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This article is published in partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia, who sponsored this post. Tourism Nova Scotia are inviting us to dream now and travel later.
In 19 years in London, nearly 20, this will be the first year that I won’t have once left its boundaries. I have barely left my neighbourhood. Instead, my life was distilled to essentials and became very simple. That is a luxury I know. My work was affected but I didn’t lose my job. I don’t have kids to homeschool. I accept the changes, I understand the need to be still for a while and I am embracing it, as much as I can.
Short days and long dark nights give ample time to dream
Summer was easier, it was even lovely. Now it is winter. The days close early and my time outdoors is brief, if at all. As the days close further I withdraw and I start to daydream, as I love to do when I can steal a chance. I even dare to make plans. Loose plans, no dates. Expectations carefully managed. Plotting places I want to return to, people I want to see. Friends and family to reunite with.
It is a small tight list, built on top of my list of my lifetime, however long that will be. In there is a plan to visit Nova Scotia with friends. The idea of Nova Scotia was planted in my head many years ago by my father. Friends of his had relocated there, it sounded like a fascinating place. Then I made friends with Nova Scotians in London, and then more. They moved home and now I go to visit and explore, to soak up the culture, the terrific food and wine.
There is an easy familiarity between Irish people like myself and Nova Scotians. The same sense of fun, an easy-going attitude to life. The same love of story and song. Continue reading
Lobster lovers need to make their way immediately to Nova Scotia’s South Shore. Better again, plan to go for the South Shore Lobster Crawl in Winter every year during lobster season when things get serious. Barrington is known as the lobster capital as locals will proudly tell you. There is even a Nova Scotia Lobster Day on the last Friday of every February.
The South Shore Lobster Crawl is an annual celebration which fizzes along the shoreline and celebrates the lobster fishing season. It is a big part of the local culture which isn’t a surprise when you understand that the season in this part of Nova Scotia runs from November to May and the lobster haul from Nova Scotia in general accounts for 40% of the Canadian catch.
You will quickly discover that the good folks of Nova Scotia are always very serious about lobster. On the South Shore creamed lobster is the dish of choice for Christmas, and locals are obsessed with it, but more on that in a bit! Continue reading
I returned to Ottawa this year to visit the Sparks Street PoutineFest. It was a joy of a trip (and you can read more about it here and here). As always, a little conversation goes a long way, and I am delighted to share this edited snippet from the episode of Fingers in Pies that I recorded there.
I was speaking to Hung Ha about their poutine and the festival when he mentioned that his family had been Vietnamese refugees with a dream of a new life and their own pho restaurant. I spoke to both Hung Ha at their food truck and his father Ha Van Trung at their Pho restaurant.
Fingers in Pies will be back weekly in the New Year and I have some exciting guests and plans. So watch this space, and for now, have a listen!
Fingers in Pies Podcast on Ottawa, Poutine and Pho – An Edited Excerpt
So, my parents are part of the Vietnamese boat people where they escaped the Vietnam War in 1982. The boat they were in landed in Hong Kong. They were there in a refugee camp there. We were very fortunate that Canada had a sponsorship program, and sponsored my parents over. They had a place to stay. Continue reading
Ottawa is the kind of city that I love to visit. With so much going on every day, it bustles and there is lots to do. Ottawa embraces the extreme seasons, with festivals and events all year round. I knew that it was Canada’s capital city and the seat of the Canadian government. What I didn’t know is just how fun and friendly it is, and how diverse the population is.
Ottawa is a perfect size for a short visit. Big enough to have lots going on and small enough to make it easy to hop from place to place. The diverse population means there are many interesting restaurants. I had one of the best bowls of Vietnamese pho that I have ever had (and I have had many!), wonderful Middle Eastern food, vibrant modern Canadian, afternoon tea in a beautiful ornate historic hotel, dinner at a famous Ottawa cookery school and restaurant and of course, I went back to their central food market downtown.
Dinner at Jackson (in the Ottawa Art Gallery)
My first bite in Ottawa on this trip was in Jackson. A gorgeous bright room fitting of its location with glorious high ceilings and enormous hanging ceiling lamps. It is named for the gallery’s extensive collection of works by Canadian Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson (which you can view for free and which I did after my meal – you must!). Continue reading
All aboard for the Sparks Street PoutineFest in Ottawa! An annual event celebrating the unofficial and super popular national Canadian dish, poutine. Not just a celebration of that most wonderful trifecta of fries, gravy and squeaky cheese curds, Sparks Street PoutineFest reaches beyond the plate. It is a superb reflection of Ottawa’s rich immigrant history and diverse food culture and all things Ottawa and Canada in terms of craft drinks and music.
Let me count the ways I love poutine
Originally from Quebec, poutine has been embraced coast to coast. We can even get it here in London! Indeed, I have served my Irish take on it here. I have had lobster poutine on the east coast, complete with a gorgeous lobster gravy and poutine with slow-cooked ox cheek ragu in place of gravy on the west coast. I have been to Quebec and Montreal and had many poutines there, including, of course, the original. Sparks Street PoutineFest was about to blow my mind.
That brisk sea breeze off the Bay of Fundy is enough to clear all cobwebs and signs of jet lag. I was up early the next day and on my way. Headed to Saint Andrews by the Sea with a pit stop by the beach, and for some fried clams. It can be hard to get me out of my bed in the morning especially with jet lag, but not when there is an early lunch of fried clams on the immediate horizon.
