Getting Ready for Christmas 8: In the Woods at Midnight
In the Woods at Midnight
Posts from the ‘Destinations’ category
Getting Ready for Christmas 7: Glass Igloos!
Visit Lapland! Let’s go to Kakslauttanen, Finland, above the Arctic Circle! At the Kakslauttan Arctic Resort, we enjoy the Husky Safaris, Reindeer Safaris, Snow Tank Safaris, (what a good one that is), Snow Mobile Safaris, or Ice Fishing Safaris. There is also horseback riding, and skiing of every kind! You can stay in a glass igloo or cosy cabin! For an exciting nautical cruise there is the day-long cruise from Kemi, Finland, aboard the Icebreaker Sampo!!!!! Be sure to watch the VIDEO!!!! ENJOY at Christmas!
Glass Igloos
Getting Ready for Christmas 6: Donner is Here!
Donner
Getting Ready for Christmas 5: Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
Baby It’s Cold Outside!
Getting Ready for Christmas 4: Vixen is Here!
I LOVE Vixen!
Getting Ready for Christmas 3: Sleigh Bells Ring; it’s Dasher!
Sleigh Bells Ring
Getting Ready for Christmas 2: Cupid!
Cupid!
Getting Ready for Christmas 1
Rudy is Getting Ready!
Let the Feast Begin!
The Swan Restaurant at Chapel Down Winery, Kent, UK
Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving with our family, enjoying turkey and all the trimmings! In my last post I talked about the Chapel Down Winery and the beautiful Swan Restaurant. So here is the food you might be eating if you were in the UK today. It’s the traditional Sunday roast and more! Enjoy your day!
The Swan Restaurant, Chapel Down Winery, Kent, UK
There is an area for relaxing and drinking their fine sparkling wines and Curious Beers! A great place to meet up!
The Swan Restaurant, Chapel Down Winery, Kent, UK
There is also the dining room area for eating the tempting meals! So many choices!!!!!
The Swan Restaurant, Chapel Down Winery, Kent, UK
We chose from the gathering menu, which routinely changes during the season! Three courses with different wines served with each! First the appetizer, with wine………….
The Appetizers, The Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
The Appetizers, The Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
Then we ordered the Yorkshire Pudding plate because we have never eaten Yorkshire pudding! If you are expecting a crystal, fluted cup with a yummy, creamy, thick, sweet pudding, topped with real whipped cream, you will be quite surprised! We were!!!!!!!!!! Read about Yorkshire pudding, with recipe, here. The article is quite amusing!!!!! The mushroom looking bread in the picture is Yorkshire pudding! It is neither a traditional pudding as we know it, or from Yorkshire!!!!!! It was served with a cauliflower gratin!!!!! Yummmmmmy!
THE YORKSHIRE PUDDING!
The main course and of course more wine……………..
The Traditional Sunday Roast, The Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
The Pork Loin, Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
The Deserts, The Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
The deserts served with………… you guessed it, another glass of sparkly!
The Deserts, The Swan Restaurant, Kent, UK
Were those bowler hats used as lighting or was I seeing things?
What are bowler hats exactly?……. I’ve had so much wine, now I am thinking about Bowler hats!!!! Definition: Known as a bob hat, billycock or bobkin, it is made of hard felt with a round crown created for the British soldier in 1849. Now all I can think about is The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan! Time to go home!!!! I’ve had a really good day! See you soon!
The Swan Restaurant, Chapel Down Winery, Kent, UK
Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Let’s Start with the Drink and Be Merry!
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden Kent, UK
During my English Garden Tour we based in the countryside outside of Tenterden, Kent. It was a wise decision, because it was near the beautiful and busy market town of Tenterden, but we still could enjoy the peace of the countryside. Some of our best finds were found on the small lane that took us out of Tenterden to the Bullein B&B. One find was the Smallhythe Place, country home of Ellen Terry, (see previous posts about that) and right up the lane from the cottage was the Chapel Down Vineyard. What a great surprise that was! It is rated the top vineyard in the UK for sparkling wines, Curious Beers and ciders! So one Sunday afternoon we took it upon ourselves to partake of the vineyard. Poor pitiful Us! Ha Ha!
Chapel Down Winery is set in a charming and well kept garden surrounded by the vineyards. As the crow flies we could have walked there from the B&B. So, it really was a three fold visit, it had a lovely garden, and an inviting vineyard, wine and specialty food shop. Topping off the day we ate at the fantastic Swan Restaurant on the premises! I will talk about the The Swan Restaurant in my next post!
First I had to visit the garden!
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
What a great place for a wedding! Everything you need right here!
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden, Kent, UK
There is the wine tasting area in the large barn-like building, which features the award- winning wine along with local cheeses, chutney, hand-made chocolates, and artisan biscuits. The staff are very helpful and knowledgable. While we were there many people were stocking up with cases and cases of wine!
This is what I learned………..
The Curious Beer, made by the Kent winemaker, has been named one of the world’s best lager’s in the industry. The International Beer Challenge, which has judged the best beers in the world for the past sixteen years, awarded Chapel Down the Gold Medal for the Curious Brew! With over four hundred brew entries Chapel Down had the best of its class! Using East Anglian malt, saaz and cascade hops, they re-ferment the lager using champagne yeast to make a highly drinkable and refreshing lager beer. The sparkling wines and beers have been served at Buckingham Palace and were featured during the wedding celebrations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Curious Brew is currently served on draught at Jamie Oliver’s Union Jack restaurants and Jamie’s Italians, The Swan at London’s Globe Theatre, the Royal Opera House, as well as independent pubs in the south east. We were so lucky to stumble across this place! If it’s good enough for the queen it’s good enough for me!
We chose to eat at the Swan Restaurant, (a reservation is highly recommended) and try the different beverages with our meal! What a lovely day out! Do not miss the Chapel Down Winery and Swan Restaurant in Tenterden! Now let’s go in The Swan and check out the menu!
The Travel Lady In Her Shoes 