That actually stands for Bread and Butter Pudding.
This recipe is perfect for turning left-over croissants into a delicious dessert, but consider this: made in an individual ramekin and offered as a little breakfast starter - with plain yoghurt and a berry or prune compote? Why not? It has all the breakfast ingredients: eggs, croissants, fruit, orange juice, milk, butter... What about the chocolate I hear you ask? Well, when I walked the Camino through Spain in 2007 I stumbled on a Chocolate Museum in Astorga. They had a collection of vintage posters advising mothers to give their children the perfect breakfast- a bowl of drinking chocolate. I'll drink to that - chocolate is good for you. The Spaniards think so, the French think so and the Germans took it one step further by spreading chocolate on their bread. (Recipe for home made Nutella below...) Chocolate & Orange Bread & Butter Pudding Ingredients 4-5 Croissants, torn into pieces 100g-450g Dark Chocolates, broken into pieces 4 Eggs 1/3C (90g) Castor Sugar 1C (250ml) Milk 1C (250ml) Cream ½ tsp Grated Orange Rind 1/3 C (80ml) Orange Juice 2Tblsp coarsely chopped Hazelnuts Set oven at 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm deep sided cake tin. Layer croissant pieces into the baking tin. Scatter chocolate pieces evenly amongst the pieces. Beat eggs and sugar until pale & creamy. Heat milk and cream on the stove until almost boiling. Remove from heat. It will curdle if it boils. Gradually pour egg mixture over it stirring all the time. Add orange juice and rind and stir well. Slowly pour this over the croissants, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Sprinkle Hazelnuts over the top and bake for 45-50 minutes (until a skewer comes out clean when inserted). Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate. Serve with cream or ice-cream. TIPS: I put hazelnuts into the croissants with the chocolate I use Lindt Orange dark chocolate If using more croissants make more custard Today's children can't imagine that there was a time when Nutella was not for sale in South Africa.(In Namibia one could find it in the shops that specialized in imported produce.) My brother's children found it fascinating that their Namibian born cousins could be as decadent as to eat chocolate spread on bread! For years a jar of Nutella made a perfect Christmas gift. At Fairview's breakfast table I always have a jar of chocolate spread and a jar of peanut butter - for the odd children staying over. But most of the time it will be the business men reaching out for it with exclamations of: 'ah, I haven't had this for years!' Homemade Chocolate Spread (about 3 jars) 200 g Hazelnuts 1 can Condensed Milk 255 g good quality dark Chocolate 125ml hot Milk Roast the hazelnuts for about 10-15 minutes either in the oven or in a dry pan over the heat. When the nuts are ready (golden brown) let them cool down a little. Chop fine in a food processor until they reach hazelnut butter consistency. Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over boiling water. When the chocolate has melted, you pour the condensed milk in and mix well.Add the mixture to the hazelnut butter and process it some more. Add some hot milk if you find it too dense.
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Knitting is the new yoga,but actually the inspirational topic for this blog post is...toilets.5/15/2016 Knitting is the new yoga, but actually, the inspirational topic for this blog post is an issue with toilet seats...
I doubt there is anyone out there who is not yet aware that I can now claim the title GRANDMOTHER. It is with the greatest of self-discipline that I do not insist that every guest looks at photos on my mobile phone before they are allowed to enjoy breakfast. I became a champion knitter overnight - shortly after Luella's birth I woke up with tennis elbow pain and suddenly realised: I just finished my 6th jersey for 2-month-old Luella - no wonder!! But back to toilets... At Fairview we take the comfort of our guests to heart. So when a guest tells me that the toilet seat is uncomfortable, I am not going to ignore that complaint. I am going to use that toilet to get up to speed with the level of comfort my guests are expected to enjoy (or not) when they spend a penny. Initially, I thought he was exaggerating, but then I reminded myself that I am far better padded than he seemed to have been and he mentioned that he liked to read his newspaper on the loo, so maybe sit a few more minutes. Being a multi-tasker, I sat, mentally making to-do lists in my mind and yes, the discomfort grew proportionately to the length of my to-do list. Not excruciatingly uncomfortable, but yes, uncomfortable. I am forever upgrading, replacing, renewing, all the time beating myself up about how I can ensure that my guests are comfortable because let's face it - when they stay at Fairview there are enough little idiosyncrasies typical to a house over 150 years old that they have to put up with. This particular bathroom had one of those old-fashioned toilets with a high cistern that you flush by pulling a chain and about 3 months ago I decided to replace it as it was just too noisy and used too much water. Quirkiness had to make way for practicality. I remember when I bought the toilet I was skeptical about the square shape of the toilet seat, but because the toilet had to cover the markings made by the old toilet and had to have a section that covered the ugly drain pipes at the back that was really the best choice. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought it necessary to work up the row of toilets on display to find the most comfortable one. Yet, that is what I will do when I buy the new toilet for the Banksia Annex in the making. In the meantime - who has a knitting pattern for a padded toilet seat cover?! Bed and breakfasts and guest houses are often run by the owners - in South Africa they mostly have 5 or less rooms in the case of Guest Houses and the majority of Bed and Breakfast operations have 3 or less rooms. Because of limited staff , check in at a guest house is often by appointment prior to 3 pm and you are definitely expected to arrive before 7 pm unless a late arrival has been previously arranged with your host. I have to get up at 6 am most mornings, so it is just not possible for me to sit up until midnight waiting on guests to arrive. For security reason we also do not take 'off street' bookings after 7 pm.
