Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holidays - Part 2

This week we have moved from The Netherlands to France where we will be spending a couple of weeks, but before that I have a few more things to post about in my current series of linked posts about what we ate on holiday.

On the Saturday before Christmas, Robert and I took the opportunity to head into Amsterdam for a chance to do some sightseeing. We started with a traditional Dutch pancake which is made from wholemeal flour. I chose to have the ham version,

Whilst walking around the city, we came across the most amazing lolly/candy shop. I am pretty sure that we wouldn't be able to the store displayed like this in Australia but it did look amazing. I also took a picture of tennis ball gum balls and silver coated hazelnuts. You could get them in gold as well and when you scooped them out and let them land back in the container they looked like liquid silver. Gorgeeous. We ate something different from this store though.

We have eaten the set menus whilst in France, where you pay a fixed price to have either a starter and a main or a main and a dessert or all three. While we were in Honfleur, I had moules mariniere et frites. Here's the before and after.

We also had some really, really delicious cider which prompted us to go and visit a Calvados (apple brandy)  distillery which was really interesting.

Yesterday we went to see the Bayeux Tapestry which was amazing. Here's a tiny portion which I snuck a photo of which shows a feast being prepared and served.

Last night we decided to just choose what we wanted from the menu. We had a little something something from a patisserie in the hotel room so we decided to have a selection of Normandy cheeses and then I had a pork fillet with wild berry sauch and truffled mash potatoes. It was so delicious!

The cheeses included neufchatel which isn't readily available in Australia as far as I know. Back in the 80s we used to sell chocolate and strawberry flavoured versions but I don't remember trying the non flavoured version before now.

This week we are spending some more time in Normandy then going to the Loire Valley and heading to Paris.

Finally, I wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

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