It’s Travel Tuesday, and this time I am going to give you an idea for a stay-cation.
Lyme Regis is a lovely seaside town, Charmouth Road is the best car park we have found to park in, there is a short 15-20 min walk from here to the town. There are car parks in the town, however the town is quite small and the corners can get tight to get around. I would recommend parking in Charmouth Road and walking. It is a pay and display car park and requires license plate input.
The walk down to the town, involves stairs up and down from the car park to the sea front and then along the sea front in a straight line to the town. You can not get lost, the wind can bite however so make sure you have layers. The town is all old stone buildings with traditional shops including a very lovely book store with stake and stake of books. It has a old green front – believe me you would miss it if you don’t know it is there.
There are ice cream shops and fish and chips places all long the front. If you walk up the hill along the high street, there are some chain shops however there are also some amazing quaint shops to pick up something a little different for friends or family. There is a lovely pub at the top of the hill, small but does great food and a cold beer great for a summer morning.
There is a pier you can walk to along the front – again the shops along there are a mix of chains, cafes, restaurants and unique little shops. It is a lovely English Seaside town, and well worth the visit once we have passed this stage.
Foodie Friday is here ! As you know I love my food – trying new places and new foods. As well as cooking – but that is for another day.
Busaba is a chain in the UK, for Thai and Asian fusion food. I went to this one with a friend of mine. It is away from the main high street of Kingston on the River. We went when it was raining – I suggest not sitting by the window if it is raining – the window had a gap and therefore water came through.
Rice crackers and sweet chili are the standard starters. The restaurant is quite large with plenty of space and resources for families or a large group of people. During the summer it would be lovely to sit outside on the riverside and enjoy the sunshine.
I had the Khao Red Pork. The egg was runny enough to add the flavour, the pork was tender and to combine with the noodles, pak choi or rice. Busaba offers all sorts of options for all restrictions, vegan, vegetarian and calories controlled alike. Stir Fries and Rice Bowls, to Pad Thai and Salads.
Drinks wise there are the usual options, my go to when it comes to Asian restaurants their tea is usually better than others. Jasmine Tea or Green Tea are good options for a lunch time meal.
Enjoy your trip to Busaba – when we next can go out please visit and enjoy!
Gallery of Images taken from Apratheid Museum in Johannesburg.
It is Travel Tuesday. During this time, where we are not allowed out of our homes let alone the country, I want to take this opportunity to share some of my jaunts around the world.
Now you wouldn’t think that it could ever be normal to arrive at a museum, be given a ticket telling you which side of the fight you were on, and then be given a different entrance depending on that ticket.
At the apartheid museum in Johannesburg this is exactly what happens. As you can see from the gallery above.
This museum takes you through life during the apartheid both sides of the story, no holes barred, the full gruesome history that it is. The highs and the lows. Upon entering you walk through an outside area with glass boards (for want of a better word ) With people so you are walking with them up to a view over Johannesburg and the surrounding area. Each of these people have a story that connects them to the fight, whether it be family members for themselves. George Bizos is one of them, a Greek immigrant, who joined Mandela’s legal battle in his fight for freedom.
Inside the museum you walk through the history of the oppression and the apartheid, with interactive galleries available as well as boards and images. Some images have been created such a so many hangmans noose hanging from the ceiling to signify the people who died for the cause. Videos from different massacres all over the country.
The museum itself it quite quiet other than the hub bub of the usual noise of people passing through. There are headphones to hear different testimonies, and in the galleries with videos, the video is hushed.
I do not want to ruin all of the museum for you but I am not going to lie to you, it is a heart wrenching museum, I spent 2.5 hours there looking through. I could not take in even half of the information before I had to leave, and yet I still cam out having learnt so much and yet feeling as through I have not scratched the surface of this great topic.
I would seriously recommend this museum to everyone who visits Johannesburg, it is on the Hop On Hop Off bus route so easy to get there and back from the city. There is a shop and a lovely cafe at the end of it, with outdoor seating if the weather is good. You can even tag it on with a visit to Soweto to see Mandela house and there are plenty of other museums to help you understand this era of history throughout the city.
This post seemed to post without the images loaded properly so I wanted to re post with some more information.
Whilst in Johannesburg last year I took a tour of Soweto. And what a day it was.
If you want to go the same tour please contact TKD Tours – TK works with local schools and international communities to help get school children from local villages the uniforms they need to go to school. He is very knowledgeable about the area as he grew up here and is willing to share all of his stories – not to mention he gave a tour of Kliptown to Prince Charles and Camilla.
Moving on, so TK took me for lunch in Soweto at Sakhumsi which is a traditional african buffet type places. I was able to try all sorts of food, and have a local beer as well. It was just down the road from where Nelson Mandela lived and therefore easy for tourists passing through. It does get quite busy there but they turn the food over quickly so you know you are getting fresh food.