right of admission reserved... Ask any guest house owner what the most frustrating aspect of running an accommodation establishment is and they will say that it is waiting for guests to arrive and even worse : 'No Shows'. For the unenlightened - that is when a person makes a booking and changes his/her plans without notifying the establishment. If you have a 4 bedroom B&B that represents 25% of your occupancy lost. For me it is not so much the 25% occupancy lost as the time spent waiting on that guest ; the waste of keeping the room warm, the geyser running ; the disregard shown toward the B&B host. When you phone the next day the excuses range from: 'It is not my fault as I told my secretary/wife/agent to cancel and they forgot', 'I tried to phone, but your line was busy', 'I forgot my directions so I booked into another B&B', 'I never paid a deposit so I did not think that it was a confirmed booking'. One evening I invited two couples who both owned accommodation establishments over for dinner and in the course of a conversation it turned out that we were all three establishments expecting the same people to arrive for the long weekend! Because of the frustrations of no-shows I have made it our policy that bookings are only finally confirmed on receiving a 50% deposit. The flip side of the coin would be to have a guest arrive at your door thinking they have a confirmed booking to find that there is 'no place at the inn'. In 19 years of running a B&B this has only happened to me twice. The first time was many years ago - before the use of computerised booking systems when bookings were still jotted down in a diary. The guests arrived at our door on the 28th December and I had written them in for a week later. A strict deposit policy can also boomerang on you, as I recently found - by the time the guest paid the deposit we had presumed they were not taking the room anymore. Frustration all around. Please, please, please do not let the Australians who booked two rooms for a week over Christmas and who never answered our e-mail requests for a deposit arrive on our doorstep under the impression that they have a reservation... I sometimes have to remind myself that I cannot please all people all the time. Recently I made the mistake of upgrading guests who had booked one of our Standard rooms to a room which I consider a Superior room. The Standard room of their choice faces west and currently looks down onto a hub of activity because of the renovation to our Annex ( which is thankfully on schedule and should be finished in less than 2 weeks.) So I thought I was doing them a favour by giving them a free upgrade to our Room 1 which faces towards the garden. Apparently, the guest walked into the room and exclaimed in disbelief that surely this could not be considered a luxury room.
Which has me confused. The guest who stayed in Room 1 the night before them wrote in our guest book: "thank you for a wonderful stay - incredible attention to detail". The last TripAdvisor review was from a guest who stayed in Room 1 and reads: "My husband and I stayed at Philda and Desmond Benkenstein's wonderful B&B for three nights. What a find! Breakfasts were outstanding, room more than comfortable and the hosting fantastic! There was an equal measure of privacy and the excellent company which made us feel very much at home. Desmond's garden has been lovingly cared for and attracts a variety of bird-life. The attention to detail in the house is meticulous: I loved the silver coffee pots, decorative antique books, and modern bathroom; my husband enjoyed attention from Juno the dog. We can't recommend this establishment enough ... and look forward to another visit in the not-too-distant future!" Luxury is relative I suppose. Desmond and I have stayed in some pretty luxurious hotel rooms - but then not at B&B rates. We have also stayed at B&B's where we have experienced luxuries far greater than those offered by most 5 star hotels. If we let the guest stay in the Standard room that they paid for they would not have been tempted to pass criticism - or would they have complained that our Standard rooms could not possibly be Standard: mohair throws, top quality bedding and mattress, flat screen Samsung television, DVD player, coffee/tea making facility, microwave,safe, heaters, ceiling fan, ironing board and iron, heated towel rail,original art, Oriental carpets... Some text obviously came from our website, but whoever wrote this definitely had to have stayed here - I wonder who?
