for marinated green grapes, tipsy cream and sesame tuiles was not described in too much detail when it was aired. I rewatched the episode on iPlayer where Michel made this impressive dessert but so much of the recipe was rushed, vague or omitted altogether. Regardless, I was able to unravel some of the mystique and came up with my interpretation. My version of the dessert is above. I played around with the tuile mixture to get the right balance of delicious, crispness and forgiveness. My tuile recipe is so good I'll be using it again in other desserts as it remained malleable for quite a long time.

On the subject of grape-peeling...it was not as diffiucult as I thought it was going to be. Michel Roux demonstrated his method of using a teaspoon to get under the skin but I gave up after two grapes and decided to quickly plunge them in boiling water and then immediately drain them in a colander. I suppose the variety of grapes, temperature and ripeness is all going to play a factor in grape-peeling. After their quick plunge they remained warm for awhile and I simply peeled them like mini-bananas and did 30 grapes in about 10mins whilst sitting and watching telly. I thought the spoon might damage the flesh too much as well and the quick boiled water bath made for a clean peel. I need to get out more! I peeled the grapes first to ensure they had an adequate amount of time to marinade and take on flavour.

Makes 4

Marinated Grapes:
Green grapes, peeled
5-6 tablespoons icing sugar, to taste
Grappa, to taste
Sweet white dessert wine, to taste

Sesame Tuiles:
90g icing sugar
40g butter
50g honey
2 tablespoons water
pinch salt
1 lemon, zested
160g sesame seeds (white and black)
4 tablespoons plain flour

Sesame Tuile Method:
1 Place all ingredients except sesame and flour in a saucepan
2 Bring to the boil, boil for 1min
3 Remove pan from heat, add sesame seeds and flour
4 Stir until well until combined, scoop out into a bowl
5 Set mixture aside to cool in pan to room temperature
6 It ‘sets’ but will be easy to roll
7 Preheat oven to 190oC
8 Once cooled, use a rolling pin to roll half of the mixture between two sheets of bake o’glide (I didn't trust parchment)
9 Bake one at a time in the middle of the oven for 7-8mins
10 Mixture bubbles all over in the later stages of cooking--you need to aim for crispy tuiles rather than chewy so you need to use your chef's intuition
11 Use a 3" diameter cutter or up turned glass as a template and cut out circles a knife when sesame tuile slab is still warm--I got on very well with this method--I did a batch that were already cut into circles but they became misshapened

Tipsy Cream:
250ml double cream, you need more than you think
Grappa, to taste
Icing sugar, to taste

The method for marinading the grapes is all rather cheffy, trust your palate. Start with the icing sugar and a teaspoon of each of the alcohols and just use tasting spoons and sacrifice a few of your peeled grapes to get the sharpness right. Personally I do not want to get trolleyed on this desert and worried that too much alcohol would curdle the cream on contact. The 'tipsy cream' I did to taste as well. Do not over whip the cream so that it goes grainy.

Assembly was easy peasy. I ensured my marinaded grapes were well-drained afterwards because I wanted to make my desserts in advance so that nothing would go soggy. I reduced the marinade to a drippy caramel and dressed the plate last minute--it will harden too much if done too far in advance.

My verdict: Michel Roux seems like a highly decent human being plus an inspiring, old school Michelin star chef-- I like that combo in a chef--a healthy ego and an individual eager to still be inspired by food and inspire others. I'm a tuile fan and since I am partial to 'Sesame Snaps' from healthfood stores, I was curious enough to seek out a recipe and adapt it.

Liberty Print mens shirts

2010-09-04T23:41:00.004+01:00

Quail has launched a new series of mens shirts featuring detailing of Liberty Print fabric which has been married with a lovely organic calico. The above shirt features a peacock Liberty Print called 'Caesar' from their Classic Tana range. Quail's shirts are cut, made and trimmed in Devon and we pride ourselves in selling a generous range of sizes for big and tall men.

