Friday 5: Tea, Pizza, Clothes, Caves and Wine

I’m doing some editing, research, and working on a Friday 5 list for next week, so I thought I’d do a quick list of links and things I’m loving this week.

By HTO (Own work (own photo)) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Clipper Tea. I picked up some Earl Grey and Sleep Easy locally on a whim this week and I am head over heels. I highly recommend both!

2. Foolproof Pan Pizza! I’ve been testing dairy again this week and haven’t had any problems so far. Knock on wood! One thing I’ve been missing like crazy is pizza, so I’m going to make my own and enjoy the heck out of it. This is one of my favourite recipes. (via Serious Eats)

3. Project 333's "5 Ways to Create a Capsule Wardrobe" for helping psych me up for spring cleaning and trying out a capsule wardrobe. (via Project 333)

4. Reading about the opening of Caverne du Pont d'Arc, a replica of the prehistoric paintings of Chauvet Cave (take a virtual visit here) in France's Ardèche valley. Its been under meticulous construction since 2007. (via Smithsonian Magazine)

5. Learning about the wines of the Languedoc and planning our own wine tour. (via The Guardian)

That's it for this week! I hope you have a beautiful weekend.  

The London Lunch

It’s cold out. Really cold—it feels like -29°C (-20°F) with the windchill. All I want is to be able to go outside and not feel my nose hairs freeze. Is that too much to ask?

On days like today, memories of summer feel a bit like a fever dream. Did that really happen? Will it ever come back? I start to crave sunshine, fresh air, leisurely strolls, and heat. I know I’m not alone. So how about a post on picnicking to remind us that winter doesn’t last forever?

I love a good picnic lunch, especially when traveling. It’s even better when you can go to a market to find fresh goodies and then grab a spot with a beautiful vista to relax and eat. A bit of bread, fruit, meats, and, if possible, some wine can make me just as happy as a fancy multi-course restaurant meal. 

Picnicking doesn’t have to farm-to-table fresh to be good, though. When S and I were in London, we knew that we’d have to watch our spending with meals. Sticker shock is very real there for just about everything. We spent one day walking through the city, with no real purpose other than seeing stuff. I had a map app on my phone that showed us nearby attractions, so we let that guide us and didn't make any concrete plans. 

Around lunchtime, we found ourselves standing in front of Big Ben. As we were squinting into the sun, looking at the beautiful clock tower, the hunger started. It was as if my stomach was saying “Oh, look at the time. Lunch. Now.”

I took note, but we kept walking and decided to keep an eye out for somewhere to eat. We went past the Palace of Westminster, detoured into a little park overlooking the Thames, went to Westminster Abbey, and just continued our wandering along back streets until my stomach piped up and reminded me that it was now past lunchtime. Things were going to get hangry soon. 

Big Ben says it's 20 past hungry.

No one really likes hangry me, so we got more serious about food.

We hadn’t really seen a good place to stop and eat, though. Then I had a brilliant idea. Just in front of Big Ben is Westminster station with a very small Tesco (a British grocery chain) Express. Surely they would have something for us to eat. And that little park behind Palace of Westminster, Victoria Tower Gardens? It would be perfect for a picnic. In fact, we saw a bunch of people having lunch on the grass. We also saw people napping, a photoshoot, and someone working out.  

 

The Thames from Victoria Tower Gardens

We walked back to the Tesco and found out that not only do they have food, they have a lunch deal: £3 for a main, drink, and snack. A deal! 

We quickly learned that we while we thought we had discovered something great, just about everyone else in London already knew about it. A good chunk of them were in line in front of us. It snaked through the tiny store and out the front door. 

The line moved quickly, though. Everything that was part of the £3 lunch deal was marked clearly and there were lots of choices. Before we knew it, we both had a wrap, chips and drink in-hand.

Victoria Tower and the view from our picnic spot. Apparently its a decent sort for half-naked nap, too!

We made our way back to Victoria Tower Gardens and picked a prime people-watching spot under a shady tree. It was like we found this perfect, quiet little haven with a lovely view in the midst of the London craziness. It wasn’t our most expensive meal, our healthiest meal, or even our tastiest meal. But it was, by far, my favourite meal in London.

