Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Photography / Villa Sjotorp and a mussel safari in Lysekil (West Sweden, Part 1)

Villa Sjotorp and a mussel safari in Lysekil (West Sweden, Part 1)

by Jeanne Horak on October 20, 2011 17 Comments in Photography, Sweden

VillaSjotorp © J Horak-Druiff 2013

Is it possible to feel homesick for a place where you have never lived?  If you had asked me a week ago, the answer would have been an emphatic no.  But that was then, before I had visited West Sweden.  This is the first in a series of posts covering a Shellfish Journey to West Sweden on which I was very kindly invited by the West Sweden Tourist Board and Visit Sweden, together with five other food bloggers.  Further posts will follow over the next couple of weeks. An album containing all my shellfish journey photos is available on Flickr. 

There is something really special about arriving for the first time in a country that you have never visited – a sense of expectation and anticipation of the unfamiliar that’s rather appealing. And our experience od Sweden started before we’d even left London with a visit to the rather nice SAS lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 where, over coffee and pastries, we were briefed a little about SAS and its plans to convert its in-flight meals to organic.  Some quick refreshments and a complimentary copy of SAS’s Crew Guide mini book later, we boarded our plane.  The somewhat aged MD81 gave me the heebies (I mean, it still had ashtrays in the seat arms!) but I needn’t have worried – the flight was so ridiculously smooth and uneventful that I dozed all the way to the coast of Denmark! As we flew over Sweden, all I could see was densely forested hills, picture-perfect wooden houses, and gorgeous mirror-flat lakes, reflecting the surrounding forests – it looked breathtaking and I could to wait to get to know the country better.

 

SjotorpFront

SjotorpCollageInside

 

SjotorpCollageDining

SjotorpTable

SjotorpCollageChicken

After about an hour’s drive north of Gothenburg on the west coast, we arrived at Villa Sjotorp in Ljungkile. This small hotel and restaurant are set in a house which was built in the early 20th century as a grand family home.  Decades later, descendants of the original owners have re-purchased the property and have lovingly restored it.  It now provides pretty, traditional Swedish accommodation in individually decorated rooms, in a tranquil setting.  The restaurant is dominated by a tremendously impressive decorated ceramic fireplace and the view through the trees to the sea and scattered islands in the distance is quite gorgeous. Our lunch consisted of excellent bread (a recurring theme throughout my time in Sweden!); a beautiful little green salad served in individual glass bowls; and a chicken  breast served with a chanterelle and apple sauce together with beetroot and a warm root vegetable terrine.  Everything we ate was organic, grown or raised on the premises – their own chickens, their own vegetables, and foraged mushrooms.  And judging by the flavours, these guys should be the poster kids for the argument that organic just tastes better.  I doubt that the cocoa for the spectacular chocolate mint truffles was grown on-site, but they tasted mighty fine – I would have pocketed a stash had they not been so decadently melty and messy!

 

SjotorpView

SjotorpBack

 

SjotorpOutsideSeating

SjotorpBackCollage

 

SjotorpBench

After lunch we had some time to explore the grounds – I was particularly taken by the furs casually strewn over the outdoor chairs and could imagine this would be a good place to spend a week or two curled up with a stash of good books, admiring the view. At 1,695 SEK (£165) pp (based on two sharing) for a package comprising one night’s accommodation and a shellfish menu, it’s not cheap – but there is something very appealing about staying in a place that makes you feel like a welcome guest in an old friend’s country house.

Villa Sjotorp
Pl 22009
SE-459 33 Ljungskile
Sweden

Tel: +46 (0)52220174
Fax: +46 (0)52220193
E-Mail: [email protected]  or [email protected]

 

SwedenFerry
Am I the only one childishly amused by the under- and over-fart thing? 😉

SwedenAdriaan

SwedenGroupPic

Sadly, we could not here linger too long.  Back on the bus, we continued our drive northwards, which included a free ferry crossing not unlike the Woolwich free ferry in London.  From there it was a short drive to get to Lysekil (pronounced lee-suh-sheel – crazy Swedes!).  Here, we met the utterly charming Adrian van de Plasse, a mussel farmer who moonlights as a mussel safari guide.  His company, Orust Shellfish, offer a four to five hour mussel tour from Lysekil for 795 SEK (£76) per person, and we were lucky enough to go on a shorter 2-hour version.  But before we could board the boat… there were the overalls to put on. We had been told we would be given waterproof clothing for the boat which a) made me imagine us pitching and rolling about a la Perfect Storm; and b) made me picture some crusty yellow oilskins.  Clearly, maritime clothing has moved on.  These suits were a whole different ballgame – think a one-piece ski outfit lined with a neoprene wetsuit and you won’t be far off.  They are also uniformly HUGE (presumably to fit strapping Swedish seamen, not puny London food bloggers!) and by the time I had struggled into mine I felt exhausted and looked like the love-child of a Teletubbie and Kenny from South Park.  Oh, and did I mention that we were being accompanied and photographed by a press photographer taking pics for a piece in a local newspaper? And making A VIDEO of us?? Moving rapidly along!