TK drove me all round Soweto showing me every corner I could ever want to see and more. He is a really lovely guy and I would recommend him to anyone and everyone. After walking round the main parts he took me for a walk around Kliptown.
Kliptown is a township within Soweto – it really showed me the “how the other half live”. I was really impressed with their resourcefulness, the kids seemed happy and were playing around in the streets. The houses were simple but the people were welcoming – although I have to say some of the children seemed confused seeing a white lady around – but always interesting interactions. TK helped to translate between me and the children and prompted their interactions. It was such a rewarding experience.
If you are in Cape Town or Johannesburg I really would recommend going to one of the townships to see how they live, interact with local people. It makes such a difference to a trip. I truly enjoyed it and found it really rewarding – talk to your tour operator about township tours.
On the outskirts of the Cape Town this up and coming distillery is a lovely one if you are looking for that something different off the beaten track…Also if you like gin – which I do.
These are the choices of gin – all slightly different but all delicious.
Hope Distillery has a range of tastings available – there are nipples to go alongside too even! It is a lovely open floor – it looks a little odd from the outside and the area is a industrial place so no many people around on the weekends. But it is safe and there is a distillery upstairs.
The shop here, you can buy all sorts from bottles of gin, of varying sizes, even socks and all the extra thigns you might need for your own gin evening.
Its nice as it is so clean and open, there is space to walk around and see the product process in part. You can not go down to this section, naturally and when I went there wasn’t any information available to explain the process but the staff there are very knowledgable about it all.
As you can see everything is served together on a wooden board, and you are taken through step by step. This is not a guided tasting but once you finish one, they clear it, giving you another glass, garnish and mixer.
I can say which was my favourite but it was a lovely afternoon none the less – my usual go to is a dry gin with bitter lemon. I love the smell of the botanicals – always makes me think I am drinking something more sophisticated.
Hope distillery is shown in a few boutique places around Cape Town and at the Old Biscuit Mill market too – so please enjoy safely – best to get an uber there and back 🙂
This restaurant is a nice place off the beaten track in Bristol – most precisely Clifton. Clifton has a great high street to wonder down as well as plenty of green spaces – it is a good spot for a afternoon out of the city. It is not far as well – a decent walk or there are buses there too.
The bread was warm – who doesn’t love bread, olive oil and balsamic!!
I had gluten free pasta – it was good al dente which was perfect. Really tasty and just enough of a portion for me. I sometimes find with pasta – even when I make it at home there is too much. Here there was just enough. Although the bread does make up some of it…
My sister had the tiramisu! By the silence that came over the room I am going to say that it was good – but you never know with these things.
This is a reasonably priced stop in Clifton if you are in the area.
Wine flies is the tour company that do Wine tours around Stellenbosch. If you are in Cape Town and are looking for a wine tour then these are your guys! Legend was our guide, yes that is really his name. He was wonderful.
They pick you up at the hostel/hotel you are staying at in the morning and drive you to the first winery, Villiera. Here we do a brief history of wine and see the moving parts behind a wine farm, the full story from start to finish. The entire process for white and red wine. Legend gave it in such a relaxed way, made sure we are listening and taking it in. Even through we were definitely all waiting for the wine.
The tasting consists of 2 Sparkling, 3 white wines and 1 red, there was biltong and kudu sausage to eat as well. The wines were enjoyable and good to start the day with. We had a chenin blanc from a steel barrel and one from and oak barrel – the different was outstanding! The winery was nice and big, so we could sit out side and relax in the shade.
There was not too much pressure but we have time constraints as we needed to move onto the next place. This was definitely one of your more boutiquey wine farms. Cheese Pairing at Mitres Edge. 1 white and 4 reds. The pairings here were really surprising, a cows milk feta with white wine. Blue camembert with a red. For someone who doesn’t normally enjoy red wine, this was my most surprising tasting of the day. The tasting room was in the cellar which was lovely, it was a family wine place as well making it all the more special to have the wine maker with us to explain every element of the wine.
Lunch and the third stop was Middlevlei, lunch was a Braai which was lovely. Sausages and chicken which a whole range of salads and sides. It was delicious and I enjoyed the wine so much I bought two bottles of it. It was a chilled lunch, Legend making sure that our glasses were topped up with different wines every time they were empty.
After lunch we headed into the cellar, which was actually a separate building. We saw the old concrete barrels they used to keep the wine in. And we went into one of the barrel rooms where we could take wine out of the barrel itself! It was great. The wine they had deemed was not quite good enjoy to be sold and so needed longer in the barrel. The guide explained putting fake oak sticks and logs into the barrels when the barrels were older in order to increase the oakiness in the barrels.
By now we are well plied with wine, but still enjoying ourselves, nothing too rowdy. We head to Lovane – this is the only place you can buy their wine, they do not sell in anywhere else. This is where we had the wine and chocolate pairing – again something I didn’t quite understand to begin with. Mostly red wines and even a port style wine was well! Some of the chocolates were well paired others were more debatable. It was interesting to understand their process and the story behind their wines. This was a boutique little place. Such a lovely stop on this tour, beautiful images to be taken with the mountains in the background.
