What better place to start my Blog than my favourite lunch destination in the Garden Route, Fynboshoek Cheese Farm! With only 10 days before I embark on my new adventure in Italy, Stef wanted to take me to one of our favourite romantic and most delicious destinations. Yes I know in Italy, one is spoilt for choice when it comes to artisan cheeses but certainly this is not the case in Port Elizabeth...and on this rainy, cold Sunday we were still more than happy to meander the 160km for this treat!Seated in his rustic farmhouse next to an old cracked blue ceramic wood fireplace, Alje as always is warm and accomodating ...and nothing like a glass or 2 of my new best friend for winter, Diemersfontein Pinotage, to warm me up! (which Jodi and I just can't seem to stop drinking these days!) :)
Alje presented us with an appetizer of Bruschetta with goats cheese, toasted with a drizzle of honey & thyme...a taste sensation! I have come a long way - I always hated goats cheese, was convinced if you ever licked a goats bum or its hooves thats what it tasted like! :) (uncouth I know but I'm rather descriptive on the best of days) Anyway I'm now slowly aquiring the taste, much to Stef's absolute dismay because he always liked to have it all to himself :)
The warm foccacia straight from the oven with course salt & rosemary was heaven with farm butter.. the salad from Alje's garden with crisp toasted goats cheese tossed with his secret (and yes I have tried absolutely everything to get this recipe including offering all sorts of favours and offering to rent Stef out by the hour but NO GO!) pear vinaigrette.... cheese board (all made at the farm) and my favourite Caprese with his fresh mozzarella sent Stef and I spinning into heaven! Cheese officially is my favourite food ...Stef and I have been on a rather stringent eating plan and cheese is definately not a daily event any more, so I have found myself fantisizing (sad i know!)about our cheese farm outing on more than one occasion this week.
So its Sunday evening, back to normality tomorrow morning until Thursday, Stef's birthday, when we take a trip into the beautiful Karoo where more red wine and fireplaces await....
