{"id":1584,"date":"2011-12-14T10:02:02","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T10:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2012-02-04T16:56:10","modified_gmt":"2012-02-04T16:56:10","slug":"an-estuarine-christmas-with-the-sandemans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/2011\/12\/an-estuarine-christmas-with-the-sandemans\/","title":{"rendered":"An Estuarine Christmas with the Sandemans"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Estuarine Christmas with the Sandemans<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sandeman family are heading to the depths of South Devon to spend another Christmas in the Goodshelter estuary, inland from Salcombe. Not actually ‘in’ the estuary, of course, but in the beautifully secluded and remote cottage which sits on the edge of the water at the head of the creek.<\/p>\n

Forward planning is essential, since the chances of buying decent wines locally are limited, and access to the cottage is either by water (tide dependent and not fun at this time of year)\u00a0or down a perilous slope, and once you have risked life and limb carrying cases of wine down the hill, you do not want to carry them back up. So, we take with us\u00a0whatever we plan to drink, and make sure we do so.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Christmas Eve sees the start of festivities with a glass of fizz before dinner, and because it is such a\u00a0very pretty, pale pink, yet packed with wild strawberry fruit, Legras Ros\u00e9 <\/a>is the choice. Dinner will be seared fillet of beef with salad, and for once a very affordable, quite modern Merlot based\u00a0claret\u00a0makes it\u00a0into my Christmas choice in the form of Chateau Montfollet ‘Valentin’\u00a02007<\/a>, from a small property in Blaye. After dinner a bracing two mile\u00a0walk up and over\u00a0the hill to South Pool, for\u00a0those of us feeling strong enough, for carol singing in the Millbrook Inn. I suspect the others will settle into the first bottle of Sandeman Twenty Year Old Tawny<\/a>,\u00a0hopefully leaving a glass or two for ‘Santa’ having\u00a0braved it back across the estuary from the pub.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After a slightly fuzzy start to Christmas morning last year,\u00a0when I looked out to see what I thought was seagulls walking on the water, it turned out that the entire estuary was frozen solid and the landscape a sea of white ice. As stunning as it was, we are hoping for a milder start this year. Our tradition of salmon fishcakes for breakfast will continue, and I look forward to starting the day with\u00a0 a wonderful magnum of Larmandier-Bernier’s ‘Terre de Vertus’<\/a>, which has been hidden away in the boathouse since last year. Not only will it taste awesome, but it helps to put that feeling of\u00a0crepe soles under ones feet for the rest of the morning.<\/p>\n

It is a\u00a0healthy walk along the estuary to church at East Portlemouth, and I continue to embarrass everybody but myself by walking in\u00a0my Ramsay tartan kilt, which I will wear for the entire day. Last year it was especially bracing, but I also like to believe the kilt only enhanced the spirit of Christmas at both the packed\u00a0church and the pub, as it was much admired, by grown-ups and children alike. Furthermore my sporran neatly and discreetly\u00a0carries\u00a0a hipflask, filled with Foxdenton’s Sloe Gin<\/a>, an especially dry version that warms the parts others cannot reach when sitting in a cold pew.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lunch\u00a0will be\u00a0a light affair of smoked salmon and game terrine,\u00a0with Bert Salomon’s bracing Gr\u00fcner Veltliner Wachtberg<\/a>, and the juicy, almost healthy tasting Domaine de la Rochette’s Beaujolais R\u00e9gni\u00e9<\/a>. Both light enough to keep us well focussed for the evening ahead. We will spend the afternoon walking along the estuary, combing the shores for driftwood and cockles, and walk as far as we can go before the open water\u00a0where we will\u00a0see the twinkling lights of Salcombe in the distance. By the time we return to the cottage\u00a0the fading\u00a0light in the skies\u00a0above the hills leave the estuary in all but\u00a0darkness, and the fires are lit as\u00a0preparations for\u00a0our Christmas dinner resume.<\/p>\n

The turkey has been cooking in the Aga almost all day, basted with a bottle of Palo Cortado sherry, and as we lay up the table and make final preparations, it is time for a quick\u00a0sharpener before ‘dressing for dinner’.\u00a0A glass of Valdespino’s bone dry Inocente Fino<\/a> hits the spot and enlivens that palate.<\/p>\n

Presents by the fire brings more champagne, and our family favourite on these occasions has become Barnaut’s Grande R\u00e9serve Grand Cru<\/a> from Bouzy; stylish, satisfying and so easy to enjoy amongst all the excitement. In reserve, there will be a bottle of Chablis (personally I like just one glass of fizz and then a bottle of Chablis…) and what is\u00a0drinking so well\u00a0right now is Moreau-Naudet’s 2007 Premier Cru For\u00eats<\/a>; bracingly dry and mineral but with lovely fruit too. With dinner this year we will drink\u00a0a new Pinot Noir to our range,\u00a0packed with elegant juice and\u00a0 flavour, full enough to stand up to all the flavours of turkey and all the trimmings (including this year black pudding with wet walnuts and caremelised apples). Charles’ latest find in Burgundy is the small Domaine de la Douaix and their 2009 Hautes C\u00f4tes de Nuits<\/a> is simply delicious and will be perfect for the job in hand.<\/p>\n

We have long since given up the idea of a traditional Christmas pudding (even if it\u00a0might contain a whole orange) and all I miss, apart from the brandy butter, is the pyrotechnical display when parading it into the room. Mince pies, fruit and\u00a0walnuts are all washed down with a bottle of vintage port, or two, with a bottle of\u00a0Graham’s 1999\u00a0Malvedos<\/a> in reserve.<\/p>\n

Boxing Day\u00a0will be\u00a0a slow start, before a long and bracing coastal walk round the headlands to Prawle point and\u00a0on up to the Pig’s Nose, for a pint of beer and to listen to the annual bell ringers display. A late lunch of baked potatoes and ham\u00a0back in the cottage gives me the opportunity to open one of the two Italians of choice,\u00a0either\u00a0Fuligni’s brilliant value 2009 Rosso di Montalcino<\/a>\u00a0or Sottimano’s exceptional ‘baby Barbaresco’, the 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo<\/a>, probably both.<\/p>\n

There will be other bottles that find their way down the hill, but I dare not mention them all, since\u00a0I would be at risk of being told (again) that we drink too much over Christmas. But then we will have the Mother-in-Law<\/a> with us (again), there is no television in the cottage,\u00a0and there is always plenty of outdoor activity and\u00a0walking, with each of the\u00a0pubs\u00a0a good few miles each way. Take the car? Not likely, I might have to forgo the chance of another drink.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Estuarine Christmas with the Sandemans The Sandeman family are heading to the depths of South Devon to spend another Christmas in the Goodshelter estuary, inland from Salcombe. Not actually ‘in’ the estuary, of course, but in the beautifully secluded and remote cottage which sits on the edge of the water at the head of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,10,100,173,176,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-burgundy-primeurs","category-champagne","category-christmas-list","category-how-to-drink-it","category-matching","category-tuscany"],"contentshake_article_id":"","yoast_head":"\nAn Estuarine Christmas with the Sandemans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An Estuarine Christmas with the Sandemans The Sandeman family are heading to the depths of South Devon to spend another Christmas in the Goodshelter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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