Built in 1861, Fairview Historic Homestead has been sympathetically restored to its original Cape Georgian splendour, and invites guests to experience elegant accommodation in the heart of the Garden Route. On arrival, the gardens make a spectacular first impression and are undoubtedly the showpiece of the property. Lovingly curated into a fairy-tale expanse of arches, flowerbeds, flowing lawns, water features and clipped hedges, this magnificent space will steal the hearts of all guests, whether they have an appreciation for gardening or not. The striking Georgian house fits beautifully into this pretty scene and has been furnished with a collection of antiques and artwork that, together with the high ceilings and wooden floors, perfectly capture the grace of old. Coming in different shapes and sizes, the guest rooms add contemporary touches to this antique feel, and are fitted with modern comforts such as free wireless internet, fans or air conditioning, heaters safes, bar fridges, tea/coffee facilities and flatscreen televisions with DVD players. Plump mattresses, dressed with cotton percale linen, mohair blankets and soft unicurl duvets, ensure that sleep comes easily. Two of the luxury rooms, both of which open onto a fragrant lavender garden, have the comforting bonus of a fireplace. One of these rooms features a full en-suite bathroom, while the other has a wheelchair-friendly shower and can accommodate an extra child on a single bed. The other two luxury rooms- one with a full bathroom and the other with a shower- are situated upstairs. A smaller upstairs room is available for solo travellers who only need a bathtub, and can accommodate a second guest at a pinch. This is also the case with the economy room, which has been converted from a storeroom into a cosy guest room with an en-suite shower. Due to limited storage space, the economy room is best suited for overnighters. Equipped with a kitchen and lounge, the self-catering annex is a sleekly modern two-bedroom unit which provides full access to the main garden and swimming pool, while also having the privacy of a back verandah overlooking its own pretty little garden. On sunny days, braais can be enjoyed here in absolute solitude. For guests staying in the rest of the rooms, breakfast is certainly a highlight, incorporating fresh produce straight from the garden. The meal kicks off with unique fruit entrées and cereal, yoghurt and baked fruit compote, while in winter, warming maize porridge is standard fare. This is followed up by a mouth-watering main course during which guests can enjoy everything from eggs benedict, to omelettes, French toast and waffles, all cooked to order. A wide range of preserves, also prepared with produce from the garden, can be smothered onto fresh French bread from the local patisserie. After this satisfying start to the day, guests can discover the beautiful sights and smells of the garden or lounge around the saltwater pool. Trips to various other gardens in the area can be arranged, and the staff will gladly assist with making dinner reservations or recommendations on some of the Garden Route’s wealth of attractions. To end the day in delicious style, a hearty dinner can be prepared for you at the guest house, either served in the dining room or delivered straight to your room. Certainly one of the joys of running a guesthouse is that you never know quite who will walk through the door...
One of my favorite stories is of when I had Robert Redford and Winnie Mandela staying over - well, maybe not quite: I received a call from a gentleman in San Francisco with a voice a smooth as Robert Redford's (I looove Robert Redford...) He told me that he had just e-mailed me a request for accommodation, but that he was phoning to make sure that I would not have a problem with his partner being black. That's where Winnie comes in. Let me explain. When I was a young schoolgirl in Cape Town, I had a hostel roommate who stayed on Robben Island. Once she invited me to visit her for the weekend. That meant a trip down to the harbor and then by boat to the Island, the boat was called the Issey if I recall correctly. Just before we took off, the most beautiful, well dressed, regal woman that I had ever seen, gracefully walked past us to sit quietly downstairs. I silently mouthed to my friend: "who is that?" and she whispered back: "Winnie Mandela". Now when Robert told me that his partner was black, immediately a picture of a young Winnie sprang to mind. I assured him that it would be no problem and that I would reply to his e-mail immediately. When I sat down at my computer I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion at the thought that this man even deemed it necessary to phone to make sure that the love of his life, who he was treating to a trip to Africa, would not be subjected to racism. So I wrote them a letter telling them that they should come to South Africa with an open mind and not prematurely succumb to fear of discrimination and that I was convinced that they were going to be bowled over by the hospitality of South Africans. I also added that they must remember that if people stared it could also just be because they made a handsome couple. On the day of their arrival it was with great anticipation that I opened the door - to find an elderly gay couple, no resemblance to Winnie or Robert at all, but with huge smiles and a huge bunch of flowers to thank me for my lovely letter. We had a wonderful time together and I'm happy to report that they thoroughly enjoyed their South African experience. It is countdown to the annual Garden Route Open Garden Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Desmond is gardening before work and I hardly get greeted before he is off into the garden again after work (he jokes that he actually goes to rest in his air conditioned medical practice during the day as the real work starts when he gets home!)All the hard work shows - our garden is looking spectacular. I am excited about a little collaboration with Of the Earth Catering - delicious French pastries and healthy lunches will be served at Fairview Historic Homestead's Pop-up Tea Garden.
