Weather forecast is showers for the week ahead. 7°C when I started walking. 10km of forest paths to another abdij - Abdij van Averbode. Monks seem to have things well stitched up round here. Norbertines again. Spotted a couple, prosperous looking types in white habits. They have an outpost in Queens Park in Perth. I wonder if they are brewing there? It was lunchtime and my feet needed a beer. Also a croque madame, which is a ham and cheese toastie with a few fried eggs on top. It had not rained yet but I was not hopeful for the afternoon. I decided to shortcut to Scherpenheuvel.
Scherpenheuvel is a centre of pilgrimage at the top of what passes for a hill in Flanders. Attractive basilica. I got a room in De Zwaan ( swan - geddit?). 50 euros and a long bath!)The chef brought me a glass of jenever to educate me in gin. Belgian gin is not as sweet as Dutch gin.It is double distilled unlike English gin which is triple distilled. De Zwaan Hotel has been in his family for 400 years. 400 years? And you´re still in the kitchen. I didn´t really say that. I had ordered veal kidneys cooked with gin. Or should I say kalfsnieren op Liukse wiijse? They came with mushrooms, pearl onions, bacon and juniper berries. Then a little lesson on Belgian beers. There are 800 breweries, not including the commercial ones. The best ones are yeasted in the bottle and will cellar for years. The monks paid their labourers ( well, they could hardly labour themselves in those nifty white robes) in beer so it became a form of currency.
1 comment:
tried any nice aussie gins ?
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