Quail begins to specialise in menswear

2010-07-30T10:33:00.005+01:00

After a successful summer start to our menswear collection, Quail has published a specific menswear catalogue featuring a selection of our colourful and unique mens shirts. Longsleeve, shortsleeve, weekend style with a relaxed fit and breast pocket and slim-fitting shirts for men with piping detail down the placket for a more smart casual look. The catalogue is available to view online and hard copies were printed for a celebrity golf tournament that Quail sponsored at Richmond Golf Club in June.

Quail Photo Shoot with John Hyam

2010-06-23T23:00:00.014+01:00

I enjoyed hosting a visiting professional fashion photographer, John Hyam, for a few days recently at Quail's studio in south Devon. Taking full advantage of the fantastic south west weather John and I enjoyed few days of great natural light for an outdoor photoshoot--at times it was even a bit too sunny! (slightly overcast skies are best for outdoor fashion photography apparently!) I hooked up with John a few years ago in London, discussing his portfolio over a Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market--back in the days when Quail used to be based near Tower Bridge. As a talented photographer John is genuinely interested in ethical fashion and supports creative innovation. Above, John and our model, Mat shoot right outside the Quail studio in Brixham, Devon.

Brixham Colours 13

2010-05-12T23:16:00.005+01:00

Bright beautiful blue sunny day today here in South Devon. These yellow Laser Pico sailboats are only about 12 feet long, bright yellow, indestructable plastic and seem to be multiplying on the beaches around South Devon as the weather heats up.

New mens shirts with piping detail

2010-05-04T14:06:00.005+01:00

Quail's new series of Piping Mens Shirts have just been released on our website for £49.00 including postage and packaging. International customers welcome. Available in Lavender, Blue, Black, Sand and Grey and in sizes Small to XXXL to fit big cuddly, rugby-ish blokes.

An all-new unique style of mens shirts are now available on the Quail website. White piping detail down the placket makes for a smart casual retro feel. The back seam detailing and along the backs of the arms is intentional for a more sporty, structural fit and we intend to launch a striped series later this summer.

All shirts are made from hard-wearing organic cotton with great natural, muted colours and chunky seashell buttons. Quail is lining up a photoshoot before for the end of May!!!

Quail one of the best menswear fair trade products

2010-03-06T01:21:00.003Z

Today, Emma Laurence, fashion editor of 'The Guardian' featured Quail's black fairtrade cotton and Indonesian batik shirt for men. 'Each of these cotton shirts from Quail has a unique batik fabric on the inside collar and cuffs, adding an edge to the already stylish design.'

New Blue Madras Mens Shirt

2010-02-28T23:05:00.009Z

We're loving the new mens Blue Madras shirt at Quail which was launched on the website today. As soon as visitors come to the studio their attention is drawn to the classic blue and white check so we knew it was going to work well with the bright green contrast. It may quickly turn into a limited edition colourway because of its popularity! Like all of the organic cotton fabric Quail imports from India, it is a handwoven product and a true testament to a small team of talented weavers. Details on how to purchase this shirt visit here.

Bolts of 2010

2009-12-13T22:55:00.005Z

The studio is stacked with new bolts of fabric, freshly imported from India, ready for 2010 colourways. All of Quail's cotton is hand-loomed, organic and certified Fairtrade. Shades of pink, striped pink, ikat-like pink stripes, wines, pale reds, poppy reds, turquoises, muted greys, dove greys, creams, sandy neutrals, blue ginghams, ikat-like blue stripes, burgundy stripes, black and countless shades of lovely blues!

Bramley Apple Chutney for Christmas

2009-12-12T23:17:00.000Z

The quintessential British apple is the Bramley and my personal favourite. Husband and I only buy British apples and we enjoy Bramleys all winter long to make pies, apple sauce and apple crumble. 2009 marks the Bicentenary of the Bramley apple, which has a fascinating history. Visit the official website for the Bramley apple and read about the fascinating history and try some great new recipes. Here is my recipe for Bramley Apple Chutney. This recipe makes about seven x 350ml jars of fantastic homemade chutney. It's a leisurely all day affair to make chutney with plenty of chopping and stirring therapy, but well worth it in the end because friends and family never, ever refuse a handout. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chutney recipe is very similar to mine.