Heading to our next stop we had a quiz to see how much we had learnt. Luckily I was in the front so I didn’t get involved, just laughing at the answers and being the DJ – naturally. The two teams tied so we all shared a small bottle of wine for the whole bus.
Our 5th stop was Vergenoegt, home of the runner duck wine. They actually have a duck parade here three times a day to teach the ducks to walk together. They use them during the growing season to keep the bugs away from the grapes- reduces the use of pesticides. The geese walk amongst them to keep them in line and stop other animals or vermin getting into the group.
The wines – lets move on – the wines where we had a white, rose and a few reds. I enjoyed the wines, but the rose and red were not quite to my taste. I preferred previous ones. I did however buy a bottle of the white wine to share with my family.
We did visit one final winery Peter Falke, this was extra and so we had to pay for it. It was R65 for 8 wines, only one or two white. By this point we had had so much wine. We were happy just chilling out in the gardens chatting to one another watching the sun go down. I don’t think we were paying too much attention to the wines, more to the conversation and if we enjoyed the wines or not.
We had a party bus on the way back, some golden oldies and good dance tunes – songs you can dance along to. All in all it was a lovely day, I really enjoyed myself and that is not the wine talking. I would highly recommend these guys and this guide. I would take another one of these tours again without hesitation.
This place is always busy when it comes to a morning, it sells to go coffee and pastries for those just passing through. I am pleased to say I had a sit down with a few friends and a good breakfast.
A simple flat white – everyone needs a coffee on a morning. Below is a Tumeric Latte, this was an experience. It was spicy but in a warming sense. My friend who ordered it enjoyed but I am not sure it was to my taste… So many different things in a drink makes you wonder if it is worth it.
Believe it or not this is a Tumeric Latte!
Now believe it or not, this is an omelette. It was an omelette and a half. With toast with a pesto type sauce and some grilled tomatoes. This filled me up for the entire day. Bacon and sausages inside this.
The menu has some soft drinks on it as well. I had an iced tea but it had a flavouring in it as well. It was on the sugary side however it was extremely refreshing.
My entire experience at this place was lovely, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was okay, the food delicious and the surroundings were spacious. It is the perfect place for a lazy brunch with friends. You can even sit outside and watch the world go by if that is what you feel like.
Location: Wandsworth – a short walk from Clapham Junction.
You walk into this place, and it is immediately warm. There is a bar in the centre of everything, table scattered around. Table and chairs are mismatch but all wooden based.
It is dimly lit but it has a lovely atmosphere. A lovely place for an evening meal. The menu has a lovely range on it. I went with the Jerk Chicken see the image below.
This was delicious. Plenty of sauce, spicy but not too much. I only had a lemonade to accompany but it was great. It was nice to have a bit of salad alongside.
This was my desert – chocolate fondant and there was no coulis and therefore we got Raspberry Sorbet. That with vanilla ice cream, it was mouth watering. The fondant didn’t melt as I had expected it was sold like a mousse type thing. It had a solid base. It was rich and did not last long I can tell you.
The service was as I preferred – attentive but not harassing. They were not too pushy but willing to help with every query we had.
Probably like me you are thinking what on earth is a Food Jam. These things are starting to become more and more popular in South Africa and in Cape Town. Food Jams are sort of a social come dine with me. You cook and eat your own four course meal. That is the basics.
So I arrived, I am the only single person at a valentine’s day social food jam – who could have guessed it. Immediately Lulu puts me to ease, telling what exactly is going on that I am not the only foreign person in the place. I soon move on to the Sauvignon Blanc the nerves getting the better of me.
We all picked a spoon out of a silicon jar, I am on team Venus. You then head to your table. All becomes clear, every table/team is making a course and then we combine it all at the end for the meal.
Team Venus was on dessert duty. Three recipes, chocolate fondant, macaroons and ice cream. Yes we had to made ice cream from scratch and spun sugar! The recipes were easy to follow and with the extra help if was hard to get anything wrong. The couple I was with was lovely, they were really friendly and chatty. Apparently I am a good sergeant major, making sure everything was done on time, and to the recipe – well as much as we could… not as easy at it looks.
Throughout the entire process we had help, Lulu, Jade and the others were around to help with everything we needed. I ruined the first lot of spun sugar however we just did it again. It was easy to ask for help, piping macaroons is no joke on your own.
The results were delicious, pasta, fresh veggies, beef wellington, salads galore. It was fantastic, and there were doggy bags if you want to take any home with you. The spun sugar, see below, was the most fun, I wish I could show you the food and the boomerang but this platform is not quite ready for that. The food went so quickly and it was quite dark by this point.
Helpful Haz 