Ice, Ice(wine) Baby

I wouldn’t classify myself as a picky eater. I’ve only truly hated two types of food in my life: cilantro (it tasted like soap to me and I know I'm not alone) and salmon (thanks to getting sick after eating it). When I read an article about overcoming food aversions few years ago, I started to feel silly about turning my nose up at them. Apparently if you continue to try small amounts of whatever it is you don’t like, you develop a taste for it. I've been successful with this strategy so far. I love salmon again and I tolerate cilantro now. 

I wanted to lead with that because I always thought I hated icewine. Last year, S and I were gifted a weekend getaway in Niagara on the Lake during the Niagara Icewine Festival. Our stay included free tastings at a handful of wineries. We went to Château des Charmes first and had such a lacklustre experience with both the wine and the service that we lost interest in trying any of the other wineries. Later, we wandered through the downtown festival area for a bit but didn’t taste anything. We spent the rest of our trip having fun antiquing.

I didn't take many pictures at the festival because, frankly, my hands were cold and my phone dies in the cold. I also try to keep foodie pics to a minimum in public because it always feels weird. 

This year, we went to the festival again with my parents and had a completely different experience. Instead of heading to a winery, we went downtown first. We got tasting glasses and tokens and wandered through the huts to see what the different wineries offered. 

Generally, you will see most ice wines made from Riesling, Vidal, or Cabernet Franc grapes with the latter two being the most popular in Ontario. The Vidal produces a rich, buttery yellow wine and the Cabernet Franc produces a beautiful, deep amber strawberry color. 

What makes icewine different? The grapes are left on the vine until temperatures dip to -8° Celcius or lower, which concentrates the sugars in the grape. The grapes are then harvested and pressed while frozen. It can be a tricky business, from harvesting at the right time to working in conjunction with unpredictable weather. The result? Smaller yields and sweet, fruity wines with hefty price tags. Since Ontario gets warm summers and cold winters, we are one of the few regions of the world the produces icewine.

I think next year they should spruce the tents up a bit. They look kinda boring, no? My bar is high after researching Christmas markets in Europe. 

Our first taste was an Iniskillin Sparkling Vidal. Much to my surprise, it didn’t taste like the horrible cloying sweet icewines I remembered. This had more character and 100% more bubbles of fun. It was sweet, yes, but also tart--like a perfect fall apple mixed with ripe grapes. It felt celebratory. I wanted a full glass! Perhaps I like ice wine after all? 

We perused the food next, letting our noses guide us as deliciously warm and hearty scents wafted through the air. There were multiple kinds of pulled pork with long lines. Pass. Some macaroni and cheese that looked amazing. I can’t have dairy, so a reluctant pass. It was a lonely duck confit cassoulet from Peller that caught our attention. No one seemed to be manning the station. A pretty little yellow Le Creuset pot sat atop a portable single burner. Was it empty? 

We went to the end of the aisle and realized none of the other food sounded as good as the cassoulet. By the time we walked back, there was a woman behind the counter. We walked right up and got a small bowl. It was so good that after one bite each, we turned around and got a second bowl.

Delicious, delicious cassoulet. It disappeared so fast I almost missed my photo op.

I still have no idea why there wasn't a long line up for it, but I feel like we found an under appreciated gem. It was rich and hearty but not heavy. There were tons of beans and everything had a beautiful duck flavour without being too fatty or strong. It’s still the morning as I write this, and I would eat a whole bowl right now if I could. Probably some for lunch, too. Who am I kidding? And dinner. I love duck. 

We considered spending the rest of our tokens on cassoulet, but that’s not what we came for, so we tasted three more wines: a Vidal from Joseph (ok), a Vidal from Trius (yum!), and a Cabernet Franc from Peller (meh, too sweet for me). 

Afterward, we wandered around some of the stores that were open and then drove to Iniskillin. We sampled their Vidal, a Sparkling Cabernet Franc, a Sparkling Vidal, and an Oak-Aged Vidal. I genuinely liked them all, but holy moly did I love the Oak-Aged Vidal and both of the sparkling offerings. 

All in all, I was shocked. I really enjoyed the day and the wines. I’m not sure I’ll ever be the type of person who loves ice wine, but I can see having an after-dinner glass on a very special occasion, especially one of those sparkling beauties.

So I guess I do like icewine after all. The lesson? Try again. 

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Want to have the full icewine experience, too?

The Niagara Icewine Festival runs each year for three weekends in January. 

Since the 2015 festival is over, there is always the option of going to the wineries and doing your own tasting or looking into a tour, like Grape Escape Wine Tours or Niagara Vintage Wine Tours.