Thursday, December 05, 2019

This Week’s MENU. Jordan Anniversaries, UK Adventure. Leonardslee, Mannings Heath, London, Dim Sum in London, Wine & Recipe of the Week

 Sunset over the Atlantic

The year is rushing to its end, too fast as usual. We have done a lot, seen many wonderful things, visited beautiful and interesting places, but we have to admit that it is tiring and we need to take a break. This evening, we will be at a quiet place by the sea, looking at the sunset and contemplating very little other than the glass of wine in hand and the beauty around us. Unless something spectacular needs to be communicated, this is the last issue of MENU for 2019. Thank you for following us, for communicating with us and for contributing to our expenses. We hope that you will have marvellous, delicious festivities and that 2020 will see an end to all the uncertainties and political stupidity (some hope..) and that it will be a year of growth, achievement and, above all, fun for us all. See you in the New Year…

How could we refuse an invitation like this, to celebrate Anniversaries with friends. The lovely, crisp Jordan Blanc de Blanc MCC as a welcome drink, served outside the new Tasting room on its deck. A perfect early summer evening. Read on…

Penny Streeter OBE, who owns Benguela Cove winery in Hermanus, also owns two properties in England, both in Sussex, where she also grows grapes and is planting new vines. When she heard we were going to be in the area, she invited us to visit both. First we went to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, which has suddenly become very famous as her talented chef Jean Delport, who is South African, has just been awarded a coveted Michelin Star for their Interlude restaurant. Read on…

After our visit to Leonardslee, we were invited by the Streeter family to spend the night at their other property, Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate near Horsham in West Sussex, a few miles away. The vineyard was established about four years ago. Read on…

The last week of our trip was in London. It still feels like home to Lynne, who was born there. Her family emigrated to South African in 1948 but she returned and lived there for 27 years from 1967 to 1993. But it has changed a lot, so many new buildings. Apologies to all friends we didn't manage to see; our time in London was very short. Read on…

On our last Sunday in London, we had made an appointment with friends to have some Dim Sum in Chinatown. It is something we have done together since the early 1970s. Old friend Chris Hutton is half Burmese (we call him Buddha! you can see the resemblance) and we have him to thank for introducing us all to the panoply of good Asian food over the years; we are all quite adventurous. Read on…

This week’s recipe is something calming and easy for the holidays. Soba are buckwheat noodles and are usually served cold as a salad. Sriracha Chilli sauce is hot stuff, cut the quantity in half if you don’t like too much heat. And if you have any left overs of turkey or ham or from a braai you can use them instead of the steak. We had some left over deboned leg of lamb from the braai which worked very well. Read on…

A perfect wine to have with your Christmas dinner, so full of life and good fruit; their top wine, an oh, so elegant classic; a new world Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Read on…


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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 our website and ancillary works are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are often 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

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