 

SwedenMusselSafari

SwedenBoatWater

 

SwedenMusselsGrowing

 

But once we chugged away from the jetty, all thoughts of how peculiar I looked faded away.  The first thing you notice about this part of the world is that it is beautiful – heart-stoppingly, breath-takingly beautiful.  The water was calm and the late afternoon sun was golden; the rocks and inlets glided past us and the sky seemed endless.  No cell phone reception, no interruptions, just the gentle movement of the boat.  I was catatonically relaxed within minutes.  Soon we arrived at the mussel beds where Adrian explained the various methods of farming mussels.  Teensy mussel spawn is collected from the wild and then grown on horizontal systems of ropes suspended in the water by buoys, pipes or floats.  Adrian pulled up one of these rope meshes and it was absolutely TEEMING with teensy mussels and other crawly sealife (ghost shrimps, evidently). The mussels are not fed but live on natural species of algae in the sea, some of which are toxic to humans. Mussels are regularly sampled to test their safety, and where they have ingested water containing these algae, harvesting is postponed until the mussels have eaten themselves “clean” again (in South Africa this is called “red tide”).  Sadly this was the case during our visit, so we could not just grab a handful of mussels off a rope and chuck them in a pot.  Good thing that Adrian had a stash that he had harvested previously!

SwededMusselSafariIsland

SwedenMusselBoat

SwedenOysters

SwedenSuLin

SwedenFieldKitchen

SwedenMusselsServed

SwedenIslandFinal

We chugged past several rocky islands, one ostensbly inhabited solely by 2 kamikaze sheep, until we came to one with a small jetty and a cute outhouse-sized wooden cabin where we docked.  We disembarked to find that there was a makeshift field kitchen set up on the rocks with an enormous saucepan bubbling away over a gas camping stove; and the cabin was to  be our bar for the afternoon.  Result!  While Adrian was dealing with the mussels, his colleague got to work shucking some local native fresh-as-can-be oysters for us – incredibly minerally and briny but incredibly delicious.  This was followed by wonderful, steaming bowls of moules mariniere and glasses of cava, enjoyed while perching on the rocks admiring the view.  And yet later, we were presented with spicy carrot cake and fresh coffee – our first Swedish fika (coffee break)! In the words of Ace of Base (who are from Gothenburg, incidentally!), “It’s a beautiful life”.  It was quite a wrench having to get back on the boat to leave.  Adrian and his colleagues were warm and engaging, great cooks, and had us giggling about their assertion (delivered with a huge wink) that “oh yes, the weather is ALWAYS this sunny in Sweden”.  Apparently it’s Swedish dialect for “OMG YOU PEOPLE ARE LUCKY WITH THE WEATHER!!” I can’t think of better folks with whom to take a boat trip.  (They even made a video of our mussel safari – do check it out!)

Orust Shellfish
Ängåsvägen 1
472 31 Svanesund
Sweden

Tel:  +46 (0)706 731731
Fax: +46 (0)304 45516
E-mail: [email protected]

SwedenFinalSea

SwedenFinalSunset

 

All posts in my West Sweden series:

  • Villa Sjotorp and a mussel safari in Lysekil, West Sweden
  • Café Ferdinand seafood buffet and Strandflickorna Hotel, West Sweden
  • South Koster island and lunch at Koster garden
  • Lobster safari and lobster lobster dinner at Sydkoster Hotel Ekenäs
  • An oyster experience with Everts Sjöbod in Grebbestad

For other impressions of the weekend, see Helen’s, Chris’s, Lizzie’s, Su-Lin’s and Nadia’s posts about the trip.

