Gaily painted Clapboard Houses in St John’s Newfoundland
Twillingate Islands Newfoundland & Labrador
This time next week I will be in Newfoundland (Canada) with Lori Butler (The Island Chef) taking a tasting tour through her pantry as well as cooking alongside her and visiting some local foodie emporiums and local artisans! I will be the guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission as well as Erin Skinner & Amy Fisher of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourismand this fabulous trip is an opportunity to research how recipes “jumped the pond” from the UK to this part of Canada when the first immigrants made Canada their home after emigrating……..I will be part of a small posse of food writers and bloggers who are passionate about food and the historical aspect of food and recipe migration; as well as researching recipes, I will also have a chance to cook alongside some local chefs, taste the regional cuisine and visit this fascinating region…..it’s all very exciting and right up my street!
Typical Newfoundland and Labrador Cusine
This trip of a lifetime will culminate in a group “cook-along” in Halifax, Nova Scotia with the other food bloggers at the end of my time in Newfoundland and Labrador, as you will see from my itinerary below.The Atlantic Canada Eats Food Bloggers Posse comprises Janice of Farmersgirl Kitchen,Aoife of The Daily Spud andHelen of Fuss Free Flavours. We are all being sent to different regions, and I am delighted to be covering Newfoundland and Labrador, a part of Canada I have always been fascinated with, and an area that was covered in one of my favourite books, Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, and the subsequent film.Janice will be cooking her way around Nova Scotia, Aoife is exploring Prince Edward Island and Helen will be winging her way over to New Brunswick.
The Newfoundland coastline
My itinerary is as follows, and I will be posting regular updates and posts on Lavender and Lovage, as well as Twitter, Face Book and Instagram throughout my trip……with the hash tags: #AtlanticCanadaEats #ExploreCanada
Tuesday 27th May:
ArriveSt. John’s Newfoundland –walk around the colourful battery or through the streets of old downtown, twacking!
Wednesday 28th May:
Meet The Island Chef for cooking and a tour of her pantry – this will include bottled rabbit, bottled moose and other various preserves. Lori will show me the many berries that grow here including bakeapples, partridgeberries, blueberries, black currants and gooseberries. We will choose some of the berries to make a dessert.
Adam Blanchard of Five Brothers Cheese will then join us for a cheese-making demonstration; the cheese we make will be incorporated into our meal.
After lunch, we will head downtown for a walk along Duckworth Street and a visit to the NL Chocolate Company for a demonstration of their techniques and a sampling of their fare.
EVENING:
St. John’s Food Tour: A taste of Newfoundland, old and new.
A guided food tour through the streets of Downtown St. John’s. I will visit four of the top restaurants in the city and taste their specially selected offerings with a paired beverage and an explanation of the dish.
A gastronomic experience unique to Newfoundland; a sample of our cuisine, both old and new. The establishments I will visit are their finest: they have received numerous accolades, including: En Route Magazine’s Best New Restaurant in Canada (2011), Two Gold Medal Plates NL Champions (2011 and 2012) and the Chopped Canada Competition Champion (2014).
Chinched: Tasting the fruits of passion
The tour begins with a ‘taste of the new’ at Chinched, an industry-leading, family-run establishment that specializes in contemporary bistro cuisine.
I will meet Chef/Owner Shaun Hussey and experience his unique charcuterie offerings. Every item is made by hand, from scratch. These tasty morsels are Shaun’s passion; he has served over 30 different types of charcuterie in his Bistro and has become a master of the craft. Shaun will meet with the group and discuss how the cuts are prepared while you enjoy his charcuterie plate with a paired libation.
Newfoundlandia at the Reluctant Chef
Next, stroll down to The Reluctant Chef for a taste of Old St. John’s. Chef Mike Boyd combines rich Newfoundland traditions with modern culinary innovations to create some of the most exciting food in the city.
Mike will meet with me and discuss his offering of traditional Newfoundland fare while you savour the food and wine pairing in the Reluctant Chef’s relaxed setting.
A St. John’s tradition at the Club
Our next destination is Mark McCrowe’s Club Gastropub for a special taste of a St. John’s tradition. Halliday’s blood puddings, mudder’s pickles and greens are paired with a Quidi Vidi micro brew to create a heavenly combination that is held dear to the hearts of many Newfoundlanders. The puddings are a true local treasure, with the Halliday family (local multigenerational family of butchers) using the same recipe for over 80 years.
Raymond’s: finishing up at the leading edge of NL cuisine
We finish our tour at Raymond’s, Newfoundland’s finest example of haute cuisine. Owners Jeremy Charles (Chef) and Jeremy Bonia’s (Sommalier) staff share a passion for building Newfoundland’s capacity for sustainable, locally sourced ingredients, and presenting them to their delighted patrons in an artistic fashion.
Raymond’s will present a sample of their rustic Newfoundland cuisine for your enjoyment, alongside a paired wine and an explanation of the exquisite craftsmanship that goes into the creation of each dish.
Thursday 29th May:
Depart St. John’s and head to Avondale beach for foraging and a boil-up. While in Avondale, Lori will show me the many wild edibles that grow along the shore and discuss their utility. After our walk we will have a traditional mug-up on the beach with smoked mackerel, fried Halliday’s white pudding, a cuppa tea and fresh made toutons with molasses.
Farewall dinner at Lori’s house where will enjoy a traditional Jiggs Dinner with all the trimmings.
Friday 30th May:
Morning activities include sights seeing with Amy Fisher and free time to experience and explore historic downtown St. John’s.
Signal Hill National Historic Site
Cape Spear National Historic Site (most easterly point in North America)
The Rooms, Provincial Museum, Archives & Art Gallery www.therooms.ca
Lunch: Chafe’s Landing, Petty Harbour for the catch of the day, Fish & Chips
Depart for Halifax, Nova Scotia early evening.
Saturday and Sunday 31st May & 1st June:
Meet up with other bloggers for a cooking weekend!
More details to follow next week.
Avalon Peninsula
So, PLEASE do follow my adventures as I cook my way around Newfoundland andNovaScotia! The hash tags once again are:
#AtlanticCanadaEats
#ExploreCanada
See my posts and photos on:
Twitter: @KarenBurnsBooth
Face Book: Lavender and Lovage
Instagram: Lavender and Lovage
Pinterest: Atlantic Canada Eats
A lighthouse on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic
All images courtesy of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism andCanadian Tourism Commission
The Northern lights over snow and icy water
Links to other posts:
Atlantic Canada Eats – A Nova Scotia adventure awaits…
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