Saint John to New River Beach
About a half hour drive out of Saint John lies New River Beach. A gorgeous stretch of coastline, all sandy beach and bright blue ocean and sky. A paddle in the ocean before a feed of fried clams (and other gorgeous fried things) is a joyful thing. The clams were at Ossie’s Lunch. A small diner at the side of the road with lots of picnic tables where you can tuck in outside.
Fried Clams at Ossie’s Lunch
Entering its 61st season, Ossie’s Lunch was opened in 1957 by Osborne and Roseanna Waite and is still going strong under new owner Shawn Saulnier. Roseanna still works there on occasion, as does her daughter Angela. You probably don’t know – I didn’t – that New Brunswickers LOVE fried clams and places like Ossie’s Lunch are packed on public holidays and in season.
I am a regular visitor to Canada. I love the vast expanse of it. The people, the calm, the lakes and forests, the cities with the quickly expanding and inspiring culinary scene. Excellent cocktails, terrific Canadian wines, a booming craft booze scene and lovely restaurants and bars to sample them. Canada is an excellent place for a road trip, especially a culinary one.
A Culinary Road Trip of New Brunswick Starting in Saint John
New Brunswick was the scene of my most recent Culinary Road Trip, packed with snow crab and lobster, lush produce from the farmlands and foraged seaweeds and sea greens from the seashore. It is one of four of Canada’s Atlantic provinces on the east coast. 83% of New Brunswick is under forest, and the cities are small by international standards. It is a perfect relaxed spot for a break and to unwind. I flew into Saint John via Halifax, Nova Scotia. A short flight in a small plane with excellent views of the landscape below brought me to Canada’s oldest incorporated city. I started my culinary road trip here.
New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada with English and French being commonly spoken. The indigenous population has been established there since 7000BC (at the time of European contact these included the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, and the Passamaquoddy). Populations arrived from Europe from the 1600s included French, British and Irish. The city of Miramichi claims to be the Irish capital of Canada and was one of the points of arrival for many of Ireland’s coffin ships during the famine. It is home to a large Irish Festival now every year. New Brunswick was almost called New Ireland at one point until it was vetoed by King George III. Which, of course it was.
Where to Eat and Drink in Saint John and What to Do
It is a year since I visited Canada to explore Quebec City and nearby. It wasn’t my first time, I have been to Quebec City before, and Montreal (also in Quebec) quite a few times. What draws me there is the people, place and food and drink culture. There are so many lovely places to explore and there is always a conversation to be had with a local. It is always fun and often unexpected. Quebec is nothing if not quirky and individual and that is why I love it.
The architecture is beautiful, a walk around Quebec City feels part fairytale, especially as you ascend the ancient funicular to the old town below. Steep pitched zinc roofs top chateau like houses, painted red, blue or proud in silver, sometimes copper turned green with age and the rain. It is just the right size, big enough to have lots of options and small enough to walk around. Quebec City has music, art and a vibrant Bohemian culture.
This passion and individuality is reflected in their food and drink culture. There are few chains and so much variety. A thriving new contemporary food culture sits comfortably alongside the long established francophone one. There is indigenous food too at Wendake which is an essential stop on your visit. Continue reading
There are indigenous cultures the world over. People who have always been there through the generations, closely connected to the land and the seasons. As with most new world countries, Canada is home to a much older people, many nations, who still live there today. The First Nations are the descendants of the original Canadian people who lived there for thousands of years before European explorers arrived and settled.
So much has happened since we last spoke. I have been to Canada and not just that, I was in sub arctic Canada walking with polar bears. Before I left, I managed to acquire a black eye in a stumble (I am very clumsy, always have been, it takes a toll). The first I have had since I was about 6 years old and walloped my eye against the corner of a chair. Attempts at cover up rendered me looking more like Beetlejuice on a bad day. It makes life interesting. Everyone can see it but no one wants to ask. Silver lining? It is a conversation starter and a terrific excuse to wear your favourite sunglasses on a dark day.
On this trip I went to a province that was new to me, Manitoba, for a bucket list trip. I was not seeking out a particular dish, cook or ingredient, this time I was going to see polar bears on a spectacular stretch of Hudson Bay in northern Canada. I am a little wildlife obsessed being a biologist originally (majoring in physiology but I studied zoology too). I have been to Borneo to see orangutans and proboscis monkeys, and more of my bucket list trips involve seeing grizzly bears, spirit bears, pandas, awesome Japanese monkeys, gorillas, bonobos, chimps, and where ever possible, in the wild. Continue reading
Quebec is a city that is dear to my heart, there is something a little magical about it. The architecture is beautiful, a walk around Quebec City feels part fairytale, especially as you ascend the ancient funicular to the old town below. Steep pitched zinc roofs top chateau like houses, painted red, blue or proud in silver, sometimes copper turned green with age and the rain. It is just the right size, big enough to have lots of options and small enough to walk around. Quebec City has music, art and a vibrant Bohemian culture. There is also an excellent food and wine culture here.
Quebec City has a proud francophone heritage, and the food is certainly influenced by this but not defined solely by it. Quebec is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world, and even though summers are short and it can get very cold, there is a new culture of wine making there with respected winemakers setting up. I have heard excellent things about natural wine maker Pinard et Filles which I suggest you seek out (and let me know how it is!). Continue reading
This is the first post in a series of dispatches from my recent trip to Quebec City and surrounds. I am starting with my two day trip to Charlevoix, specifically Baie St Paul. Enjoy!