DISCLOSURE:  We travelled to Sweden and enjoyed our Shellfish Journey as guests of the West Sweden Tourism Board and Visit Sweden

Flights from Heathrow to Gothenburg fares incl taxes and charges on SAS (https://www.flysas.com/en/) start from £63 one way or £103 return

Please also visit West Sweden Tourism’s:  

  • Website: www.westsweden.com
  • Information about the Shellfish Journey:  www.westsweden.com/shellfishjourney  
  • Facebook page: www.facebook.com/westsweden
  • Twitter: www.twitter.com/westswedentb 
  • Blog: www.explorewestsweden.com 

Please also visit Visit Sweden’s:

  • Website: www.visitsweden.com 
  • Facebook page: www.facebook.com/visitsweden
  • Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sweden

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • A St James’s food safariA St James’s food safari
  • Munich Oktoberfest – 12 essential tipsMunich Oktoberfest – 12 essential tips
  • A chocolate masterclass with Paul A Young & Great British ChefsA chocolate masterclass with Paul A Young & Great British Chefs
  • Pont de la Tour brasserie – best bargain in London!Pont de la Tour brasserie – best bargain in London!

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Nectarine & plum galette, and being remembered
Giraffe Bar & Grill, Soho »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Robin O. says

    October 20, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    What a wonderful adventure and into to shellfish in Sweden. Wonderfully told, and your photos just bring it to life as if I were traveling with you. Can’t wait for the next installment.

    Reply
  2. Su-Lin says

    October 20, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Beautiful photos! Sigh…I can almost still taste that oyster…
    You’ve all put me to shame with your blogging as I haven’t found time to write it up yet! 😀

    Reply
  3. Ishay says

    October 20, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    If you’re a teletubbie, then you make a darling one. A lovely write-up; what an interesting food adventure! This looks like a dreamy thing for two to share (or a bunch of fun food bloggers!).

    Reply
  4. Maria says

    October 20, 2011 at 6:05 pm

    Beautiful! And made me terribly home-sick of the Nordic countries! 😉

    Reply
  5. Colleen says

    October 20, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    WOW! Absolutely breathtaking!amazingly, Sweden is one of those countries that I have always had a yen to visit…you my dear are blessed! And you wrote this post so beautifully. Love your photos. Looking forward to the next one! xx

    Reply
  6. Simone says

    October 20, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    OMG… I knew ofcourse that it would be beautiful when you mentioned going to Sweden but you where indeed lucky with the weather especially this time of year. Not that I’ve ever been to Sweden, but am just imaging that that would be the case. Love love love all those photos as it looks absolutely gorgeous! I so want to visit that hotel you stayed in and since Sweden has been on my ‘todo’ list for a long time, I might just do that.

    Reply
  7. Firefly says

    October 21, 2011 at 8:21 am

    A wonderful trip with lots of great scenery, establishments and food. My kind of trip.

    Reply
  8. Tori @ eat-tori says

    October 21, 2011 at 8:33 am

    Looks like an incredible trip. Beautiful photos. Looks like my kind of trip too.

    Reply
  9. meeta says

    October 21, 2011 at 11:08 am

    I felt the same way you did when I visited Norway – I felt like everything would keep me here! Love the quaint villa you stayed and the mussel safari is definitely on the to do list. So you show me around Sweden and I show you around Norway – deal?

    Reply
  10. Rosana @ Hot&Chilli says

    October 22, 2011 at 12:39 am

    The pictures and the trip look fantastic! Glad you had a good time with Su-Lin. Looking forward to part 2. see you soon x

    Reply
  11. Rosana @ Hot&Chilli says

    October 22, 2011 at 12:39 am

    The pictures and the trip look fantastic! Glad you had a good time with Su-Lin. Looking forward to part 2. see you soon x

    Reply
  12. Rosana @ Hot&Chilli says

    October 22, 2011 at 12:39 am

    The pictures and the trip look fantastic! Glad you had a good time with Su-Lin. Looking forward to part 2. see you soon x

    Reply
  13. PinkPolkaDot says

    October 22, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    What a beautiful post!!! I am sooooo jealous!

    Reply
  14. Sue Mills says

    October 24, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Such beautiful photos Jeanne – you have such a wonderful eye. Love the architecture and that special blue sky!

    Reply
  15. Valentina says

    December 4, 2011 at 10:12 am

    Jeanne, I came back to comment on this post. Your photos combined with your words put little smiles on my face, made me chuckle a bit and settled me nicely for the Sunday ahead. I’m loving reading about this adventure. Those outfits even though oversized would have been perfect for our walk on Thursday.xx

    Reply
  16. Kristen B. says

    April 5, 2013 at 8:32 pm

    What a wonderful trip! I love fresh seafood…

    Reply
  17. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    October 10, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Lovely, I’m going to mention this in the newsletter, it is autumn and Halloween edition.

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Oxtail and red wine potjie
Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT