Cardiff

We decided to skip the London Hype during New Years and took the train to Wales. When in doubt always go to the capital city, so Cardiff it was.

It only took us two hours and we had arrived.  I love traveling by train, especially in the UK, because the country side is so beautiful with the rolling green hills and reminds me so of home. A proper Welsh pub is the first place we went to when we arrived. Neither John or I could distinguish wether the locals were speaking very bad English or Welsh. It is such a funny language. Sounded like German crossed with Russian crossed with Irish - if that makes any sense!

 It was very cold and wet when we arrived so the comfort of a warm pub was in order!

Dinner at GBK

Castell Caerdydd

Cardiff Castle is one of Wales' leading heritage attractions and a site of international significance. During 2000 years of history, the Castle has been a Roman Garrison, a Norman stronghold and in Victorian times was transformed into a gothic fairytale fantasy.

We started the tour with a Firing Line exhibition and film presentation. We then got our audio guide to explore the Castle grounds which lasts approximately 60 minutes. Standing on top of the Castle's open air roof, you look out on the rest of the Castle and city skyline and the views are simply breathtaking. It started to rain heavily so we opted for  a warm coffee at the café.

 Welsh National War Memorial

Enough site-seeing for one day! It was time to hit the pubs! All the pubs had great buy one-get one free cocktail specials! I think we literally tried all the cocktails on the menu and then did some more pub crawling!

Wales Millennium Centre

 New Year's Eve

The weather was so wet and cold that we ended up seeking for shelter in pubs and restaurants quite regularly. Fortunately the rain stopped and we went strolling through the streets. There were carousels and market stalls everywhere. John even won a little Tigger for me!

This was a traditional Welsh dance (similar to our "Voortrekkers") which they were performing for live television. We had to cheer them on.

We grabbed a beer at the Heineken stall and bounced to the live bands that were performing. Our countdown to the new year was in Welsh and English! I know we were missing out on London's amazing fire work display, but being just the two of us in a foreign country, was truly something special!

Happy New Year!!!

A Day trip to Brighton Beach

                        

After the chilly Christmas, we missed the sun and sea and decided to go to Brighton for the day! Forget about the umbrella and bikinis and rather put on a scarf and gloves because this is not your typical Camps Bay beach, and you are definitely not going to go for a dip in the sea in December! 

Brighton is on the South coast of Great Britain.  It is very popular during the Summer as the seafront has bars, restaurants, nightclubs and amusement arcades, principally between the piers. Being less than an hour from London by train has made the city a popular destination, especially with big party groups.

Brighton Pier has all the latest video games, thrill rides and retail shops, even a South African Biltong Hut. The Pier has three bars, over thirty food kiosks, traditional seaside stalls, two amusement arcades, a world famous fish & chip restaurant, and even its own radio station. 


The famous fish and chip restaurant, Palm court, was recently referred to as the "Spiritual Home" of fish and chips by Heston Blumenthal.  You can enjoy large portions of fabulous fish and chips, cooked to perfection, in the newly refurbished restaurant or you can take it out and eat while you walk along the pier - just watch out for those seagulls! 

"The Spiritual Home of Fish and Chips" - Heston Blumenthal

We had a lovely lunch on the pier. This was truly the best Fish and chips I have ever eaten and I can't imagine eating anything else at Brighton.  

Here is my recipe for deep-fried fish, which I made a lot on Stormbringer (the boss loved it)...

Deep-fried haddock in beer batter

Ingredients:

oil, for deep frying
4 haddock fillets, about 180g each, pinboned and skinned
4 Tbsp seasoned flour

For the batter:
115g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
250-300ml pale ale 
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sift the plain flour, baking powder ans salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add half the ale. Gradually stir in the flour so the batter remains smooth. As it thickens, blend in more until the batter is the consistency of single cream, and season. Heat the oil to 180C in a large pan or deep-fat fryer. Dust the fish with the seasoned flour. Lower the fish in the batter and coat completely. Swish the fish through the oil to allow the batter to start to set, then release the fish. Fry for 7-10 minutes or until the batter is golden brown. Drain the fish on kitchen towel and season with maldon salt. Serve with chips and lemon mayo.

bon appétit!!!

Christmas!!!

Xavier's first Christmas!!!

                                               

Being in London, we had such a great build-up to Christmas Day. Experiencing all the festivity such as Winter Wonderland, shopping at Harrods, eating mince pies and drinking cinnamon Cafe late's all contributed to the beautiful day of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. This year we celebrated with John's family and what a great day it was. Unfortunately it still wasn't snowing, but a cold Christmas we definitely had, thus using the outside table as a fridge to keep the beers chilled!

John had food poisoning the day before Christmas eve, but he fortunately recovered quickly and could enjoy all the delicious food James prepared for us!

Christmas Eve

Finished all the last minute shopping and wrapping! Just love this time of the holiday!

Christmas day!

I woke up so excited and couldn't wait to go down to the Christmas tree. Forget about the coffee, Hayley and James popped the champers and we started the day off very merrily! Merry Christmas everyone! Little Xavier got the most gifts and most were bigger than him! It was so special to share these magical moments with our little monkey!