Baie St Paul in Charlevoix, on first arrival, strikes me as a retreat. Granted I have arrived on a near perfect day, Baie St Paul is bright under a canopy of sharp blue sky and sunshine with a light breeze. Almost too hot for me, the heat tends to cling, but the breeze lifts it all and it is glorious. A couple of hours north of Quebec City and on the St Lawrence River, Baie St Paul feels coastal, and very relaxed.
The population just shy of 8,000 seems densely populated with artists, if the amount of art shops in town selling local art are any indication. It is easy to see why, the light is very special, and Baie St Paul is beautiful too. Cirque du Soleil originated here in the early 80s, starting as street performers, before moving on to become the international sensation that they are now. This creativity is not limited to artists and performers, Baie St Paul is rich with independent food producers, producing all manner of things, foie gras, cider, wine, some of Quebec’s best cheese and a very delicious tomato wine. Continue reading
When the Guardian asked me to contribute to their piece on the Best Travel Experiences of 2016, I didn’t have to think too hard about what I wanted to write about. I had some wonderful travel experiences last year, many were unusual, most were delicious, all in some way enriched my life and taught me something. That is why I love to travel, it feeds and nourishes me. One place unleashed my heart and refreshed my head. It reminded me that simplicity is best and that I should really get out and about (in terms of exercise) a lot more. That place was Western Newfoundland.
This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Coming soon: road tripping in Cape Breton with all the lobster! The photo above is from the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton.
If it were possible to unravel the coastline of Nova Scotia, it is said that it would stretch across Canada. This can’t be true when you look at the map but it is indicative of the length of coastline that there is to explore of the Eastern Canadian province and it makes for a terrific road trip. Almost an island, but not quite, the coast line of Nova Scotia clinging on to the side of Canada, almost like a hinge.
I love Nova Scotia, I have been several times to see friends. I love the easy charm of the place, the friendly people, the vibrant local wines (particularly the sparkling and white wines) and the produce. It reminds me so much of home, yet it is different. The accent is similar yet different. The seafood is so good. Lobster and scallops are in abundance and very affordable, you see both in roadside diners wherever you stop.
Halifax
Food and drinks at Obladee in Halifax
Start off in Halifax and treat yourself to a couple of nights there. My favourite place to stop is Obladee wine bar, and – full disclosure – it is owned by my good friend Heather. What she has created here is the best of what she loved when she lived in the UK and explored Europe, but with a distinct Nova Scotian flavour. Obladee serves the best of Nova Scotian and Canadian wines, and international wines too. Themed wine flights change weekly, and the food served by chef Brock is very good. The menu changes, on my recent visit I adored the chicken and wild rice soup and reuben sandwich. The toutiere pie with spiced minced pork within gorgeous flaky pastry was so good I returned the next day to have it again. The goat’s milk chocolate fudge is an essential finish.
Donair and beef brisket tacos at Field Guide in Halifax
A trip to Halifax demands a kebab, sorry, a donair. An evolution of the doner kebab, specific to Halifax and now Maritime Canada generally, the donair is a beef kebab, sliced like a doner, and served with donair sauce, a sweet garlicky sauce made of evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar and garlic. King of Donair claim to have invented it, and that is still a favourite for locals to go to. Field Guide in Halifax are doing an upmarket interpretation which I loved, more of a donair sausage served in a steamed bao. Field Guide is a lovely contemporary space serving excellent food. I loved the beef brisket tacos with housemade tortillas also. I had some local wine that night but the cocktail list looks well worth exploring.
Heading out of Halifax make Sugar Moon Farm your first stop. Sugar Moon is a small independent maple farm focussed on making maple syrup (and you can see that in action if there in season), they also have a lovely restaurant space and do an excellent brunch. Local sausages and bacon are divine, and they are deservedly proud of their pancakes. Maple Tonic is a must on a cold day (maple syrup, lemon juice, hot water and cayenne), which you can upgrade to a Maple Toddy with a shot of white rum. I had try the Irish Maple Coffee, a Sugar Moon coffee with Irish whiskey and a maple sugar rimmed glass.
Baked eggs with ham and cheese, Irish coffee and the fabulous sausages and bacon at Sugar Moon Farm
Chef Alain Bosse is the culinary ambassador for Atlantic Canada, and runs excellent and fun cooking classes from his home in Pictou. We made gorgeous lobster rolls using fresh cooked lobster in the traditional rolls that you get in Eastern Canada. The rolls are not round rolls like we are used to, but have cut sides, which crisp beautifully when you grill them before filling them up. We also made lobster caesars, and if you don’t know what a caesar is yet, may I suggest that it is one of the first things that you try off the plane. It is the Canadian take on the bloody mary using clamato in place of tomato juice. Clamato is tomato juice with clam brine and it is a very delicious thing. Now, imagine dressing that up with some lovely fresh lobster and making your own clamato with lobster brine? Yes! Chef Alain has classes scheduled in advance but you can also book private classes.
Good morning, everyone! And Happy New Year. I hope you had a very good break, if you managed to take one.
I am so excited about 2016. I will finally publish my next tome, Project Bacon. It has been a forever friend and sometimes frenemy. As you know, I made the decision to self publish it and kickstart it. I don’t regret that, but life intervened and there have been several (at times, crushing) delays. But now, after an intense end to 2015, I feel I am almost at the top of the hill. And I can’t wait for you to see it.
Project Bacon Recipe Photo Previews :)
My Kickstarter backers have had lots of recipe previews, and design and photography previews too. I will share some here with you soon, and there will be a limited amount available to buy when they go to press. So, keep an eye out for those. Now that the book is almost done, I will have lots more time here, and lots more freedom for other projects. What would you like to see? I have lots of ideas. But, I would love your feedback too.