1.5kg Bramley apples (about 5 or 6 large ones)
500g onions
500g sultanas or raisins
750g sugar (Demerara perhaps)
500ml of white wine vinegar
Zest and juice of two lemons
1 small chilli
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground allspice
½ t cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
½ t sea salt
8 peppercorns
1 T of mustard seed

To sterilise jars place in a cool oven – 130oC for 15-20mins. Do this step shortly before you want to pour your chutney into your hot jars.

You'll need your largest pot with at least 3 litres of volume. Peel, core and chop apples into 1" cubes and add them to the pot and turn the heat on high. Finely chop the onions and add them to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat. Simmer very gently with bubbles barely breaking the surface, for at least 4hrs and keep an eye on it, stirring your chutney every half hour. If there is too much heat, your chutney will scorch and burn on the bottom of the pot...spoiling the flavour so make sure the heat isn't too high. When you first start timing your chutney it will seem quite syrupy and thin--don't worry the next 4hrs is all about the reduction and melding of all those vibrant flavours. The raisins will balloon and caramelise--gorgeous! The chutney will gradually change colour from gold to dark chestnut during the cooking process. Your chutney is ready when you can draw a spoon across the surface and it leaves a definite track. If your jars are not yet freshly sterilised and hot, do this step now. Ladle or funnel your hot chutney into hot, sterilised jars with clean plastic-lined lids. Label your jars and store in a cool, dry place and leave to cure for at least 1 month--perfect at 3 months. You can cheat and have a ploughmans lunch with a bit of your spare chutney tomorrow and dream of a great chutney future!!!

New Mens Limited Edition Shirts

2009-12-04T15:01:00.008Z

The popularity of Quail's mens shirt range continues! Thanks to support from The Guardian, Royal Fellowship of Arts and The GIN Lady and of course male shoppers seeking out organic cotton shirts! In many cases guys shopping for their Mrs for Christmas buy something for Her and something for themselves. Above, a limited edition Mallard Green Shirt with Apple Green contrast. Retailing at £49.00 each including P&P or 3 shirts for the price of 2 for any colourways in Quail's mens collection.

Above, a limited edition Saffron Shirt with Antique Batik contrast. Retailing at £49.00 each including P&P or 3 shirts for the price of 2 for any colourways in Quail's mens collection.

Above, a limited edition woven Blue Madras with Apple Green contrast. Retailing at £49.00 each including P&P or 3 shirts for the price of 2 for any colourways in Quail's mens collection.

Anti-Slavery Int'l ‘BID FOR FREEDOM’ Auction

2009-11-05T14:33:00.004Z

On Wednesday, 11th November 2009 Anti-Slavery International will be operating an online auction to help raise funds for their cause. Quail was asked to donate an item for this worthy auction and as such an Ahimsa Silk Nightdress and Mens Black Batik shirt will hopefully bring some money their way! More details about the auction can be found: HERE!!!!

Anti-Slavery International works for policy and practice change to reduce slavery and to reduce the causes of slavery--the same ideals that Quail believes in--child labour in particular and being particular about 'Product Provenance' in the supply chain. Ultimately, Anti Slavery International aims to eliminate slavery in all its modern forms. Areas of their work:

1 The West Africa programme seeks to eradicate slavery through legal reform, and supports former slaves through the provision of community schools and micro credit.

2 In South Asia we work with local partners to obtain the release of slaves through the courts and to document the causes and consequences of slavery in the region. We are currently fundraising for programmes that focus on labour organisation, and education of bonded labourers and their families to help them break the cycle of slavery.

3 Our child domestic labour programme works in six countries: Philippines, India, Tanzania, Togo, Costa Rica, and Peru, with elements including international research, advocacy and small grants.