My hard work organising the Open Gardens is also coming together. We have beautiful maps sponsored by Coke. I have got quotes for a new brochure to showcase private Garden Route gardens open throughout the year for viewing by appointment. We are holding thumbs for a successful new tourism product for the garden route. Already a year ago a group of gardening enthusiasts chanced upon the website and subsequently visited our garden - I copy the letter I received from them: 'Please do forgive me the time that it has taken to write and thank you. Although we never met, you were very generous to an RHS Holiday tour party back in November in allowing us to come and visit your garden It was during the torrential rains that we had during that month and our day was supposed to involve a trip from Knysna to Hermanus enjoying the beauty of Wilderness along the way. Considering the dangerously high water levels, Wilderness was never going to happen and so we sought out an alternative option. The tour was about seeing the Floral Wonders of South Africa, but many of our guests had wanted to see a "typical South African garden". I am not sure I would count your garden as "typical", it was so far above the average South African garden, but it was really appreciated by the group to see what a keen gardener can achieve in South Africa. Through a continual downpour, the group enjoyed browsing amongst the various rooms of the garden, admiring the structure and mix of plantings, both native and non-native plants (several of them commented that it was so nice to see plants they recognized!). It was only a short visit, and everyone was drenched by the end, but it gave the group something special to remember from an otherwise dismal day. So thank you very much for your openness to let us visit ; it was just a shame that you were not there to show us around as you would have had a very attentive audience. There is another tour planned for 2015, and maybe it would be possible to actually plan in a visit more officially into the program, as well as other local gardens that you are now promoting through the George Open Gardens. If you think that this would be a possibility, then please do get in touch with me and I will pass your details onto our RHS Holiday organizing team. " About a year ago my daughter introduced me to the joys of Pinterest. What an amazing way to organize your thoughts, plans and to get inspiration. (For inspiration you may look at my Pinterest board http://www.pinterest.com/phildab/linnekas-laundry-room/ )
And my other favourite: Houz As a guest house owner, the linen cupboard can be both a frustration and a joy - depending on how the Fairview Homestead linen cupboard users use or abuse it. Now I am not naturally the tidiest person on earth (my husband and daughter are...) I have to work at it. And for that, I need rules that I as well as the staff have to adhere to. We sort, fix or discard every 3 months. My 5 rules for an immaculate linen cupboard: 1. sort and discard 2. signs - to show what goes where 3. simplify - do the sheets on the beds really have to match the yellow, blue, red and orange themed rooms? 4. standardize - go for white 5. sustain - now that's the most difficult part! The same rules applies to the cleaning products cupboard. I have made life a lot easier by using one bio degradable product that is diluted to different levels depending on the use. It can be very annoying when you are looking for bed sheets and pillow cases and nothing seems to match. I find it easier to organize the bed linens so that it is easy to find each set of sheets, pillow cases, etc. for each bed. This method also makes it easier to get rid of sheet sets that are old and worn - if the top sheet is worn and you get rid of it, you may forget about the bottom sheet if you don't see them together. Blanket boxes for spare mattress, pillowcase protectors, blankets etc. are clear plastic ones. The emergency medical box also lives in the linen cupboard - it is one of those plastic drawer types and I use the same type to store bathroom amenities. I would recommend that you reuse any sheets that are no longer part of a matching set for other things around the house. For example: You could use old sheets and blankets to make new ironing board pads and covers. Donate old sheets and towels to a local church or homeless shelter or to a local animal welfare society. On that note, if you have a dog, make some thrifty knot toy from your old towels. Cut the towel into strips lengthwise about five inches wide and tie knots along the length of the towel close together. Your dog will love chewing on it. You could also sew a couple of old sheets together and use as a beach blanket. Use your old sheets to make gift, laundry or shoe bags. Just cut the size you need, sew a one-inch seam for the drawstring, and then sew the bag together. Make your own cleaning cloths and rags.