Nova Scotia over Christmas
I spent Christmas in Nova Scotia in Canada, and swung by Montreal on the way back. I booked too late to fly direct from Halifax to London home, but I was so happy to have an excuse to get off the plane in Montreal. I love it there, and had never been in Winter. It was my first Christmas not spent in Ireland, and I brought a mild Irish Christmas with me, to my disappointment. But, we did get snow.
Nova Scotian Christmas Dinner (I cooked) – locals often just have lobster, but we had turkey too.
Nova Scotia was gorgeous as always. We had a mild Christmas Day, a beautiful bright blue crisp boxing day, and lots of snow after that. We had lots of lobster too. It is plentiful there and the season is well regulated all over Atlantic Canada. You get chowder and lobster rolls in every roadstop diner. Lobster poutine too. I had plenty, and I did lots of cooking too.
Digby oysters with bacon jam (a riff on one of my Project Bacon recipes!)
I returned to my favourite wine bar, Obladee, and had wonderful fish cakes with celeriac chips and ham & cheese (juniper smoked ham, apple dijon, pickled cabbage, white cheddar, baked open faced on baguette). The chocolate goat’s milk fudge is very special, and should not be missed. Rich and tart and lovely. The wine list is always very interesting here, international with the best of Canadian, with lots by the glass and also wine flights. We had a gorgeous Meyer Reimer Vineyard Pinot Noir. There was great live music the night we visited too. Obladee is owned by a friend of mine, but I am not alone in thinking it one of the best bars in Halifax. I only wish she could open one here.
Obladee – photos from my September 2015 trip, I treated myself to a night without my camera over Christmas!
We brought the snow with us to Montreal, and we went with no plans. My favourite restaurants there (Joe Beef & Au Pied de Cochon) were closed for Christmas, but I returned to that shrine to Montreal smoked meat, Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen, which is always so good. The secret to Schwartz’s is to go off peak or just before or after meal times. It is always busy and there is often a queue. I had the smoked meat sandwich on rye, this time with a frankfurter and a slaw on the side. Interestingly they do poutine now too, although I had no room for it. For drinking, I have been told that it has to be a cherry cola, and that is what I have. With that much snow outside, you need to fortify yourself, right?
Smoked meat at Schwartz’s
I am a coffee fanatic, I travel with coffee beans, a hand grinder and an aeropress. For coffee, I visited the lovely Café Myriade in Montreal, mid snowstorm, and had a latté but also a soothing hot lemon, honey and ginger. They use 49th Parallel Coffee from Vancouver (I visited there a couple of years ago).
Café Myriade in Montreal
I queued for brunch in the snow, again. I know, I know. But I wanted to return to Olive et Gourmando, a gorgeous café in St Paul. Everything is made from scratch and with care and the room is lovely. As I was waiting, I noticed how many people were paying for Cuban sandwiches, so I had one. Excellent, crispy bread, lovely filling, sharp and sweet with a pleasingly stringy melted cheese. I had soup on the side, which was warming. And I watched the snow fall outside with glee.
I had dinner at Maison Publique, a Montreal take on a British gastropub by Derek Dammann. Dammann was previously chef de cuisine at Fifteen in London (Jamie Oliver invested in the restaurant), it reminded me of those great original gastropubs like The Eagle in its heyday. (I say heyday, as it has been too long since I last visited. I must return, I loved their Bife Ana (Portuguese steak sandwich)).
The room has a long counter, with the bright open kitchen being the first thing you see when you enter. The lighting is low, and the menu is on a board to one side of the dining room. The wine list is all Canadian, which is super, especially as a visitor looking to explore. We ordered, amused by the small digger ripping up the street outside as it shovelled the snow into piles. It was clear that the driver loved his job, albeit on the border of dangerously. Vroom vroom!
The signature baked oyster was gorgeous, the oyster was chopped and mixed with mushrooms then cooked lightly under a fluffy crisp layer of mayo tinged with marmite, their take on the wonderful Japanese oyster motoyaki. I wanted to order it again once I was finished. The maiale tonnato (porchetta served with tuna mayonnaise, and a local cheddar) was a nice fresh take on vitello tonnato (which I had a lot of in Piedmont last year).
Winter vegetables with bagna cauda were fresh and bright, calamari in squid ink with garlic toasts was perfect foil for the cold winter outside. We had some pumpkin ravioli, which were lovely, but a little on the sweet side for my palate. The desserts were wonderful, a rich velevety dark chocolate tart with mascarpone and orange, and a perfect pot au creme with shortbread.
IMAX cinema was born in Montreal (via the Expo of 1967), and there are three IMAX cinemas there now. It is much cheaper than here (the favourable currency exchange helped a little), and we saw Star Wars in 3D at the IMAX for $14 each! (£7). Could this get better? YES. You can get poutine to bring in to the screen with you. That wonderful marriage of (good) chips, squeaky cheese curds and gravy. And it is not bad either (how could I not indulge in that?).
On the last day we walked around snowy Montreal, I adore winter (although I am not sure I could manage a long very cold one, I like to pop in and out). I stomped in the snow, admired the street art, and returned to Marché Jean-Talon to stock up on gorgeous tins of maple syrup, Montreal bagels, maple butter and a little ice cider (I already had a bottle of ice wine from Nova Scotia). The apples are frozen on the tree, or more often now in wooden boxes in the orchard, in the depth of winter the snow in the orchards can be waist high. As with ice wine, with the water in the fruit being frozen, the juice that is extracted is a pure sweet nectar, and makes a beautiful dessert drink.