4 In Europe we work with governments, police, lawyers, pan-European institutions and other anti-trafficking organisations to review legislation and to ensure access of trafficked persons to justice (especially compensation), and work towards the eradication of trafficking.

5 Anti-Slavery has a programme of business engagement to raise awareness of the risks of forced labour in their supply chain, helping businesses identify how they can help reduce the causes of slavery in the communities in which they work, and to encourage businesses to engage more pro-actively with other anti-slavery organisations to reduce slavery in the world.

6 We have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council; participatory status at the Council of Europe, and observer status at African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. We also work closely with the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. We use all of these mechanisms to increase the profile of slavery issues at an international level and put pressure on governments to take concrete steps to address issues of concern in their countries.

7 We have a strong education programme in UK schools and an outreach programme to raise awareness of the consequences of historical slavery on the formation of the modern world, and how slavery remains a real problem across every region of the globe. Our unique historical archives have been made available to the public on our website as part of our Recovered Histories project.

Organic Cotton - Fact No. 4

2009-10-04T11:50:00.007+01:00

In northern India organic cotton seed is planted between the months of March and May. It takes about five months to grow a cotton-bearing plant from seed. After germination it grows quickly and begins to form flowers which die away. It is essential that the flowers become pollinated to form cotton bolls, which are the ovaries of the plant. Fascinatingly cotton flowers start out white on day one, then turn pale pink a day after before blushing to dark pinks by the end of the week. Immediately after this amazing colour transformation the petals dry up and fall off, revealing the young, forming bolls. The photo above was taken in India just before being hand-picked. Beautiful! Photo credit: Bishopston Trading.

Ursula Andress and her homemade white bikini

2009-09-02T23:07:00.014+01:00

In 1962 Ursula Andress walked out of the sea in 'Dr No' in an iconic, home made white bikini making her the quintessential Bond Girl. View the scene here.

A dagger and belt--the perfect bikini accessory for 1960s shell seekers.

Messing about on the beach with her 'Dr No', co-star Sean Connery.

Brixham Colours 12

2009-08-20T23:28:00.004+01:00

This blue and white trawler has been stranded in the inner harbour of Brixham for the last few weeks during low tide and the owner is slowly painting it from back to front. I love the rust stains and old paint colours showing through knicks and scuffs.

Quail's most popular men's shirt

2009-08-17T23:27:00.004+01:00

To date, the most popular colour in Quail's Weekend Shirt for men is the Black organic/Fairtrade cotton with genuine Indonesian batik contrast. As shirts are made to order within 2-3 days sleeves can be lengthened or shortened by request. This classic, relaxed fit mens' shirt is designed to be worn out.

You need to know about the Scala & Kolacny Brothers

2009-08-15T14:06:00.006+01:00

The Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a confusingly named all girls choir from Belgium who sing a 'desert island discs'-style selection of pop music in a unique way. Rather than babbling on about their hugely uplifting music, which I first heard on BBC Radio 1 after a massively exhausting day, I implore you to check out their cover of 'Heartbeats' a song first written and preformed by The Knife and then made popular by José González. I suspect that anyone who loves the sound of Iceland's Sigor Ros, will love The Scala & Kolancy Bros. The Scala Choir is conducted by brothers Stijn (conductor) and Steven (on piano) and the group have released several CDs and numerous songs are available to download from iTunes, making their music accessible to all. I think more people ought to know about this choir so enjoy and let me know what you think!!! It's also worth checking out the original version of The Knife's 'Heartbeats' and the acoustic version by José González.

