A tanker on a "Wine dark sea" (quote from Homer) with
clouds on the horizon which we hope will bring more blessed rain
The sky on fire - a Sea Point sunset
This week, we’ve come to the end of our travelogue about
Scandinavia on a shoestring. It was a wonderful adventure for both of us and a
very special re-visit to a highlight of his early adult life for John. The
other stories we have to tell you are about a visit to a wonderful hotel and
restaurant just outside Hout Bay, a very special wine and lunch at a restaurant
which had been recommended to us...
A
stunning seaside lunch at Tintswalo Atlantic
Sometimes you find somewhere you would
like to stay for the rest of your life. For Lynne, Tintswalo Atlantic on the
Hout Bay coast fits the bill with its fantastic position, comfort and style. We
had been invited to visit this lovely resort on the edge of the bay earlier this
year, but we could not accept. So it was with a good feeling of anticipation
that we visited for lunch this week, following another invitation.
A
Saturday morning jaunt to De Grendel followed by lunch at the Salt Water Grill
We are members of the De Grendel Wine
Club, so we get notifications of the release of their new wines. The latest
release was of their Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc and we were keen to taste it as
we do rather like the way Charles Hopkins makes this wine. So with a friend
whose wife was away, we ventured off to Durbanville to find it. We like it so
much that it is our wine of the week and Lynne has promoted it to her Birthday
wine, it is that good. (Every year Lynne nominates a favourite wine and John
responds by buying her a case for her birthday in August)
Scandinavia
on a Shoestring: Denmark going south
We had intended to go to Stockholm but
discovered that the toll fees on road from Oslo would be similar to an air fare
and we would not be able to afford the trip, so we had a couple of extra days
to spare. Lynne looked at the map of Denmark and discovered that the countryside
up in the north near Odense, the second largest city, was beautiful and we
therefore booked an apartment in a country AirBnB near Bogense. The friendly and
sympathetic owner is a school teacher who also runs part of the house as a Bed
and Breakfast. We loved talking to her
The
Scandinavian Odyssey is coming to an end....
We had just three nights left in Europe
when we arrived at our AirBnB house in Kiel. The time had not flown too quickly,
as it sometime does when you are travelling for a long time. We were loving our
independent way of travel, meeting experiences head on as we arrived in each
different place and learning more about it and, important for us, soaking up
its atmosphere. We certainly were becoming more expert at finding good
accommodation on AirBnB by using the filter facility. We don't mind paying a
little more for places on our own, not colliding with the owners, their
families, pets and their lives and feeling just a little "de trop" or
out of place in their world. Who wants to ask politely "May we use the
kitchen and sit somewhere?" We are not young anymore and cannot, no, do
not want to 'drop our suitcases anywhere' and sleep on the original air mattress
idea that started off this successful company. And they are attracting better
and better accommodation
What's
on this week's Menu? Boston Baked Beans with Pork This is one of Lynne's all time winter
favourites. She has been making it for years. You need to make it in a lidded
casserole dish. We prefer to use tinned beans as it saves energy (gas or
electricity); getting dried beans soft can take a very long time
500g Dried Haricot Beans or 2 tins
white Cannellini beans - 1 large onion - 2 cloves garlic, sliced - 225g salt
pork or streaky bacon in one piece - 225g belly pork - 2 tablespoons tomato
puree - 2 tablespoons black treacle (not
blackstrap molasses) - 1 teaspoon dry English Mustard - 1 teaspoon fresh Sage,
chopped - Salt and Pepper
If using dry beans, soak them in cold water overnight.
Bring the beans to a rapid boil and then drain them, throwing the water onto
your compost heap or garden. This is important. The water of dried beans can be
toxic and give you a bad stomach. (If using tinned beans, there is no need to
soak or boil the beans, just drain them and add them to the meat and onions). Cut
the pork and bacon into 2.5 cm pieces. Slice the onion and the garlic and fry
gently in a large ovenproof casserole until soft. Put in all the other
ingredients. Season well and cover with water. Cook at a medium heat for 1½
hours or until the beans and the meat are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning
and serve with a mixed salad or with Spring savoy cabbage briefly cooked in a
little vegetable stock, a few cumin seeds and butter
(We have not tried this but you may
well be able to make this with beef short ribs if you do not eat pork.)
We enjoyed this with a bottle of the Chocolate
Block, robust enough to stand with the dark flavours of the dish
We are members of the De Grendel Wine Club, so we get notifications of the release of their new wines. The latest release was of their Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc and we were keen to taste it as we do rather like the way Charles Hopkins makes this wine
The nose
is quite tropical, with hints of elderflower and lime with granadilla, fig leaf
and citrus, complex. On the palate, crisp limes and green melon; more
granadilla and gooseberry with hints of green pepper pyrazines on the end. Full,
layered and warm despite its 12.5% alcohol
Lynne has promoted it to her Birthday wine, it is that good. (Every year Lynne nominates a favourite wine and John responds by buying her a case for her birthday in August)
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
If you like the photographs you see in our publications, please look at our Adamastor Photo website for our rate card and samples from our portfolio
Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.