The spice shop at Marché Jean-Talon, Épices de Cru, deserves a mention. You know I love spices, my first cookbook is called Comfort & Spice, and I had plans to sell it with spices, spice mixes and pestle and mortars. This didn’t happen then, I was soon to discover that promoting a book while doing everything else is enough work without adding an extra layer (although I would if I were to do it again). Épices de Cru is like a spice library with wonderfully sourced spices, sold in airtight tins so that they have bright flavours. I normally don’t buy spice blends, preferring to make my own, but I did buy their book which came with some, and they were fantastic, so I bought some to cook with when I got home (I roasted a chicken covered with their lovely Montreal spice blend just last night). Épices de Cru sell spices online if you want to try some, I would highly recommend it.
Farewell for now Canada, I will see you soon, and sooner than that I hope! Welcome in 2016, I hope you are feeling as optimistic as I am. I was so tired at the end of 2015, and wondered how I could face it, but a week off leaves me feeling renewed and full of vigour. Shall we get started?
Want to see more regular updates? I am on snapchat where I post everything I cook as I cook it (like a visual recipe with photos and short videos) as well as travel and London snippets. I also post on instagram, facebook and twitter. On all of these places, you can find me by searching eatlikeagirl. See you there! Say hi if you follow! :)
Mountaineering? No, that is not for me. Unless of course you mean Rocky Mountaineering through the Canadian Rockies with an old school dining car and upper level viewing car to soak it all in? Well, yes, of course! That is a different thing.
The road to Banff from Calgary
My journey started in Banff at 6am at the end of September, and a sharp -2 deg C. That day would take me through the Rockies in late Autumn, with its turning leaves, cascading waterfalls and rushing rivers. We were headed towards Kamloops heralded by the bright early Autumn sky and the crisp sharp air.
I boarded the mountaineer, greeted by cheerful hosts at dawn, the sky dressed to match with a splash of pink ribbon light. I was excited, I adore trains and slow travel and I was allowing myself a couple of days to just be. How rare is that? For the next two days, that Rocky Mountaineer carriage would be my world.
All travel on the Rocky Mountaineer is in daylight so that you can absorb and appreciate the views. In the gold leaf carriage there are two levels. Downstairs is the dining room, dressed sharply in linen and silverware, and this is where you have your breakfast and lunch. Upstairs is the viewing carriage with a dreamy transparent domed ceiling. Everyone is excited, it is a journey of a lifetime for most. There were travellers from Australia, the US and Canada sitting by me. Some celebrating important anniversaries, some wildlife obsessives hoping to see bears, hawks, eagles and rivers dotted with bright orange sockeye salmon en route to spawn. The girl sitting next to me had returned with her parents, having done a different Mountaineer journey earlier in the year.
The Gold Leaf service has the best food and drink offering, serving breakfast and lunch downstairs, and serving Canadian wines and craft beers in both sections of the carriage. There was an exterior vestibule too, an open space at the back of the carriage and I spent much of my time there, absorbing every minute. Service is excellent and so friendly, everyone knows your name. It was a joy to watch the world pass by at gentle speed, watching goods trains pass in the shelter of the Rockies, with their cargos of wheat and fuel, through enormous historic spiral train tunnels and admiring snow capped peaks as we weaved among them. Continuing on through the Rockies and over the continental divide.
Buttermilk pancakes
The day starts with breakfast, 6 options cooked to order in the carriage kitchen, served in 2 sittings. If you are lucky enough to be served second (and on one of the days you will be), you will start your day with a warm cinnamon biscuit (or what we call a scone), jam and coffee before you go downstairs to indulge. I love breakfast eggs, and eggs benedict with Montreal smoked meat on an English muffin with tarragon hollandaise sauce proved too much for me to resist. Lunch was soup, followed by a Alberta ranchlands pork tenderloin and dessert.
We arrived at Kamloops as the sun was about to set. We were now in British Colombia, and we were to spend the night in a hotel organised by the Rocky Mountaineer. Our luggage was there already in our rooms, and the next morning it would be collected and would be waiting for me in the Fairmount in Vancouver, which would be my next port of call.
Kamloops has many restaurants, and the Rocky Mountaineer supplies all guests with a map detailing all of them, should you want to dine out when you arrive. I was jet lagged, and full, and all I wanted was my bed. Pure luxury! Just me and my book and a bright early start the next morning in that crisp mountain air.
Day two would bring us towards the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver. We were no longer in the Rockies and would see desert like interior landscapes (complete with scrabbling goats), river canyons and forests. The train would wind along the water and creep gently across high metal bridges, passing Hell’s Gate and lush river valleys. We had joined with the train from Jasper at Kamloops, and now our train was double in size, and I loved watching it wind behind from the vestibule.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs with kelp caviar and lemon creme fraiche, lunch was a perfectly rare piece of seared albacore tuna followed by lemon creme fraiche. A day with my book and some lovely Okanagan wines, and those gorgeous views.
I was hoping that I would see a bear from the train. Just one. I knew there was lots around the Rockies and in BC too, but when I spotted the bear watching the train go by as we whizzed through the mountains, my heart soared a little. He stood just a few feet away watching us speed by. The Rockies, a bear, that gorgeous Autumn light.