Pink Floyded Saunton Sands

2009-08-10T10:26:00.005+01:00

Saunton Sands in North Devon is a wonderful place to visit in the height of summer and dark, stormy winter. The UK isn't known for massive, expansive beaches but that's mainly because they are relatively unknown. Saunton Sands has a Famous Five feel to it with mountainous sand dunes called the Braunton Burrows and an amazing long, white, wide beach. Surfers tend to cluster in one main area near the hamlet of Saunton which is mainly made up of a few gorgeous private beach houses, a large, retro white washed hotel and little else. But what else would you want? Saunton Sands is known as an enigmatic film and photography set. 'A Matter of Life and Death', the 1946 film starring David Niven (when he wakes up on the beach at the beginning and thinks he's in heaven). Robbie Williams and his 'Angels' video. But my favourite Saunton Sands fact is Storm Thorgerson, England's prolific and progressive graphic designer, set up the shot for the 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' album cover on the beach, hauling in wrought iron hospital beds for an iconic day shoot (pictured above). It is a fact that 700 beds were used and Photoshop lazy computer trickery made way for sourcing and then hauling hundreds of wrought iron beds onto a north Devon beach...during poor, English weather. I love it! Pop into the best eatery visit The Corner Bistro in nearby Braunton for a proper organic burger.

Rhubarb and Ginger Soufflé

2009-07-25T13:22:00.005+01:00

Behold my beautiful, homemade soufflé! The word 'soufflé' is suggests cookery mystique and mastery--but soufflés really aren't that difficult to pull off and they look impressive. This recipe has a gorgeous, refreshing flavour and makes for a light dessert which is enjoyable to eat and utterly impressive! Seldom seen on restaurant menus probably because of the last minute nature of mixing and baking soufflés and compounded with timing issues as commercial kitchens are frantic places these days. This recipe seems long winded but it's quite straightforward and can be done in stages--with the final stage done last minute even if you are the host/cook at a dinner party. It involves making the Crème Patisserie, preparing the rhubarb and then uniting the two mixes for the final batter.

Make the Crème Patisserie:
200ml milk
140ml double cream
50g vanilla sugar
4 egg yolks
20g plain flour
15g corn flour

1 In a large pan warm milk & cream
2 In a small bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar
3 Add flour and corn flour to egg mixture, mix well
4 Pour milk/cream mixture into egg/flours mixture, mix well, then pour into the pan
5 Bring mixture to just below boiling point, stirring constantly
6 When mixture is thickened pass through a sieve and cover the surface with a clingfilm 'skin'

Make the Rhubarb compote:
600g rhubarb, diced
1 T water
30g freshly grated ginger
50g caster sugar (and another 50ml)

1 Cook down rhubarb, ginger and water with sugar (aim for compote), then cool slightly
2 Whizz rhubarb mixture with a hand blender or processor
3 Use a pastry brush to coat ramekins in butter, dust with sugar then *drag thumb along rim
4 Mix rhubarb with the crème patisserie
5 In a large bowl whisk egg whites to soft peaks, add 50g sugar until glossy

Continue making // hosts can pop in and prepare the following after the main course:
6 Preheat oven to 230c
7 Fold rhubarb/crème mixture into the meringue mixture
8 Divide into ramekins, level with palette knife, careful of the rim, then *drag thumb along rim
9 Bake until golden brown for 12-14mins
10 Moving quickly, display with napkin and a dusting of icing sugar

*Drag thumb just inside the rim each ramekin, a couple of millimetres. This ensures the soufflés will rise impressively out of their ramekins!

Brixham Colours 11

2009-07-20T10:59:00.004+01:00

I interrupt my normal Brixham Colours series to bring you St Ives Colours 1. St Ives (pictured above) is England's most loveliest fishing village and I think the above photo tells you why...It's a stunning place. Located on the tip of south west England St Ives is an artists haven because the light really is extraordinary. The light bounces off the ocean, the white sandy beaches, the white cottages and the silvery slate roofs. The town is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, cliffs and beaches giving St Ives a Mediterranean air rather than O'Blighty. Husband and I visited St Ives last week--one of many trips to the area. We stayed at the Organic Panda B&B which has simple, elegant rooms, two adorable cats, fab organic breakfasts and the place doubles as an art gallery. Organic Panda is 'the definitive' B&B for anyone with an eco/ethical ilk and wants to chill out and we highly recommend it.