Island Estuary Bed and Breakfast

The ladies from North Vancouver’s Fresh Air Group spent the weekend cycling, hiking and eating at the Island Estuary Bed and Breakfast/Culinary Retreat June 18 – 20, 2010.  And what a weekend they had.  We met them at the ferry with their bikes and then cycled the Artisan Loop in Cedar/Yellowpoint.  Our first stop was at Frederich’s Honey Farm where we were met by Theo, the owners’ son who explained his art of honey making, complete with wonderful samples of his fir and fireweed honey (oh yes, we serve this at the b & b with our spelt scones).   Then we stopped by Barton/Leier Gallery and were welcomed  by the owners Grant and Nixie for a tour through their fabulous gardens and art gallery along with a sip of wine on the deck with Nixie.  Next on the tour was a visit to Yellowpoint Stained Glass Studio with Cathy Anderson – she is a very gifted artist and wonderful host.  After our 34 kilometre cycling trip, we gathered at the Island Estuary for Spot Prawn Dumplings, Yam, Beet and Kale Chips with wines from Averill Creek Vineyards.

The next day, our wonderful guests cycled the Cowichan Lake trail, lunched at Merridale Cidery, visited a few wineries along the way and then met back at the Island Estuary for a feast of stuffed locally foraged morels, spot prawns, roasted asparagus and local goat cheese in a roasted pepper pesto.  On Sunday, our friends hiked the Holland Creek Trail skillfully guided by our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retreiver Leo, ate lunch and then cycled back to the ferry for their crossing over to Horseshoe Bay.

This was our dinner – morels stuffed with shallots, hazelnuts and goat cheese served with local spot prawns, scallops, roasted asparagus and peppers over pasta in a roasted red pepper pesto sauce.

A Taste of Thailand at the Island Estuary.  A women’s book club from Whiterock joined us at the Island Estuary for a Wonderful Weekend of Exploring the Tantalizing Tastes of Thai Food over a weekend of adventure, fun and relaxation.  Lynda and her sous-chef Diane from Calgary along with the ladies prepared many Thai dishes by combining the four basic tastes:  sweet, sour, salty and spicy – simutaneously in one dish!!  Thai food is quite simple to prepare as the key is in the preparation of the ingredients, having all the items chopped and prepped ahead of time and then assembling at the last minute.  In keeping with our focus here, we sourced as many local ingredients as possible utilizing fresh cilantro, spot prawns, Cowichan Bay free-range Chicken, eggs, shallots etc. from local farmers.

On Friday night, we discussed the agenda for the weekend as we assembled Thai Spring Rolls served with a Lemon-Coriander Sauce and Spot Prawn Dumplings in a Chili-Orange Sauce.  After our hard work, we sat down to discuss the menu for Saturday evening and enjoyed the appetizers with a Gewurztraminer from Averill Creek Vineyard in Duncan, BC.   Saturday morning began with a delicious breakfast and then the ladies ventured off to explore the Artisan Loop in Yellowpoint/Cedar with stops at Barton/Leier Gallery, Yellowpoint Stained Glass Studio, JoVic Pottery and a few wineries in the Cowichan Valley.

The Menu for Saturday night included:

Soup:
Tom Kha-Kai (Chicken-Coconut)

Salad:
Thai Beef Salad and Green Mango Salad.

Entrees:
Pad Thai, Halibut in Curry Sauce, Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk

Dessert:
Sticky Rice Pudding with Mango

Comments from the Thai Retreat:

“Wow, I felt so spoiled!  I will highly recommend Island Estuary… your home is beautiful and the hospitality second to none. Doing a cooking course with you was so fun and the food amazing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

Deb – S.Surrey

“We so enjoyed our cooking weekend!  The Thai food was delish, the hospitality amazing and the comfortable rooms were wonderful.  Will definately be back for another!!  Love and thanks,”

Pippa.