We arrived into Vancouver in the early evening, and all I could think was, when can I do this again?! It is so relaxed with excellent service, lovely food and wine and beautiful views that you would otherwise never see. Just you, and the train, the Rockies, and time. Perfect.
Greetings lovely readers! I have just returned from an 18 day trip exploring Canada. It was pretty epic, starting in Alberta (Calgary & Banff), moving to BC (Vancouver & the Okanagan) and finishing in Nova Scotia (Halifax & Cape Breton mainly).
Here is a little postcard – enjoy! Back soon with recipes, stories and details.
I had less than a day in Calgary but I did it justice in the time visiting Pigeonhole, The Nash, Corbeaux Bakehouse, the Yellow Door Bistro and Charcut. I also managed a little spice shopping in the wonder that is the Silk Road Spice Shop. The food scene in Calgary is thriving and has been growing enthusiastically for the last 5 years. As is common now there was lots of local sourcing, cocktails are popular and well executed. Calgary is inland and is famous for beef, but there are interesting takes on fish too. Did you know that there are cowboys in Calgary? Yeah, and one of the worlds largest rodeos! Boutique bitters are a thing, and there are lots of interesting Canadian ones, which make for very interesting drinks. It is definitely somewhere I would like to return to, both to explore the food scene locally but also to explore the Rockies and areas like Jasper, further.
Olive oil poached arctic char with pana cotta, ginger & cucumber juice at The Nash, Calgary
Cocktail at The Nash, Calgary
Brown Butter Madeleine at Pigeonhole
Duck fat poutine with truffle gravy and Quebec cheese curds, sausage patty with curds and fried eggs and pickles at Charcut, Calgary
Balers breakfast at Corbeaux Bakehouse, Calgary
Beef tenderloin tartare with mustard, pickled shimeji, crispy shallots, egg yolk and house made potato crisps at the Yellow Door Bistro in the Hotel Arts, Calgary
Butternut squash gnocchi with apples and spinach at the Yellow Door Bistro, Hotel Arts, Calgary
Terrific homemade sausage and pigs head mortadella with brassica mustard at Charcut
The Silk Road Spice Shop
A pumpkin as a vase! Super.
I then headed to Banff to board the Rocky Mountaineer. I am a little obsessed with trains and I love slow travel. This trip has been on my bucket list for a while, from Banff in the Rockies through to Vancouver over 2 days. A luxury experience with great food, how glorious is the carriage with the transparent ceiling? So immersive. It is also pretty hard to beat and old school dining car. The food and wine offering was very well executed, featuring local ingredients cooked well, and local wines and beers. The service was exceptional, and I especially loved standing in the vestibule, an exterior portion of every car where you could soak it all in.
Passing through the Rockies and observing from the Rocky Mountaineer gold leaf viewing car
Rocky mountaineer views
Rocky mountaineer views
Breakfast time
Happy place on the Rocky Mountaineer
Breakfast on the Rocky Mountaineer
A view of the Rocky Mountaineer taken from the exterior vestibule – I spent so much time here!
I had a brief stop in Vancouver. I stayed in the Fairmount downtown, and had enough time for a couple of brunches (L’Abbatoir and Café Medina), dinner (Royal Dinette) and drinks (Salt Tasting Room – all matched with charcuterie & cheese) and an afternoon tea (at the Fairmount where I stayed). Vancouver is a fun spot with lots going on. I definitely need to return and spend more time there.
Coffee at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters
Breakfast burger at L’Abbatoir: quarter pound patty, hash brown patty, fried egg
L’Abbatoir
Poached eggs with smoked pork belly, cheddar sabayon and a homemade English muffin at L’Abbatoir
Moroccan Maria at Cafe Medina: Reposado Tequila, Fresh Tomato Juice, Celery Bitters, Fresh Lime
Brunch at Medina! Tajine (2 Poached Eggs, Spicy Merguez Sausage, Seasonal Vegetables Stew of Chickpeas, Black Olives & Preserved Lemon with Grilled Focaccia)
From Vancouver to the Okanagan, one of Canada’s established wine regions. It surprises many to hear that Canada has a desert, there is also an enormous lake here, 131 licensed wineries, and many more grape growers. I visited the NK’MIP Desert Cultural Centre to learn about the Osoyoos Indian Band, one of the Okanagan First Nations. They also own a winery, NK’MIP Cellars, and produce terrific wines, my favourites their pinot noir and ice wine. We enjoyed them over a hyper local lunch cooked by Okanagan chef Chris Van Hooydonk at Backyard Farm. Justin Hall, a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band and assistant winemaker at NK’MIP Cellars also lunched with us and matched wines to the meal. It was a wonderful experience. I tried lots of wines while in the Okanagan, as with much Canadian wine, little is exported so you just have to dig deep and try as many as you can there. Right?
Backyard farms sublime home made duck confit
YEAH!
Justin Lee, assistant winemaker at NK’MIP Cellars
Following the Okanagan, I journeyed back to Nova Scotia. Canada is enormous, there is a 4 hour time difference between the two coasts and the East and West coasts contrast in many ways. I love Nova Scotia, I have visited twice before to see a friend but had never explored the region properly. This time I got to visit Cape Breton, a large island to the north of Nova Scotia which had lots of Scottish, French and Irish settlers, and the Celtic music and language traditions are very much alive there. I also explore Halifax returning to my favourite Obladee (who are now doing terrific lunches) and Field Guide.