I made a few canape's, just to line the stomach because that first glass of bubbly already went to my head! We had Smoked salmon on blinis, chicken satays with a sweet chili jam and tomato and basil phyllo tartlets.

James was in charge of the Christmas lunch. He made a delicious leg of lamb, Christmas Gammon (his mother's secret recipe), oven roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts with crispy bacon, braised red cabbage and of course a delicious gravy. A proper English sunday roast!

 Jackie and Jennifer

 For dessert (which we had much later, because we were so stuffed from the lunch) I made Christmas Cup cakes and chocolate brownies with fresh berries and chocolate ganache. 

Christmas Ham is a must.  Even if you don't eat it, it still makes a wonderful centre piece! The satisfaction you get when you bite into that golden brown, perfectly scored skin is priceless. I adore it with a home-made apple and sage sauce. Here is my version of a quick and easy glaze.

My Christmas Ham Glaze

100ml brown sugar

7 ml ginger

5 ml mustard

10 ml smooth apricot jam

Mix together and rub over the scored ham. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200 C until slightly brown and crispy!!!

Winter Wonderland

Christmas was around the corner and I can't think of a better place to go to than Winter Wonderland to get you excited about the festive season. For 23 years I have had a warm beach Christmas holiday at Natures' Valley (still the most beautiful place in the world), so a white Christmas would be the first for both John and I.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is London's most spectacular Christmas destination. It can be enjoyed by everyone - I for one, felt like a little kid.  We experienced the magical and dazzling array of all it has to offer, from the Angels Christmas Market to the rides and festive munchies! 

The Angels Christmas Market has a wide variety of wintery culinary delights such as Glühwein, cinnamon doughnuts, nutella waffles, German bratwurst and many delicacies.  There are also beautiful stalls with handicrafts and unique gift ideas for a perfect Christmas!

The Samsung Galaxy Ice Rink

(Try and book a spot in advance)

 John and I on the Euro Coaster 

Here is a delicious Glühwein recipe to get you into the festive mood:
(If you wish to get your friends and yourself tipsy even more quickly, or just to add a little extra kick, add brandy, sweet sherry or port to the mix)

Ingredients:

4 L red wine

2 cups caster sugar (add to taste)
6 - 8 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
2 oranges, sliced
10 whole allspice
2 cups of orange juice


Pour the red wine into a large pot and place on the stove on a very low heat – you must not let the wine boil. Add the sliced oranges. Break the cinnamon sticks in half or thirds and add to the wine as well as the whole and all spice. Add in the sherry or port and orange juice. Add the sugar and stir. Stir on and off for about 30 min to infuse the wine with the spices and for the magic to occur. Taste, and add more sugar as needed. Allow it to infuse for another 30 minutes. Drink and be merry!!

Prost to the festive season!!!

Guildford

One Saturday morning, John and I decided to have a picnic in Guildford. I made a few sandwiches and off we were. Guildford is the county town of Surrey and also one of the most expensive places to live in the Uk, outside of London. A bustling English town, with a High street paved in cobble stones. Great shops and beautiful parks. We walked around and popped in at The Maison Blanc Patisserie for a proper English scone and pot of tea.

                                          

                                          

   

These guys were amazing. They wowed the large crowds with their awesome tunes! 

                                                     

Guildford has been associated with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because of its importance in the life of its author. There are lovely statues of Alice and the rabbit in the park, which I adored, because I am a huge fan of the novel. We ended up walking through the whole town and forgot to have our picnic! Watched a movie at the Odium Theatre and ate our sandwiches on the train ride back home.

Cake Boy

Cake Boy is Chef Eric Lanlard's luxury but relaxed cake boutique set on the river in Clapham, South West London. They are open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or simply a glass of bubbly and a slice of cake! 

As one of the world’s most renowned patissiers, Eric has baked wedding cakes for the likes of Madonna, Claudia Schiffer and Elizabeth Hurley and can count Prime Minister David Cameron, Elton John and Lady Gaga amongst his clients. For Chinoiserie at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Eric has created “Rêves d'orient”, an enticing range of exquisitely presented sweet and savoury selections that will take customers on a culinary journey through the Orient and Middle East, via his native France.

I saw Chef Lanlard at Cape Town's Good Food & Wine Show in 2010 and have watched many of his baking shows on TV, so a stop-over for tea and cake was a must. We hopped on the train to Clapham Junction and enjoyed a lovely afternoon delight!

 We treated ourselves to a glamorous afternoon tea and chose from a selection of the cakes and pastries on display together with a cup of coffee and tea. 

Chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries

 Chocolate Cupcake

We never even expected for Chef Lanlard to be there, but to our surprise he welcomed us into his beautiful café.  The café offers a stylish and relaxing environment in which to enjoy a selection of London’s most exquisite pastries, freshly made each day on the premises.
You can enjoy a pain aux chocolat, almond croissants, mouth-watering muffins with Chatsworth fruit preserves and Fairtrade organic coffees. The lunch time menu includes generously filled sandwiches, bagels, fresh salads and savoury tarts.
You can also pop in for a Champagne Afternoon tea which consists of finger sandwiches, exquisite patisserie and, of course, champagne!  
   

A brilliant chocolate fix! Indulge is the name of the game!