A few years ago a guest wrote in our guest book: Fairview = Philda. Initially I thought: "what an odd thing to write in a guest book", but then I realized that this man actually understood the essence of what it is about when you stay in a B&B opposed to a hotel -that personal touch added by the owner. Whenever I show guests through our garden I feel such a fraud because if I am the one adding the special touch to the guest house, then our garden = Desmond. Shortly after we started the guest house I asked him to move his gardening activities to the front garden as we had two sets of guests arriving and I wanted him to let them in as I just quickly wanted to go to the grocery store. My instructions that it was a couple for Room 1 and a family for Room 3 was met with: “which one is Room 3 again?". So I patiently explained for the millionth time: Room 1 is the yellow room to the right as you enter, as it has been since the restoration 17 years ago. Room 3 has been Room 3 since the boys left home more than 12 years ago... When they arrived he told them he was not sure which rooms I had allocated and that it was best to wait for my return. The one guest told him that they were in Room 1, on which he asked if they knew whether that was a yellow room. In his defense I must add that he invited them into the lounge and offered tea and chocolate cookies. Our guest came up with a super solution: why not ask him to name the rooms after flowers - the yellow room could be Sunflower Room, the orange room could be the Pincushion Room etc. The incident reminded me of another occasion when he was working in the front as guest arrived. It was pouring with rain - not that the rain has ever prevented Desmond from gardening. When I opened the front door it was to find Desmond and the guests in a fit of laughter ; as he explained later - he did not notice the guests initially and wearing his bright yellow rain suit he must have looked quite a sight - they rang the front door bell and then asked him if the proprietor was in? He answered: “She’ll be down presently. I'm just the gardener, but I do sleep with the proprietor". Last Saturday evening we went to bed early as we only had one couple staying - only to be cruelly awoken at 11.45 by the gate bell being rung - repeatedly... As I have a slight hearing impairment the bell is set to ring very loudly and to discourage people from ringing it repeatedly it is also set to ring loudly at the gate. Desmond went down to open the gate as we could see that these people were not taking 'no' for an answer.
To my surprise I could hear that he was actually booking them in - we normally, as a security measure, do not take off-street bookings after hours. It transpired that they had made an online booking earlier and for some reason the text message notification never came through on my mobile phone, so I did not know about their arrival as I never checked my computer between returning from a late afternoon movie, making dinner and retiring early. That they did not think it unacceptable to book in nearly midnight without prior arrangement just added to the chain of events of how things go very wrong when they start going wrong. They told Desmond that they had booked a different room to the one he gave them and they were none too happy when he insisted that that was the only room that they could have booked (the others were either occupied or closed for renovation). The next morning I printed out the confirmation e-mail to show them that they had indeed booked room 2 and Room 2 was the room that they got as I pointed to the number 2 on the door. They did not take to a proprietor who did not believe that the customer is always right and neither did the proprietor take to argumentative guests - we were on a speedy downhill slope. To the point where I said to Desmond that I wondered if I could give myself a bad review on TripAdvisor? Over breakfast they said that the shower was not draining properly and that they therefor could not shower. I asked their permission to send our housekeeper into the room to check out the drain while they were having breakfast. Prior to them I had guests who stayed 5 days in that room with no problem. I gave Liesbet a dose of bio degradable drain cleaner with instructions to pour it down the drain of Room 2 , add a liter of boiling water, to replace wet towels and to make sure the electric towel rails were on. She came back reporting job done, but found it strange that the water ran down perfectly well and assured me that the towels were nice and toasty on the heated towel rails as instructed. Well, you guessed: Liesbet had gone into Room 1, not Room 2! This transpired when the understandably unhappy guest came to me with a look of exasperation on her face and frustration in her voice to tell me that the wet towels were still lying exactly on the floor as she had left it. What more could go wrong? Desmond being Desmond answered: ' they could eventually have a shower and the gas bottle could empty right then"! As a fellow B&B owner told me: 'Only one thing to do Philda. Make yourself a cup of tea, go and find yourself a quiet spot in the garden, take your guest book and read all the gushing thank you's and compliments about excellent service, hospitable hosts etc. etc.!' But I still wonder if I could give myself a bad review on TripAdvisor? |
About the blogEnglish is my second language. I blog about life as a guesthouse owner - it's personal, it is from the heart, it's honest. The inside story. The ups and downs of owning a guest house... AuthorFor book orders in S.A. click on this link Categories
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