King Crab legs at the Rusty Anchor in Pleasant Bay – so sweet and fresh
Sublime sunset near Cheticamp
Lobster roll – there were many! – at the Rusty Anchor in Pleasant Bay
Tasting a 1997 Glenora single malt straight from the barrel
Whale watching at Pleasant Bay (we say about 100 beautiful pilot whales)
Lobster poutine at the Rusty Anchor
Lobster roll that I made with the Kilted Chef in Pictoou – recipe to come!
Pan fried oysters at the Rusty Anchor
Visiting a Maple Syrup farm
The Field Guide take on the Halifax donair (the Halifax take on the kebab)
Maple butter topped shortbread at The Dancing Goat (one of the best sweets I have had in a while!)
Fly fishing on the Margaree
Baked eggs with cheese at Sugar Moon Farm
Beef Brisket Tacos at Field Guide in Halifax
Sublime sunset at Cheticamp
Talking single malt in Cape Breton
More lobster
The Cabot Trail en route to Cheticamp
The Cabot Trail en route to Cheticamp
Carb Baskets
Cape Breton
Whale watching
The Kilted Chef + Lobsters
Post canoeing music session
Driving up Smokey in Cape Breton
Cape Breton Views
Lobster caesar!
Tourtiere and Chicken & Wild Rice Soup at Obladee, Halifax
Do I need to reintroduce you to the blaa? I probably do. The humble bread roll from Waterford, it is fluffy, square and white with a flour crust, and we are a little obsessed with it. It is thought that it came to Waterford with the Huguenots who called it blanc (because it was a simple white roll), but with our accent and a little time to erode it, it became a blaa.
It is a simple bread, slightly sweet with a little sugar and fluffy with a little butter. Allowed to rise slowly, it is the perfect vehicle for our traditional (and my favourite) chicken and stuffing sandwich. Also, for the occasional tayto (cheese & onion) crisp sandwich with butter to cushion the crisp.
Street art in St John’s, Newfoundland, featuring fish (what we know as cod), a huge part of their culture
There used to be 60 bakeries in Waterford that baked the blaa, and it never really left it. You never used to see the blaa anywhere else. This has changed recently, in no small part due to the efforts of the remaining bakers, now only 4, who are trying to protect it and have applied for a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). To apply there needs to be at least 3 producers and we are getting low. As a result there has been some press, and I have seen the blaa pop up here and there a bit more.
St John’s, Newfoundland. It was common to build houses on stilts, to cope with the dramatic surfaces of the land.
I used to make and sell them at my market stall in Covent Garden 4 years ago, where I made and sold my own food. Not content with doing anything that wouldn’t push me as far as possible and drive me (seemingly) close to deaths door, every day I would make a number of different dishes, always from scratch. Soups, stews, tarts, salads and sandwiches (and all on my own). I would get up at 5am and bake blaas fresh every morning, then serve them filled with overnight roast shoulder of pork and spiced apple relish, or spiced overnight roast shoulder of lamb, with aubergine and tomato relish. They were a hit and I always had a queue, so I ensured that these recipes made it into my cookbook, Comfort & Spice.
A house on the Battery in St John’s, Newfoundland
I was speaking once with my father about Nova Scotia (as I have a good friend from there who I was visiting). He, previously a master cutter at Waterford Crystal, knew some ex colleagues who had moved to Nova Scotia to set up a crystal company there. And somewhere along the way, my father had discovered that they made the Waterford blaa in Newfoundland, and only there. That sounded familiar.
That had my attention and it has been in my head ever since. Food is culture, it tells you a lot about where you come from and the land itself. Newfoundland has many Waterford connections, not least in their accent which can be very similar to my own. It turns out that this is for a strong reason, Waterford city used to be the headquarters of the seasonal cod fishery in Newfoundland dating back to the 16th century. Many people from Waterford and surrounds travelled to Newfoundland to work in the cod industry as seasonal workers (mainly between 1763 and 1830) and lots stayed on. Their mark is still there, there are many Powers, Barrys, Butlers, McCarthys, in fact there are over 1300 Irish names on Newfoundland now.
I was fascinated and determined to seek the blaa out. I was sure it must be there but my initial research proved fruitless. I contacted the tourism board and a local historian, both super helpful, they tried but could not find my blaa. I was sure it must be there, so I took a risk and thought, if I can find a baker, I will visit. I was sure that they were making them, and that they have just given them a different name.
On my first day in St John’s, I popped into a local pub for a bowl of chowder, and served next to it was what I would know as a blaa. AH-HA! I knew it! What is it? Just a bread roll. But it isn’t. Not to me and most of Waterford at least. The next day I was meeting Lori Butler, a local baker and chef with a passion for Newfoundland food and recipes. We had communicated over email, and Lori had said that she made a bread roll, but wasn’t sure if it was a blaa. I was now fairly certain that it was.
Lori and her mother in law Regina
We started early, in Waterford Valley in St John’s. We got the dough ready and left it for a first rise. Like most home home cooks, Lori does things by eye and by feel, using recipes that have passed through the generations. We left the dough to double gently and then portioned it into 8, rolling it in flour and leaving it to rise, all cosy and cuddled together, as blaas are.
Proving the dough
Proving the dough
Dividing the dough into 8
I was now fairly certain that we were making blaas and I was excited. We allowed it rise again, gently on the side and then dusted it with a final flour flourish. We baked it, we tore them apart and I had a bite. This is a blaa, I declared! I knew it! I have found it. It was a little bigger than normal, but it was the very same bread. I was even happier when I discovered the roast turkey and dressing sandwich, which is similar to our roast chicken and stuffing sandwich except that here they pour warm gravy on also. I am taking that back with me. (Dressing in Newfoundland is stuffing made with savoury, in place of our thyme). They drink steeped tea too, something I always associate with my childhood in Ireland.
Steeped tea
Dusting the bread with extra flour
Ready to taste
I found them! Lori and her home baked blaas
Lori had learned her bread recipe from her mother who had learned it from her mother in turn. I brought some with me to give to some other Newfoundlanders who all agreed that they had remembered their mothers making them too.
Here is to history and culture, the kindness of strangers, the food that brings us all together, and a humble little bread that travelled to the other side of the Atlantic and stayed the course.
My Blaa Recipe
be sure to have it with roast chicken, stuffing and gravy – OR – and you have my permission, some tayto crisps and butter ;)
Maid of the Mist at the base of Niagara falls – no time to do it on this trip but definitely next time!
I am working backwards, feeling slightly justified as I am still in Canada, even if I am writing about it the wrong way round. But hey, you have come to expect that now, haven’t you?!
I am a mite passionate about wine. I love the stuff, and I love to visit vineyards, do tastings, and explore the wine culture of any country I visit that has one. I am in awe, and worried for, people that can deny themselves wine and/or pasta. Why? Just, why? Life is short, bring the joy, and buckets of wine and shovel loads of (great) pasta. Carbonara or tagliatelle with ragu for me please! With a gutsy delicious wine. Several Canadian provences make wine, and I have visited a few, the Okanagan, Nova Scotia and Niagara.
My trip to Toronto was short, just 3 days, and I devoted one of these to a trip to Niagara for a little explore. Niagara (famous for the falls) is also a well established wine region, producing some excellent wines including ice wine. I visited two wineries: Trius (where I also had lunch) and Inniskillin (which is particularly famous for ice wines, the were one of the pioneering ice wineries (is that a thing?!) in Canada). I also visited a maple syrup farm, farmer’s market and antiques market, had lunch, and whizzed by the falls. Because you just have to.
Enjoy!
Asparagus at the Farmer’s Market in Niagara
Canadians love their pickles
Maple syrup at White Meadow Farms – all picked in the same season, the syrup darkens as the season goes on
Dark maple syrup from the very end of the season at White Meadow Farm
It takes this many buckets of maple syrup from the tree to make one small jug at the end – the tree syrup is cooked down until it caramelises and becomes amber
Wine in Niagara
Hillebrand Gewurztraminer at Trius Winery (Hillebrand recently rebranded as Trius)
Lunch at Trius Winery – their version of Surf & Turf – mini lobster roll served with a wild ferment Trius chardonnay and rib eye mini burger with the Trius red – love the idea and it worked. Delicious food too.
Hillebrand ice wine – 2007 vintage – ice wine is made from grapes frozen at minus 8 – 10 deg C for 2 – 3 days. Each grape produces only 1 – 2 drops of juice so it isn’t cheap, but it is really delicious
Rhubarb dessert – behind it was a terrific ice cream cookie sandwich made from an oat cookie and rhubarb sorbet – served with the ice wine above
Chive flowers (delicious!) with the Trius vineyards behind
All types of worms – live and available to purchase from this machine at the gas station
Sparkling ice wine at Innniskillin – one of the pioneering wineries in Canada (especially with regard to ice wine)
Innikillin ice wine and dessert and cheese pairing at Niagara
View from the ferry to Salt Spring Island, BC – the view is of the Gulf Islands
Yesterday, I wrote a post extolling the virtues of a little sleep. This morning, or rather this afternoon, following far too little sleep and an overnight flight from Victoria via Vancouver, I am a shell. Restless legs are my permanent accomplice. I don’t even have the mind to cook. I need to sleep. But not yet, I want to write first.
The past 9 days in British Columbia flew by and I am left with such a positive impression. What I saw was food with such integrity, and people preparing it and serving it who really cared. They care about the provenance of their ingredients, not just because it is trendy, but because it is good. They care about sustainability both in fishing and agriculture / viticulture. The cooking and execution, in the main was great too.
These pictures are from Tuesday, when I visited terrific Whole Beast Meats who use the whole pig carcass and make lots of charcuterie, bacons etc. I then travelled to Salt Spring Island in the Gulf Islands between the US & Canada, and visited Salt Spring Vineyards, Salt Spring Island Cheese, had a terrific lunch at Bruce’s Kitchen . I finished my day with a bacon martini and some very good dim sum at the Hotel Grand Pacific, finishing with a wonderful dinner at Aura, in the Inn at Laurel Point, where conveniently I was staying. My expectations for hotel restaurants are never very high, but the cooking here was fantastic. I focussed on the seafood, including some of the best oysters that I have ever had.
This post is my last BC photo post. I have more photos from the last day but they are few, and the best will be included in the posts which will follow. I will publish a travel guide too, as some of you have requested one. It makes sense also, doesn’t it?
Cory & Geoff at Whole Beast Meats with some impressive looking (and smelling) bacon
Jackalope at Whole Beast Meats – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope
I love a ferry journey! Love the water.
This is a real bus stop chair on Salt Spring Island
Calm
Pumpkin field
Delicious champagne method sparkling wine at Salt Spring Vineyards
Rosé tinted glass
Relax
Gorgeous homemade bacon, homemade ricotta & kale tart with beetroot & quinoa salad, roasted plums & homemade mustard at Bruce’s Kitchen
Bruce at Bruce’s Kitchen – terrific food and lovely guy. So knowledgeable too. I have his bacon dressing recipe to share :)
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